There will be happy Thursday nights ahead for me, if last night was any indication of how things may be.

At the South Sound Garage, Aaron Mack was spinning the new wave, dark wave Vogue- underground-nightclub-inspired best of my era, with the buoyant sounds of the likes of Eurythmics (as buoyant as they were) and Depeche Mode keeping my head boppin’ and my smile pasted on my face, along other songs that I remembered but didn’t remember I remembered, and songs I had yet to remember I remembered.

Starting out slowly and quietly (as many as eight subwoofers can be quiet) with more tumbleweeds than people, the evening picked up with an infusion of Puget Sound Pizza staff, at first, and more devoted friends and fans as the evening progressed.

The vibe was mellow and upbeat â€" can the two coexist? you wonder? Oh, yes they can, I emphatically answer â€" with the drinks, divine: my own new favorite take on the old classic I drank back in my last '80s-dancing days, the “vodka tonic.” Today’s version: the Effen tonic, with vodka so smooth you can use it in place of lubrication.

Upping the ante on that classic, the Effen X-Rated, with the same lethally smooth vodka mixed with X-Rated Passion Fruit Vodka and 7-Up; it went down so well I could see it being a standby red-wine standby for me, and I could feel it work its magic on my joints with the music â€" I very nearly got out there and shook my groove thing in public.

Next week? I may very well be there in the middle of the vast floor.

Or I may hide on my bar stool, smiling as I sip and bop, recalling the days when hair was big and music was better. â€" Jessica Corey-Butler