Monday, January 29, 2007

Filling in the blanks

The Friday

The Cocktail – A gentleman, from the “Court Café” (coffee shop where Wes hangs out), invited me to see a movie on Friday. The invite came about because I was bitching that “Dr. Whiny” had seen it without me, and he and I were going to see … uhhh something.

(Okay, seriously, what did we go see? Oh yeah, “Museum Guard” or “Night Museum” something STUPID.)

So before the movie, we met at my favorite Indian restaurant for drinks. When he arrived he let me know he’d already purchased the tickets. So at the end of cocktails I picked up the tab. Right? Friends go out … you split it Dutch, right? RIGHT!

The Queen – Was the movie we saw. I chose it simply because I knew it was getting nominated for a lot of awards. It covers the time period of Tony Blair becoming Prime Minister and Diana's death.

I clearly remember the day Princess Dianna died. I’d been in North Carolina on business. When I landed in Phoenix my friend told me the news. I told her I was sure it was just gossip. I’d been stuck in an airport with a 2 hour layover and hadn’t heard anything. Therefore, if I hadn’t heard about it, it couldn’t be true. (see, I am so superior. If I don’t know about it, it hasn’t happened.)

Anyway – I enjoyed the movie. The "GFTCC" (Gentleman from the Court Café) LOVED the movie, because he is an Anglophile. He’s also really into military medals. He was almost drooling during the opening shot when they showed Elizebeth sitting for her portrait wearing the Knights of the Roundtable Garter patch. (Okay, yes, I know that’s not its REAL name … obviously a detail I choose not to crowd my mind with!

The Chat – After the movie, we went to my neighborhood bar for dinner. It turns out he grew up in the neighborhood I live in. Several times during the meal he told me how much he was enjoying the evening. I told him I was enjoying it too.

He kept expressing amazement about what a good friendship our future held … because he didn’t really think there was much of a chance. I told him I enjoyed a variety of people. He was outgoing and interesting. Why wouldn’t I enjoy his friendship?

More chit-chat. Then GFTCC says, “I really have high hopes for this friendship. You are very special. I never thought I’d enjoy myself so much.” I’m sitting across the table – and slowing it’s sinking in that when he says friendship he’s really saying “friendship”, like it’s a secret code word. I ignore this subtlety. Near the end of the evening he says, “Since we’re being candid I think you should be aware of some things we will have to deal with in this “friendship”. I’m diabetic, and it puts certain restrictions on me these days.” Can I tell you he wasn’t telling me this incase he went into a diabetic seizure? He was trying to warn me of … "other delicate issues" that might arise!

That’s when I knew this man, 20 years OLDER than me, wasn’t really talking about friendship, but about “FRIENDSHIP”. *sigh*

I just sat there and said, “Well, then you shouldn’t be having a beer or a glass of wine, should you? That’s not a diabetic diet” and dodged the real issue. LORD I HATE THIS! Do not use the word “friendship” as some sort of code word. You want to be my friend – GREAT! I have lots of room for friends. You meet me – we go out under the banner of friends then stick to friends for a while before you move onto “You are the best/greatest/nicest woman I’ve met and, "I can tell this "friendship" is going to be something special!”

I would have found a nice way to decline the evening if I’d have thought there was any other agenda. Now I feel cornered. Obviously I need to let him know, friends, yes. “Friends” NO.

Don’t envy me because I had a date, envy me because I have disingenuous dates!

The Saturday

The Open House – Another friend of mine (female) is just moving forward from a marriage that ended a year ago. Part of her forward movement is to buy a home. A first for her – to own a home all on her own. She says I am her inspiration. Eh, oh well

Saturday we went at looked a home she wanted to make an offer on. It’s a great little house. Good location, good condition – meticulously kept by two old ladies. “How do you know they’re old?”, she asked me. This is what I spotted in the house -

  • Lazy susan with “old-people” drugs on sitting on the dinning room table.
  • Cat carrier in the kitchen.
  • The gi-normous 14 variety canned catfood deluxe selection dispenser in the pantry.
  • Labels on all switch panels, “Front porch light”, “Living room light”, “Torch Lamp”, “Ceiling Fan”, etc.
  • Little notes throughout the house for perspective buyers, “Pull down stairs scheduled for repair”, “Squeaky Floorboard specialist scheduled for 2/4”, ALL over the house.
  • But the big clue? I opened a closet to look at the closet space … and there hung 14 pairs of velour “exercise” pants – in a sherbet-colored rainbow. No blue jeans, no tailored pants. No dresses, just a field of velour … and “strap-on shoes”. You know, the “brogans” of today. Sturdy tennis-shoes with the Velcro strap so you don’t have to tie anything with arthritic fingers.

    How did I know? How could you NOT know?

    The Symphony – was great. The review in the paper said it was an “uneven” performance. I hate reviewers! They opened with another local composer, Steven Jaffe. This piece was named, “Poetry of the Piedmont”. It loosely mimicked the sound of the North Carolina chick-a-dee. In the pre-concert lecture he discussed sampling the chick-a-dee song and then making into an “instrument”. The instrument was an Apple computer with a “virtual" keyboard (like the piano keyboard turned into a QWERTY keyboard), and a percussionist played it just as if it were an instrument. Part of the samples were rhythmic, so they actually had notation in the score. Other samples weren’t rhythmic, so they were indicated with sonic graphs – so the picture of the sample was included in the score so future conductors would know what they “looked/sounded” like. Very cool.

    The guest soloist was, “Denise Djokic, a young Canadian who’s been named by MacLean's magazine as one of "25 Young Canadians who are changing our World" and by Elle as one of "Canada's 30 Most Powerful Women".

    She’s a cellist and she had the solo in Haydn’s Cello Concerto in D Major. I don’t know much about Haydn, but I can tell you I was impressed with her upper body! She wore a green, Spaghetti-Strapped Grecian gown – and someone has been spending time on the flex-bow trainer! Talk about cut biceps and muscle definition, WOW.

    The Sunday

    The Passenger – this is a story in its own right. I think this will have to come later in the week. I’ll just tease you to tell you Wes and GrnEyes1230 were gasping for breath as I related my portage experience.

    The Connection – Great service – nothing special, except for my human cargo.

    The Genesis Class – Great class as usual, nothing out of the ordinary … except for my human tag-along.

    The "Solemn Service" - I think Rev. Lee was on his soapbox. But it’s okay – I’ll stand on it with him anytime he chooses to preach that Jesus said, “And the greatest of these is LOVE – and that means EVERYONE! No matter their color, social standing, wealth, lack-thereof, or sexual orientation. We’re to LOVE – God will sort out the rest. AMEN BROTHER

    The Soup - Posole with Pork and Collard Greens & Cornbread - It was amazing and easy. It was great for lunch today. I expect it to be equally good for lunch tomorrow.

    How was YOUR weekend?

  • 1 comment:

    Anonymous said...

    Dont'cha just hate it when someone thinks the FRIENDSHIP is the Love Boat??? -alacrityfitz