02C46: New O Bar Permutations

Roasted Pork Chops

Metro Manila Community Quarantine - Day 1074

We've scheduled an O Bar night this Friday as a sort of "break" from the busier Saturday event nights we've been attending since the start of the year. But due to differing circumstances in our O Bar circle of friends, we're having an unusually hard time filling up the slots at our table. Normally the challenge is fending off other acquaintances who didn't reserve a table of their own in time and hope to join us at the last minute. So not having enough people for a table feels weird at the very least.

I know it doesn't help that we have particular criteria for good companions at the table. We have a regular core group that we typically go out with, but then we still need to invite a few others to round out the group. But there's a lot going on this week and a lot of friends have other plans. I'm sure we'll figure something out, we always do. But it's just weird to have a challenge at all.

Then again, a lot of things have been changing in terms of our O Bar experience. The post-Drag Race and Drag Den life has really changed up the roster of O Divas at the bar. Those who have participated in these competitions are now busy touring the country (or sometimes the world) and now have a wider audience of fans. While I'm happy about their success, I do miss seeing them at O Bar and being able to bond with them after the show. If this keeps up over future seasons of the show, O Bar will have to step up their efforts to continually train new drag queens and foster new drag talent. They're going to do this regardless, but now we have a serious talent drain that sort of threatens the show life we're used to.

But more than performers, we do consider the O Divas to be friends - family even. Together with those we regularly spend time with at the bar, it seems our O family is really getting around now. It's not the first time things have changed for us whether in terms of those we share tables with or those who perform onstage. But any change always gets me a little introspective, to say the least. Blame age and all that jazz.

If you'll also be at O Bar this Friday, I'd appreciate it if you would take the time to say hello. 

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