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one of the hard facts of consultancy is that it typically sees a pretty substantial bit of turnover - consultants are exposed to different environments and clients who covet them, or consultants are held onto by clients with whom they don't want to work anymore that they have to move on to further their own sense of challenge. whatever the reason, it's often the case that good friends have to leave and move on. the upside to those occasions is that often, if the friends are well-enough liked, there's a damn good party for them. and this time around, we were sending off three very well loved colleagues.
the evening started off at my favourite after-work spot, alice fazooli's on adelaide. the decor is classy and chic, but comfortable and inviting. the bar staff are beautiful and charming and gracious, and at least three of the bartenders know just how i like my martinis. it looked like about 90% of the company turned out that friday evening to chat, send their regards, and have a drink or two on the company tab. unfortunately, one of the outgoing guests of honour, thomas, knows it's not a party unless you punch in 12 tequila shots over the course of the evening, so we had to get right to work to keep up with our quota.
i know that over the past couple of years, i've made it look like imason is really only capable of partying and drinking like a bunch of lunatics - but the fact of the matter is that i've never worked with such a collection of brilliant, focussed, ingenious, talented and friendly people in my life. every time i hang out with them, i get that feeling like one might if one were the best at something, track and field, singing, hockey, and then you step up to the next level or league, and you realize that there's a whole new level of game above you. that's how i feel all the time around my friends at imason. and we all bring that A-game with us even when we go out to celebrate. it's awesome!!!
the next stop was the kit kat 2 - a sophisticated but unpretentious southern italian restaurant nestled exactly 150m away from Fazooli's. dinner was fantastic and intimate, with low lights, more drinks, everyone mingling around to chat and congratulate. i had a steak... filet mignon... and i think that it may have been the best steak that i've had in toronto.
also, this was perhaps the first occasion for some of the imasons to observe my habit (compulsive disorder?) of trying to leave precisely equivalent amounts of each type of food on my plate until the very end, when they can all be eaten more or less simultaneously. i do this pretty unconsciously, and it's no big deal if it doesn't work out... but still... i guess it's a little odd.
more shots later among the most attractive co-workers one could possibly imagine, and it was off to the club.
now, i've been to a few clubs in toronto, and i get that different ones cater to different types. but for me, i think tryst was just about the greatest experience i've had yet. they've only been open a couple of weeks, but one of the best connected guys in the office had already put in the word about this place and had all the hook-ups. sadly, he wasn't out with us friday night, so ... and this is the wonder of nightclubbing ... even though it was like 10pm and no one was in the club yet, they milked our earliness for 5 minutes to make it look like there was already a crowd!!! i just love how this crazy business works. you let them make you wait outside, so that more people will wait in line longer, so that you can pay $20 to buy drinks for twice what they cost in a regular bar. ah well... it's the same story for every club, so what can you do...
at least we had a ton of fun party people out with us. you will no doubt recognize some of the alumni from previous imason going-away parties which is actually really cool in my mind. at least when there is alcohol involved, we can all count on each other to come together like family!
so here is where the story becomes less about friendship and camaraderie, and more about hardcore partying and euphoric night mating ritual. tryst itself is not as big or well-appointed as say... circa. when we got in... way too early, things were just getting set up. we had a chance to chat with the bar staff and the gorgeous girls dressed up in nighties and butterfly wings who seemed to have no purpose other than to look enticing.
as people started to show, what did the club do but set the dance floor on fire - literally... i didn't see that coming. shortly after, the crowd hit critical mass and the dj picked up the beat. suddenly without warning, the club itself caught fire (now, i mean that figuratively) and the pretty butterflies had transmuted into almost fully-naked, body painted nymphs busting their bacchanalian booties all over the club. i've always been something of a prude about this kind of naked-for-cash arrangement, but i have to admit that taking the whole effect of watching the club night go from its calm, seemingly innocent beginnings to slowly wind up and explode into this mad pumping (still well-behaved though!!) club crescendo was a wickedly hot experience - i am DEFINITELY going back there.
however, i am now left hopelessly longing to meet a nice body-painted go-go dancer some day and to make her my wife.
- g
adventure cost:
drinks at fazooli's: someone got that tab
dinner and drinks at kit kat: someone else got that tab
cover at tryst for 2: $40.00
vodka martini @ tryst: $15.00
one round of shots (with tip): $69.00
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