Ranting and... Raving?

If you were to ask any of my girlfriends about my preferences for "nights out", they would probably each tell you that I hate going to crowded, trendy places in the city, and usually choose not to come out at all.  I really am a homebody, something that has increased over the past few years, and I'm just not into strangers sweating on me.  If I am to go out with my friends, I'd rather do dinner and drinks at a spot we don't usually frequent.  That's not to say I don't make the occasional exception, but that's usually reserved for someone's birthday.  Enter Taylor.

Last night was Taylor's birthday, and though I don't know her very well, LB has been best friends with her since they were thirteen.  Kristin, Courtney and I decided we would accompany LB to the birthday festivities at Phoenix Landing in Cambridge.  Taylor had forewarned me to "wear flats and be prepared for sh*t to get weird", but I kinda just thought it was one of those things girls say when they are anticipating a night of drinking way too much and thinking they should quit their job to be a backup dancer.

Let's just skip the long story and say that when we got there, everything seemed normal, like sort of a dive bar.  There were people sitting around eating on tables throughout the bar, which wasn't very big.  There was a DJ station in the very back, but it was dark and looked completely empty.  We immediately started looking for an upstairs that was a little more lively, but that was it; one floor of complete normalcy... I was ok with that.

We sat down with a couple of drinks, and Taylor showed up with a couple of girlfriends in tow.  The bouncers started moving tables and opening up the bar, and the DJ set up in back.  Taylor whips out a couple of containers of GLOW STICKS, and that's when I knew things were getting weird.  Loud, embarrassing music starts completely assaulting my ears, someone is talking about doing shrooms, and that's when Kristin tells Courtney and I that she purposely didn't pass on Taylor's warning that it was "pretty much a rave", because she knew we wouldn't have come.  I'm not a fan of bad music, people on drugs, or dancing that resembles a seizure*, so NO I WOULDN'T HAVE COME I WOULD BE HOME IN BED RIGHT NOW.

It was easily the weirdest place I think I've ever gone out, but it wasn't that bad... if we stayed at the back talking to just each other.

 Taylor, Kristin, LB, me, Courtney

 LB and I... I told you!  A rave!

 Glow sticks.

 Kristin literally pulled the car over on the side of the road in Boston on our way home to snap a few pics with this sculpture.  Tell me that climbing that thing doesn't look irresistibly enticing.

And, just for good measure, a couple from our Christmas party last weekend:

 Kristin, Jacquie, me, and a pretending-to-be-horrified Courtney.

 Kris and I :-)

Kristin, Christie, LB, Jacquie, me, Courtney, my messy apartment.

Merry Christmas <3

*Note:  I am not making light of seizures, I just have no other way to describe what this looks like.  I was honestly afraid for my life... or at least my drink.