Buddies in Bad Times: What A "Drag"

OH, TORONTO -- I love that cities tend to have such an air of potential to them. It's so simple to stumble across scenes or situations you were not expecting and it always seems to turn out for the best.

Last night was most certainly one of those occasions.

Hmm, point form, perhaps?:

• Headed to Ship Sharp's pad for 8:30 pm. Updated one another on our lives as dictated by the last two weeks. Ship Sharp's current working schedule makes me flinch. I mean, I need to kick myself into gear to match her energy levels and personal drive -- but I am still recovering on behalf of her and her intense workload.
• Rocked the jasmine tea (with bubbles!) and some popcorn. Narrated the thoughts of Buddy the Cat and his attempts to obtain popcorn.
• Introduced Ship Sharp to the sheer awesomeness of Lady Gaga's current single, "Telephone." Decided that music musts for the evening included: Plenty of Gaga, Beyonce, Rihanna, and Britney.
• Highlight: Ship Sharp and I waiting at the door, scratching the glass, and compelling Lady Gaga to dictate our evening.
• Rob and Ryan rolled into the townhouse complex at around.... 10:30 pm or 11 pm? Can't quite recall. Cruised into Toronto with the tracks at full volume. Whoever designed the lights for the CN Tower must have known about our plan -- we took it as a good omen that the CN Tower was washed in purple lights. Decided we could transform the car into a mobile club should our end destination prove to be a bust. Sang along to numerous Gaga tracks and some other fantastic gems.
• Arrived at Buddies in Bad Times to discover -- A PREMIUM DRAG SHOW! Yes, a collection of drag queens ruled the roost for most of our excursion. And, oh goodness, it was most excellent. The Hytes Sisters (Farenheit and Heavenly Heights) were the main performers for the evening, both bringing rather different styles with them. Heavenly was more focused when it came to the performance aspect, occasionally interacting with the crowd for a coy moment or two. Farenheit made it very clear that the stage was hers and we all best watch her every move. She was fantastic, though -- she stopped an obnoxious guy from dancing, she was sharp and full of sass if someone tried to heckle, and I was impressed with her ability to knock back drinks. She picked me out and got me to down the rest of my drink and she even managed to sass me when I was saucy enough to offer the empty bottle back.
• Note: I am one of those people who gets picked out at drag events, without fail. I am an approachable character, I suppose.
• Dancing started rather late, well after midnight. We were treated to Beyonce and a remixed Lady Gaga track, so we did quite well on the music. Highlights include: Ship Sharp's shoppin' cart dance, Ryan's fixation on buttons, and Rob's expert circle blocking abilities (gotta close ranks against the creepers, you know)

All in all, it was a fantastic evening. Now, ladies be warned -- the Buddies in Bad Times Cabaret tends to favour the gents. There are a handful of queer girls who attend, of course. But, the demographic is skewed toward the gay gents and their straight gal pals. Honestly, though, the atmosphere is a welcoming one. I tend to feel at home in theatre settings given that drama-related background of mine, so spending the night in an arts-intensive spot felt great.

The one drawback: Not a great beer selection. Hmm. Though, again, the bar shied toward mixed drinks as opposed to the bottle selection. I shake my head at all beers with a citrus flavour brewed into it. Serious, that's what lemon/lime slices are for.

I'm charged to start exploring more locations and checking out the Toronto nightlife further. Once The Advocate returns from Vancouver and once Ship Sharp's schedule mellows a touch, I vote we get back out there for a second round of shenanigans.

Ah, how I missed it.

***

OLYMPIC UPDATE:

Congrats to another gold medal athlete on Team Canada:

• Jon Montgomery, Men's Skeleton (Gold, Feb. 19)

I wish I could find a photo from his victory walk -- I saw footage of it on the news and a woman in the crowd handed him a pitcher of beer for his efforts. Serious. The man was still in his Spandex uniform and there he was strolling through the Olympic Village downing a pitcher of beer. So awesome and so freakin' Canadian all in one go.

I [heart] the Olympics.