Klassy With A "K"

First off, I feel as though I should apologize for not writing sooner. Secondly, thank you for your patience - I know I said I would write frequently, and it seems as though life keeps getting in the way. I have actually had to resort to sticking post-it tabs above my laptop in order to avoid having my brilliant topics escape my mind. Honestly! There are no less than 10 tabs, all of which are issues (?) I need (want?) to address...Or at the very least, voice my opinion about.

As you may or  may not have noticed, today's topic is all about class - but with a capital "K". The kind of class that is usually reserved for week-long cottage parties or Vegas expeditions where only your friends, or complete strangers see you at your abolute worse. When you don't need to worry about shame, because you know everyone is just as messed and incapable as you are. Once again though, my ever-watchful eye caught one of these Klassy people at gasp! a very public event last Friday.

As my work day wound to an end, I found myself getting mildly dolled up for the Ottawa Wine & Food Show. Dark skinny jeans, crisp white v-neck tee, black blazer and black knee-high leather boots. I was dressed a propos for the occasion, without looking pretentious, like I was on my way to dinner with the Queen herself. My friends and I had long awaited this night - it seems as though in previous years, we had never been able to get our acts together long enough to map out any type of plan to attend. We had finally reached the follow-through stage.

When we arrived, we saw all types of creatures. Some over-dressed and pretentious, there were others for whom the notion of mirrors and a hairbrush were foreign, and most people were dressed as my friends and I were - clean, but with a little something extra. As the night wore on, we ventured from country to country, in the search of our new favorite wine, of a new restaurant we hadn't yet been to, but now HAD to try based on a mini-portion of appetizers. What was great as well is that everyone in the area knows about this weekend - those who are smart go on Friday, when there are less people, and you can still move around without feeling completely claustrophobic. Those who weren't quite as hip to the game went on Saturday and got to enjoy the great outdoors as they waited in the monstrous line. *Ahem, suckah what?!* Most people you know probably go on the Saturday, and this is actually a great thing - this means there are less chances you will run into a disliked or awkward coworker, or "friend you don't really talk to anymore" - this means you are likely to run into the crowd you normaly run with, even though no one told anyone else you would be there...See how the Friday is better, even though it doesn't go quite as late.

As the night wore on, my friends got a little tipsy, but never drunk, I stopped drinking because I had volunteered to be the designated driver, and everything just got silly. People evcerywhere were laughing and in a great mood, no one was snobby, a great time was obviously being had by all. Too much of a good time for some. As 21h00 rolled around, we found ourselves being ushered out to the coatcheck - ugh...bright lights! As we got ourselves organized, we turned around to see a young woman, approximately our age, being held up and supported by two or three of her closest friends, who seemed embarassed to be bringing her out in this state.

I understand that it is fun to go out, and have a good time with your friends. I also understand that it feels good to sometimes let go, booze it up, and drink until you can't tell your hand from your foot, and you wonder how you got home. Bars are there to cater to that exact need. But the Wine & Food Show, really? Come on, have a little more class than that. This is not some place where people go to get hosed on a  Friday night - this is a place where regular people can go to have a "more sophisticated" time once a year, so they can avoid the "drunks". Now, I am not saying this girl was a drunk, but she certainly was drunk, and I am willing to bet she saw it coming a mile away, and simply chose to have a a few more when she clearly knew that disaster loomed. I am still wondering how she got the guts to do it! I was once drugged at a bar, and my friend had to carry my sorry butt out of the bar in a similar state, and I was absolutely MORTIFIED. To have people see me in THAT type of state. I am certain if I had had my camera with me, I could have turned this into the most perfect demotivational poster there ever was.

One can ever be sure of who is waiting around the bend, and if there is one thing I have learned, it is that the world is very small. This is often thrown around, but I don't think people truely realize JUST how small it is. If I am going out to some fancy event, that I know happens only once a year, and that a very high percentage of people in my city are also attending the same, said event, then it is only logical that I will likely run into someone I know. I could also run into people I don't know, but am supposed to meet in the future, unbeknownst to me at that time - this is NOT the type of impression of myself I would like to leave anyone. And so, if i can impart and words of wisdom, it is to stay classy at all times. Always be aware, and remember that someone is always watching. Leave the "klass" at home, and leave classy events with your head held high, and a million dollar smile - not draped over your two best friends, head down in shame, trying frantically to put one foot in front of the other.

-Milie B.