TMI Tuesday

From las bóvedas:

For each of the categories listed below, imagine that a new business or event of that type opened in your area. Tell us whether you would check it out or attend; and, whether you would go alone, with friends of your gender, or with a significant other/lover. Expound on your answer as much as you’d like.

Before we begin, I'm going to assume that money is no object, because otherwise a lot of these are going to be boring.  I know it's about intention to visit rather than ability, so that's why I'm taking money out of the equation.

1. Sports Bar: never, alone, with friends, with your SO?

I have been to sports bars.  It's always because friends have invited me.  I'm not counting chain restaurants with a sport theme here; I'm talking real sports bar.  I don't love them, mostly because they're not my type of place, but that has less to do with sports and more to do with the types of people who frequent sports bars.  I can watch the game on TV with the guys (and gals) and cheer and drink and have a fine time if I'm in the mood, but I don't seek it out.

2. Brew pub or beer hall: never, alone, with friends, with your SO?

I like brew pubs.  I don't go drinking alone much any more, but I have in the past.  So basically yes, I'd go, with or without company of any type.  I enjoy craft beers sometimes, and the atmosphere at brew pubs can be much more pleasant than other types of bar.

Beer halls ditto, with the addition that I like beer halls because I like German beer, so if we're talking about that kind of beer hall I'm down even more.

In my bar hookup days, I didn't hook up at either of these locations though.  I don't go to beer halls or brew pubs for any reason other than enjoying the offerings.  No time for love, Doctor Jones.

3. Wine Festival: never, alone, with friends, with your SO?

If my friends invited me, I might consider it, but I would probably say no because I don't like wine and wine festivals are pretentious.  If they could guarantee that I'd have something to do, like if there were food or art or something like that in addition to the wine, and if it weren't snooty (and my bar for snooty is pretty low), I might.  I'd never drag either myself or Sveta to one if we didn't have some reason beyond going to go.

4. Tanning Salon: never, alone, with friends, with your SO?

I don't tan.  Also, tanning salons are crap.  Never.

5. Sex/kink event (e.g. Dark Odyssey, Sexapalooza, Leather conferences, fetish ball, kinky salon): never, alone, with friends, with your SO?

It would depend on the kink.  But I might check it out, solo or with friends or with Sveta, if it seemed interesting. Sveta and I have talked about swinging but have never done it, so if that were on offer we'd definitely be interested.  I don't know a lot about the kink subculture so I'd have to learn more before I made a decision about any individual event.

6. Strip club: never, alone, with friends, with your SO?

I know there are plenty of women who think it's totally cool to go to strip clubs of the female stripper persuasion.  I'm not into it.  It's just not my thing.  If I were invited by friends, I'd have to make sure it wasn't going to be the kind of occasion I'd hate, because that seems to be the vast majority of occasions that women have at strip clubs.  If my male friends invited me... I don't know.

I want to make it crystal clear that I don't judge strippers.  I think it's a perfectly valid way to make money.  I do judge the customers though, just a little.  There are moral gray areas.  But there are moral gray areas in most things in life, so I don't judge harshly.  But a lot of strip clubs are just depressing or ridiculous.  I'd rather go to a burlesque show.

7. Sex toy store: never, alone, with friends, with your SO?

All the time, with anyone who will accompany me.  Or alone.  I buy more toys online these days (well, I buy few toys any more because they're expensive and I'm poor) but I still frequent brick and mortar whenever I feel like it.  And apparently sex shops are doing pretty well even in the face of online vendors.

8. Upscale Spa: never, alone, with friends, with your SO?

This one is definitely a "money permitting" question.  If I had all the money in the world, I'd probably live at the spa.  I've never been to an upscale one though, for reasons of money.  But I have no ideological objection to the idea or anything.

9. Adult Sex education conference (e.g. Eroticon, CatalystCon): never, alone, with friends, with your SO?

If I lived in a place with ready access to such things, I would be all over them.  I'd bring anyone who'd come along.  Why the fuck not?  You can never learn too much.