“Ladies, Hank Zetterberg is in Sweden, why even bother?”
But bother we did. This holiday weekend I decided to forgo the american flag pigtail debauchery instead chosing to visit my hometown. Detroit, aka Hockeytown. While there, I arranged to meet up with some people I have met here on Connect. And in the end I had the wonderful opportunity to have drinks with our girls Kiki-B and JLEWings at Cheli’s Chili Bar, Downtown Detroit.
YES KB, JLEWings and I MET UP FOR DRINKS THIS WEEKEND IN THE “D” IT WAS FANTASTIC!!!!!!!!!!!!
Before I get into the story, I have to give a huge THANK YOU, shout out to the amazing Denise, cook extraordinaire at Cheli’s. Not only did she find my credit card when the other useless hostess/employee would not even look, BUT the Amazing Denise helped arrange for me to get it long before the restaurant opened up on Saturday. Talk about going your extra mile and a half! Thank you again Denise. And Mr. Chelios- give that girl a raise (and fire the two idiot hostesses that worked this weekend…they do not represent at all).
Ok, ok, on with our story…
It was a gorgeous Friday afternoon, low 80’s, bright sunshine with just a few big fluffy clouds (the kind you never see in LA) languishing slowly in the air, in no real hurry to pass. I headed into the city. There was a Tiger game so the place was hopping with activity and alive with people, just like I wish it could be all the time.
When I arrived at Cheli’s, KikiB was already there. And this is the fun part, the anticipation of meeting people whom you have only known in a 2 dimensional way. I often don’t realize is that I assign certain characteristics, physical and mental, to each of you. In my mind, KikiB is this gorgeous blonde blued eyed Barbie doll and I wondered if the real person was as incredibly kind and generous as she is on these pages. My Connect impression of JLEWings is another fiercely hot blonde with a killer smile, who often proves herself to be one of the most knowledgeable female Red Wings fan I know. Both girls have always seemed to have totally insightful hockey minds.
Geez, can anyone live up to those standards???
Yes! I am happy to report that yes, yes they can and they did! Other than the fact that for some reason I though KikiB was 5’8” and she is in fact a tiny little 105 lb Barbie doll, the girls are exactly as they seem and portray themselves here online. I’m still amazed by “J-illy’s” insight and hockey knowledge, and her personality is just like on line- She’s a patient, cool mellow chick with a great sense of humor and some darn funny stories- just like her blogs(Read the Chelios one, its killer). And KikiB is by far even nicer in person than we all think she here. She is also a strong, assertive woman- a combination that is amazing to me, because I have never figured out how to be both assertive and incredibly kind at the same time. (No I’m not disparaging my self- I like me….HAAA…no its true, I wont apologize- we should all like ourselves!)
Case in point: trying to get a word in edgewise when I’m in the room, can be a challenge (I know, quelle surprise) and you might be inclined to think that a really sweet nice person could end up stuck listening to me go on and on for hours.
Nope. If KikiB or J-illy had something to say, they has the patience and grace to speak without cutting anyone off, and to do so, finding a way to speak without letting me steamroller them.
And when we sat down, the chatter was non-stop, for about 5 hours. You would never in a million years have guessed that it was the first time we all were meeting. It was like catching up with life long friends.
Funny, others have written about the real friendships and close knit community that exists here at Connect, and when reading their words, I have often nodded my head in agreement. After drinks with my girls yesterday, I really understand what that means.
Oh it wasn’t all hearts and flowers, to be sure. Perhaps its just because, as I am learning on this trip I am no longer that girl that left Detroit with hayseed stuck in her hair (these days I tend to find tiny American flag bar accessories in my hair…
Truth is, this is the first time I am realizing that I am really more Los Angelenos than I ever was a suburban Detroiter, and a couple things struck me as completely foreign and funny- things that I would not have noticed when I lived here.
The first is that what is considered modest in LA is naked in Detroit….Unforgiving stares and glares for my super cute maxi dress….And ps: NO ONE uses their ‘tatas” to get things in Michigan- HEDHS no one even shows them off. I never before realized how desensitized I have become to half naked people until this weekend where everyone is completely covered up all the time!
The second, is that many young brunette women really (really) hate blondes. OK, ok that one is true in LA too. (PS: I don’t get this- I know plenty of brunette women who are way better looking that half the blondes I know, and the guys that I know here at Connect will trip over their tongues for a hot brunette or a red head… so why all the animosity ladies? relax!).
But the attitude was relentless…. had two hot blondes and a third (relatively) scantily clad one walked into a restaurant in LA, the maitre’d would have put us up front in a window table, to draw all the young men in. At Cheli’s, however the two young brunette hostesses treated us with disdain and possibly contempt, these two little trolls would NOT seat us until our whole party arrived and would not tell people who came in looking for us where we were.
If that weren’t annoying enough- (and this was the absolute worst part of it) when they did finally seat us, it was upstairs (whic was empty), as far back into the bowels of the restaurant as they could shove us, two tables from the bathrooms, in the dark, directly underneath a speaker that kicked out the WORST jams… we could hardly hear each other talk…
The nerve! And yet somehow we three girls managed to persevere, and have a really great night catching up, laughing, and of course- gossiping about you all. (HA!) Come on… did you think we wouldn’t? We’re only human. But never fear, it was almost all completely good; how sweet and kind, funny and cool our friends here really are. I swear! How can you doubt me???? KikiB was there, heck even I would have felt bad saying something smarmy or negative around her….
Love ya girls, thank you Kiki for “treating” us, you really shouldn’t have (See what I mean about generous and kind?). And I PROMISE to find a way to ask Zetterberg if he will take my two favorite Red Wing blondes out for lunch when the season picks back up.
Happy Holidays all!
Originally Posted on Monday September 01, 2008 @ 05:45 PM EDT at
http://fans.nhl.com/members/JuiceinLA/blogs/19965
http://fans.nhl.com/members/JuiceinLA/blogs/19965
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