I have finally crossed over to the thirty side of twenty, as my friends say. To celebrate, we all went out to dinner at Johnny Utah’s. This midtown restaurant is best known for owning the only mechanical bull in Manhattan. It’s the kind of place that a snobby New Yorker would never be caught dead in aka it’s totally country and touristy. But not being too much of a snob, and with an interest in bull riding, I had to try it.   

My friend Mike had the brilliant idea to ride the bull before dinner. He bravely went first. He had a good ride before sliding off. I did pretty well, too, I think. Once you get in the rhythm, and start moving with the bull, it’s not so bad. Of course, the operator won’t make it too easy. I had to cheat and grab on with both hands a time or two—and must have jammed my finger or something, because it totally hurts to bend it and it’s swollen. Yeah. I’m getting old. Injuring myself on the mechanical bull. My friend Vanessa said I had a very graceful dismount. I just slipped off because, honestly, I was getting a little nauseous. Besides, I was sure I had stayed on for at least 8 seconds.    

As for the rest of the dinner—the food was pretty good, and nothing beat the fried pickles. They were almost as fantastic as a deep fried mars bar (Mmm…). When Carrie Underwood’s song Before He Cheats played, all of us girls sang along to every word, and the boys looked absolutely horrified and kind of embarrassed. My friends and I all lamented at how damned loud the music was, followed by all the jokes about how we are getting old. Alas, no one thought to bring a camera, so there are no pictures of me riding the bull. For now. I’ll go back.