Girls Just Wanna Have Fun

• Lori Palminteri
• Uncategorized
• February 24, 2015

The mistake people make when planning parties and get-togethers, is they are so concerned about other people having fun, they themselves forget to have fun.  I’ve seen many hosts fail to enjoy their own events over and over.  That’s why when I was planning my sister’s bachelorette party, I decided to plan everything based on what I wanted to do.  This may seem selfish, partially because it is, but not giving a flying fuck is the nature of fun.

When I first started doing comedy, I was told by many comics who had been in the game for a while that you won’t really get good until you don’t really care.  Back then, I smiled and nodded, but I think I only started understanding this year.  I will always care.  And I will always worry about my future.  For some, it’s a gradual process, and for others, it happens one night on stage, but there’s a point where you don’t give a fuck if the audience likes you.  You don’t care what the haters are going to say.  You don’t care what society thinks.  This is your life, and you’re doing what you love, and if they don’t like it, get out of the way.  I think this comes with a growing confidence with yourself.  I don’t care what the masses think, but I aim to impress a select few.  I aim to impress myself.  When you’re satisfied with yourself, life allows fun.  And it’s contagious.

As the maid of honor, it was one of my few duties to plan a good bachelorette party.  Of course, my sister gave the final approval, but I was looking for a fun and not too expensive night.  It was my best friend Jimmy who suggested the Awesome 80’s Prom.  I loved the idea.  Dress up silly, get drunk, and dance to 80’s music?  Hell yes.  My Mom is a huge 80’s fan, so I grew up listening to Cyndi Lauper, Duran Duran, Tears For Fears, and The Cure.  As a kid, I would dance in my room alone to my Mom’s CD’s (God, I was weird).

Lisa is also the daughter of my Mom, so she was in.  My cousins and her friends dug the idea as well.  My parents both come from a family of six kids.  Between both sides, there are twenty first cousins.  I’m really glad I’m close with all of them.  Some more than others, of course, but all my cousins are cool, which is almost statistically impossible.  If there’s one thing I love about my family, it’s that we love to get our grooves on.  My family and close friends know, when I have a few drinks, I really get my groove on.

The Awesome 80’s prom was exactly what we expected.  We drank and danced, and it went by all too fast.  After that, we changed into less ridiculous attire and went back to the same venue which turned into a gay night club.  My sister was drunk, and much to my amusement, she did not fully understand why no one was buying her drinks.  This should have been obvious since there were two dudes in thongs dancing on the bar.  I love dancing at gay clubs.  You don’t get creepy guys rubbing themselves on you.  A group of girls could dance and be left alone.  Plus, when a dude says you’re pretty it means so much more from a guy who isn’t trying to fuck you.  Free drinks are great, sure.  Personally, I find it exhausting to be bombarded by horny dudes when I just want to be with my friends.

It was a night we won’t soon forget, save for the parts we were too drunk to remember.  I’m glad my sister and our good company had as much fun as I did.  I seldom go out, but I think getting properly pissed and dancing the night away with good people is good for your soul every so often.  As the Black Eyed Peas sang, “let’s get retarded.”  Alas, I’m still young and stupid, so I find it fun to get shit faced every once in a while.  Alcohol allows you to revert to a stage where you forget your problems (precisely why it is a problem for many).  You regress and progress into someone who’s guard wears down, and as a drunk Lori will tell you loud and somewhat clear, “I just don’t give a fuck.”  There’s something wise within that slurred statement that should be more frequently applied to our sober lives.

You’re never going to satisfy other people if you’re not happy yourself.  Who cares what others think?  Most people are such a mess, they hardly notice or give a shit what you’re doing.  Find a way to be a happy person, and you’ll attract the right people.  Good things will come your way.  My best friend Jimmy has always been so much fun to be around.  I think he figured this out a long time ago.  I don’t know why it took so long for me to figure it out, especially when I had him to show me how.  Having fun is all about being in the moment, and enjoying it for exactly what it is, not giving a damn about the all the bullshit.  That’s why kids are so good at fun.  Sure, it might take a couple drinks to get there, but when we’re on the dance floor shaking our asses, we don’t care who notices, we don’t care who sees our white girl dance moves, we’re letting the rhythm be our mentor.  We’re having fun.