dood...
im not bashing you, or anyone here, so let's get that straight before i ramble on here
not that it matters much, but i have been partying for quite a few years now, and i think i see a lot more now than i ever did years ago...
before i even started, i read about raves on hyperreal.org.. they sounded like this magical place... i was totally into it, and the whole PLUR thing, and everything.. i partied for 3 years without touching ANY type of drugs... not even alcohol! Then i decided to try a pill, just to see what all the "hype" was about... before dosing, in my earlier years, yes.. i did feel a "vibe" and it was great, but those days are long over, and it's just not around anymore.. when i dosed, it was like this whole new world... it did exactly what ecstacy is supposed to do... open you up.. great experience.. i did it a few more times (maybe 3 or 4?), and then thats when i stopped.. i stopped because i was at a party and i was thinking "when am i gonna do my pill so i can get into it?"... i THEN realized i was getting addicted mentally, and from that point on, i have never touched anything... im not bashing people who do it.. as long as they are safe, responsible and dont affect me, that's their business what they do..
now.. onto the whole "picking up" thing... we all know you usually get your "rave buddy" somewhere in the night.. the person you dance with, spend time with, and take care of... weather you're high or not, it's nice to have someone (or a group of friends) there.. i had rave buddies before, during and after my times of drugs.. granted the times i was high, and thereon in, it was my girlfriend, but beforehand, before i met her, i usually found someone new to just hang out with... i never exchanged numbers or anything with them at the end of the night... heck.. ive only ever seen one or two of them again after meeting them, and that hasnt been for years.
when you're at a club, a rave, a bar, or whatnot, it's not the place to find your girlfriend... its cool to meet people, and party with them, but the whole rave/club/bar scene is a whole different world than that of everyday life. when you're out, you dont worry about money, kids, family, friends, work, and your other stresses... you let them go.
at the rave/club/bar, you just see someone in your altered state (weather it be drugs, alcohol, or whatnot), and it's not a true projection of who they really are as a person.. anyone who meets me outside of everyday life, may be a little suprised at how different my life is compared to what they think i might do.. just because i party doesnt mean i party all the time.. im a stay at home kinda guy.. i like to watch tv, relax with my family, my girlfriend, and her kid. I like the family aspect of things. I like to go out for dinner at a QUIET restraunt.. not some fast food joint.. (although i eat it constantly for lunch! :eek
I go to raves nowadays for one of two reasons..
1 - because im djing
2 - because there's some dj or a large group of friends there I REALLY want to see, and it warrants spending $40 on a ticket, plus the numerous other expenses of going out..
dont get me wrong.. i love the music, but it is mainly the drugs that create the vibe. I always wanted to believe it was the music or the kinda hearts of people, but let's live in reality shall we. Bad things happen at raves. Things get stolen, people get hurt, people take advantage of others, but it's not to be singled out... it's just as bad, if not worse at bars, clubs, and concerts... (probably much worse now that i think of it)..
think of it... if you were to have a party where there was NO drugs or alcohol present, do you truely and hoenstly believe the "vibe" would be so strong, and people would be as friendly as they are?
to close things off, i will say this... out of all the parties i have ever been to, hulla remains (and probably will forever) as the best parties i have been to.. i have had my best times at hullabaloo parties, and that is why i continue to go. Hulla is one of the last that i know of that still carries a bit of that "vibe" i once felt. But i strongly believe that as you grow older, and start to gear your life in other directions, you loose part of that party sense, and you slowly but surely gradually fade out of the party scene, only to let a new generation of kids take your place. As i become some "jaded raver", some new little candy kid will be happy to take my place, and they will have the same thoughts and beliefs that i once did when i started my party days.
geesh.. i almost have a tear in my eye.