Seize the Day, unless it's a Wednesday

In June, I was able to take a wonderful vacation to California wine country with one of my very best friends.  I haven’t been on vacation for five years, so you can imagine that I was especially excited. Due to my unbridled anticipation, I spent a shitload of time searching and pinning every single winery and bar I wanted to visit in both Napa and Sonoma valley.  I then sent all of these pins to my friend, making her seriously reconsider vacationing with me. 

All that wine looks like fun: Wrong!

One of the bars I found during my insane pinning sessions was Carpe Diem of downtown Napa. I am assuming you’re aware that carpe diem is popularly translated from Latin as “seize the day.”* As I celebrated my birthday while on vacation, I thought this bar would be a perfect place to seize my special day.  It looked oh so hip and cool online -- not to mention all that wonderful wine!  

Once again, however, images on Pinterest had deceived me, just like the time I thought slow cooker meatloaf was a good idea (yikes!).  No one was seizing the day at Carpe Diem.  A few older customers just sat around sipping on expensive wines.  To its benefit, the bar did play great music.  While deciding on my beverage from their expansive wine list, I heard The Head and the Heart, She and Him, Yeah Yeah Yeahs, and Metric.  I shared my approval of the music selection with the bartender and requested that he turn it up a little bit.

Upon my request, I was condescendingly asked in return, “You do know it’s a Wednesday, right?”

“Yes,” I replied, but then pleading, “… but it’s my birthday.”  I would have liked to add, “But it’s my mother fucking birthday, so let’s seize the day bitches!” I didn’t add that though; I smiled politely and tried my best to be cute and convincing. 

I apparently failed at my attempt because he continued, “No one comes here to listen to the music or dance, you know.  People come here just to sit and conversate.”

 

I did not speak with him any further, as he turned to attend to another customer, but inside I was screaming, “Conversate is not even a word you fucking asshole! It’s converse, dumb fucker, so fuck you! Fuck you too, PInterest!”

I wasn’t able to make the most of my birthday at Carpe Diem as apparently one does not seize the day on Wednesdays.  However, I still enjoyed my birthday because I had a great dress, great dinner, and a great date.  You usually can’t go wrong with good friends and good food, even if you run into a few misspoken pretentious pricks along the way. 

 

 

I still  found fun on my birthday, like playing in this downtown

fountain ... on a WEDNESDAY!!

 

 

*NOTE:  'Carpe diem' is usually translated from the Latin as 'seize the day'. However, 'carpe' translates literally as 'pluck', with particular reference to the picking of fruit, so a more accurate rendition is 'enjoy the day, pluck the day when it is ripe'. The extended version of the phrase 'carpe diem, quam minimum credula postero' translates as 'pluck the day, trusting as little as possible in the future'.