A Funny Story...

A short anecdote from several days ago...

So, I'm going out to dinner on the kind largess of a couple of friends. To protect their identities, I shall refer to them solely as My Italian Roomate (or MIR) and Mr. X. Smith (or Mr. X). Japanese is the food genre of the day so we're sitting at one of those Teppanaki bars. You know, square tables with the grill in the middle, the chef does his cutlery tricks and slaps out the food to you? It's not really my favorite way to eat, but
that's another rant.

So anyway, we're sitting there at the table in a row. Me, MIR, and Mr. X and in the course of our enlightened discussions, we come to the topic of strip clubs. As we deliberate the various merits of local establishments, a curious phenomenon (doot-doo de-do-doot) becomes apparent. I have never been to a strip club, MIR has been to a few strip clubs on infrequent occassions and Mr. X has been to a lot of strip clubs (maybe not regularly, but he's been to a lot of them). So there's this gradient of strip club experience that rises exponentially starting from my end and working down to Mr. X.

My companions expressed some surprise that I'd never been to a club since my general perversity and slut level suggests that I'd be getting a lap dance every evening 15 minutes after leaving work and twice on weekends. I countered that I never really quite understood the whole concept of a strip club. I mean, when people get naked in front of me, I'm usually getting
naked too and there aren't any bouncers to call foul. Now, maybe I'm just making a rash judgement about something I've never experienced first-hand before, but if people are getting naked and sexually flirtatious towards me, I expect something to happen between us. If it's not, then why the hell am I there?

"It'd be like this," I said, "we'd be at the club, and I'd be there with a wad of bills in my hand and I'd turn to you guys and say 'so can I do anything with her?' and you guys would say 'no' and then I'd say 'well screw this' and leave."

I dunno. I'm all for the existence of strip clubs if people want them, it just seems like a big exercise in frustration to me. Especially since the strippers (current and former) that I do know are generally a great bunch of people I like hanging out with -- and it's unlikely we'd have the relationship we do now if I'd met them at work.. Although now I think it'd be great to be in a Nobilis Game with the Power of Strip Clubs who'd be a servant of Hell. This is not be confused with the Power of Strippers who's a servant of Heaven. Fun times there.

Nobilis -- It Owns Me!
Tom

A Funny Story...

A short anecdote from several days ago...

So, I'm going out to dinner on the kind largess of a couple of friends. To protect their identities, I shall refer to them solely as My Italian Roomate (or MIR) and Mr. X. Smith (or Mr. X). Japanese is the food genre of the day so we're sitting at one of those Teppanaki bars. You know, square tables with the grill in the middle, the chef does his cutlery tricks and slaps out the food to you? It's not really my favorite way to eat, but
that's another rant.

So anyway, we're sitting there at the table in a row. Me, MIR, and Mr. X and in the course of our enlightened discussions, we come to the topic of strip clubs. As we deliberate the various merits of local establishments, a curious phenomenon (doot-doo de-do-doot) becomes apparent. I have never been to a strip club, MIR has been to a few strip clubs on infrequent occassions and Mr. X has been to a lot of strip clubs (maybe not regularly, but he's been to a lot of them). So there's this gradient of strip club experience that rises exponentially starting from my end and working down to Mr. X.

My companions expressed some surprise that I'd never been to a club since my general perversity and slut level suggests that I'd be getting a lap dance every evening 15 minutes after leaving work and twice on weekends. I countered that I never really quite understood the whole concept of a strip club. I mean, when people get naked in front of me, I'm usually getting
naked too and there aren't any bouncers to call foul. Now, maybe I'm just making a rash judgement about something I've never experienced first-hand before, but if people are getting naked and sexually flirtatious towards me, I expect something to happen between us. If it's not, then why the hell am I there?

"It'd be like this," I said, "we'd be at the club, and I'd be there with a wad of bills in my hand and I'd turn to you guys and say 'so can I do anything with her?' and you guys would say 'no' and then I'd say 'well screw this' and leave."

I dunno. I'm all for the existence of strip clubs if people want them, it just seems like a big exercise in frustration to me. Especially since the strippers (current and former) that I do know are generally a great bunch of people I like hanging out with -- and it's unlikely we'd have the relationship we do now if I'd met them at work.. Although now I think it'd be great to be in a Nobilis Game with the Power of Strip Clubs who'd be a servant of Hell. This is not be confused with the Power of Strippers who's a servant of Heaven. Fun times there.

Nobilis -- It Owns Me!
Tom

A List...

RPG Game Designers I would go out on a date with (listed in rough order of personal preference):

1. R. Sean Bergstrom
2. James Wallis
3. Johnathan Tweet
4. John Tynes
5. Robin Laws
6. Johnnny Nexus

My groundrules for the list consist of:

1. It's just a date. Mostly entertainment, some food, and a bit of affection. I don't personally expect a good-night kiss on a first date -- but I won't say no either... :)

2. They have to ask me out. OK, I know. I'm saying I'd like to go out with them, but they need to ask me first and how preteen is that? The point is that if they ask me out, I know they're not just humoring a drooling fanboy.

3. We don't talk shop. No grognard war-stories, no discussion of what's right or wrong with the industry, nothing. In the course of their efforts, these people dredge up enough interesting information that they can carry on an intelligent conversation and it's just a sign of respect on my part that I interact with them like the human beings they are.

4. If you're married, and your spouse is cool with it, and I know they're cool with it, we can still have the date. If not, forget it -- I'm a lot of things, but not a homewrecker -- at least, not in that sense...gimme a sledgehammer and all bets are off.

5. We split the check. Fair's fair.

later
Tom

A List...

RPG Game Designers I would go out on a date with (listed in rough order of personal preference):

1. R. Sean Bergstrom
2. James Wallis
3. Johnathan Tweet
4. John Tynes
5. Robin Laws
6. Johnnny Nexus

My groundrules for the list consist of:

1. It's just a date. Mostly entertainment, some food, and a bit of affection. I don't personally expect a good-night kiss on a first date -- but I won't say no either... :)

2. They have to ask me out. OK, I know. I'm saying I'd like to go out with them, but they need to ask me first and how preteen is that? The point is that if they ask me out, I know they're not just humoring a drooling fanboy.

3. We don't talk shop. No grognard war-stories, no discussion of what's right or wrong with the industry, nothing. In the course of their efforts, these people dredge up enough interesting information that they can carry on an intelligent conversation and it's just a sign of respect on my part that I interact with them like the human beings they are.

4. If you're married, and your spouse is cool with it, and I know they're cool with it, we can still have the date. If not, forget it -- I'm a lot of things, but not a homewrecker -- at least, not in that sense...gimme a sledgehammer and all bets are off.

5. We split the check. Fair's fair.

later
Tom