Let's not put the "duh" in dumb.

So there I was at DIP, one of Manhattan's many overpriced too-trendy eating/drinking establishments, for a friend's birthday party, where the main draw is fondue. $33 per pot fondue at that. I had already run 8 miles in the morning and showed an out-of-town guest the city sites all day. I was hoping for a nice relaxing and satiating dinner with pleasant interesting conversation.

What did I get? A group of girls in tube tops (it was 40 degrees outside) drinking $12 watermelon martinis like water and eating nothing but chocolate and cheese fondue and nachos. And talking exclusively about guys and looks and weight. No, you're skinnier than me! No, I look awful! No, I do! SHUT THE FUCK UP. YOU ARE EATING FONDUE. I'M PRETTY SORE RIGHT NOW BUT I WILL KICK YOUR ASS IF YOU DON'T STOP. It's amazing how you can be friends with someone and yet hate almost all of his or her other friends. People are quite chameleon-like.

Thankfully I had one other ally with me and we spent the entire "dinner" kicking each other under the table while savoring our overpriced wine. It was all I could do to keep myself from sticking a fondue skewer in one of the tube top girl's eye.

A little later I was forced to end up at another overpriced bar/dancing establishment where I proceeded to get groped and spilled on until 3am. I eventually parked myself in a comfy chair next to an adorable boy who described me as "too classically beautiful and down to earth" for a "place like this." I blushed, agreeing with the cute boy. And then the cute boy got up and I realized he was...about 5'5". I'm almost 5'9", and while I try not to be shallow, that's just a deal-breaker.

I love expensive disappointing nights in New York City.

And now, I'm blowing off the work I had planned to do, which will make my life worse this week, and going to see Reign Over Me with A (last night's table kicking partner), which will surely make me like the city again.

I'm not surrounding myself with the right people. But I'm not sure how to fix that.