I went to a beauty pageant and it ruled. I also went to a night club in Orange County and had a great time. There, I said it. It’s true. Reading this as I write it sounds douchey beyond my own belief, and after admitting all of this, I feel I should go drink Whiskey, eat a Steak ,and Chop down a tree. Whatever, I am not too proud to admit these things. To top this all off, the fact is, it was two of my favorite nights in California to date. Here’s why.

My perception of these types of events, have always been (in retrospect),  from an Ignorant stand point. For I have never done either of them. I thought that pageants, were a superficial display of unintelligent women who are degrading themselves by being judged for an ability to answer a question on the spot, and their sex appeal. I also thought that clubs were for rich kids who love, Blow, E, Glow Sticks, Spray Tans, and Vodka Red Bulls, along with creepy dudes dressed in weird shit, Lurking around. I was mostly in the wrong for these assumptions. There were creepy dudes lurking, and some unintelligent things that happened, but none the less, I ultimately, was wrong.

My experience at the club called Sutra, went like this. The staff is, visually, Jersey Shore in stature, dressed better, with the attitude of a pretentious, wealthy only child, now given, a speck of power, in a social gathering place for individuals escaping reality, through Music and Dance. They were, well, something. The crowd wasn’t much further off. Silicone and Botox must have been the late night happy hour special, along with, Sunglasses used for indoor sunlight issues (at 10:00 PM) and Rolexes for the men. The music and DJ, both, were really, really good. I am not a house music, electronic music, or dubstep music type of guy, At all. That being said, when someone can control the emotion and energy of a room full of people, I can respect that and that’s what was being displayed. Everyone was dancing and, dancing is something I enjoy, when with the right company ( thank you for showing me the ways of the force Ryan Watson), and the company was ideal. I danced like an African American Queen with some incredible young women who I’ve come to adore as people, and I loved every second of it. 

The pageant was something I didn’t expect. These girls killed some shit for real. I mean, everything from spoken word (My Favorite), to classical piano, to singing. It was a wide spectrum of talent. Some of these girls are on a whole different level. Let me put it this way, Some girl was announced to perform a song from the movie, The Little Mermaid, and I started laughing out loud, literally. Seriously, The Housewives of the OC and their Sugar Daddies around me scolded the hell out of me for it, but I mean come on, The Little Fucking Mermaid? Then she slayed it. I mean I’m talking she Whitney Houston, before Bobbi Browned this song. The girl was amazing. Score one for the Housewives and Sugar Daddies. Then came the question portion of the competition. You could tell who meant what they said, knew what they were talking about it, who was sincere, and had no clue what was going on. It was interesting. I was shocked at the intensity of the questions. One question asked, “What do you think about the current health care reform in the United States and, what do you think should be done to improve it?”, I mean holy shit. I could never answer that on the spot, but the answer was perfect and clever. I had to laugh when the following question was, “What’s your favorite song on the radio, and what do you do when it comes on?” Totally unfair. They choose the wrong “Miss Fountain Valley”,  but there will only be one Miss. Fountain Valley to me, regardless of  the size of the Crown.

After the pageant, I got to spend some more precious time with the two young ladies who have made me feel normal for being strange, and I got to delve into their world a bit. We went out to eat after, with some people close to them, including, Uncles, Moms, Dads, Cousins, and “The Sister”. The verdict is still out on the sister, I’m a bit curious to see where that will lead. Anyway, I hit it off with everyone and shared some good stories and laughs over some wine, in a minimalist hipsteresque, setting that was chosen by the guest of honor. One of the Moms drank a little too much and after a great conversations about books written by Steinbeck, she dove into Politics at which point the gracious host saved me. 

This experience alone, gave me that feeling of family and home. I was surrounded by strangers, but it felt warm. I haven’t had that in a long time, and I miss it. We left and went to In-n- Out where Miss. Fountain Valley walked in, while still wearing her evening gown and ordered, with confidence, while not one single fuck was given. Everyone gawked in confusion, but she could care less. She is amazing (she rules too hard to put into words, the way she deserves, therefore I will not try until I can execute it properly). She celebrated the completion of something most don’t have the balls to even consider. My hat is off to you. Upon arriving back to my little abode, I scrambled to clean up my place, lead my guests in and we unwound. Sweat pants, fast food, girl scout cookies, lounging and laughing about the most random things, while being half delirious from exhaustion, rounded out the night, and made another evening stellar.

What I got from these two, Odd but, fun, experiences was that you shouldn’t be opinionated, unless it’s for good reason. I honestly looked down on these things, I talked shit. I feel stupid for doing so. It makes me really contemplate how many great times I missed out on due to my own stubborn and ignorant ways. I also am taking away that I will try as many new things as possible, as long as I’m in the right company. The more I try to live by these following words, the more I realize, life is what you make of it, and being positive, is essential. “You only regret the things you don’t do”. Be free, go to a pageant, dance like a white boy, and love the moments you’re sharing with people that mean something to you. It’s what it means to live. It’s what life is about. If you don’t agree, go have a cheeseburger with a beauty queen, I promise, you will never forget it.