Tidbits

This was a day full of its own little oddities:

-- My day started lovingly, with a long conversation with my uncle. Lots of good stuff there. Helped me find a little of what's been missing internally.

-- A woman chastized me in the coffee house this morning for tying my dog to a tree outside while I waited for someone to grill me up a bagel with egg and a schmear. She told me I should bring him inside, that it wasn't right to leave him out in the rain. She was clearly sucked in by his pathetic whimpering. I said, He's fine. He would do that even if it was sunny outside. And anyway, he's a terrier; this is his weather. Not to mention, he had on a PARKA! She was pretty insistant. I remained polite and resisted the urge to tell her to shut the fuck up.

-- I watched a video of my aunt Liz talking about how she ran their brand new 45' sailboat into a sandbar in St. Petersburg while navigating the bay in the middle of the night. She went ashore in the dingy for a bit, and described how upsetting it was to look at her boat from a distance. "Seeing your boat on its side like that gives you a sinking feeling, no pun intended," she said. "It took a lot of work with the anchor and winches to right it again." For various and sundry reasons, it seemed like a metaphor for my life. No more need be said at this point.

-- I went kitten shopping with S2, who is plotting a super-sweet Valentine's gift for her girls. It turns out there is a "kitten season," but it's in the summer. So kitties are in short supply. No telling what S2 will end up getting, but it was amusing to look at the "cat rooms" in the Humane Society. One was set up as a living room with tiny chairs, a fake fireplace with mantle and lots of shelves on the walls, each of which was designed to be a cat roost. Cats were sprawled all over the place. It was the funniest thing I've seen in a while.

-- I got cut off by the bar at McMenamin's when S2 and I stopped in for cocktails and appetizers. I had purchased this funny margarita and decided there wasn't much tequila in it. It was disgustingly sweet and lacked the taste and smell of liquor. So I ordered a double shot of tequila and poured it into the pint-sized drink. Still didn't taste quite right, so I ordered another. And they wouldn't bring it to me! Turns out there's a three-shot maximum. Whether that's imposed by the business or by the state liquor commission is a bit fuzzy. I finished the drink, and I ordered a G&T with a double-shot of gin. Apparently, all you need to do to skirt this little restriction is change the *type* of liquor you're drinking. Wine and beer are clearly exempt from this rule. Personally, that seems stupid to me because I get a hell of a lot more fucked up on wine.

-- While waiting for my liquor, I had a great conversation with S2. There are times when we take each other down difficult paths, but there's enough authenticity and good intentions in the process that it makes it seem "easy." There are many elements of grace in my life, and my friendship with S2 is one of them.

-- I went to see "Notes on a Scandal" with The Good Witch and her partner, Cartman. Two elements to this tidbit: First, "Notes on a Scandal" is probably *not* what I needed to see at this point, but it was FABULOUS. Judi Dench and Cate Blanchett both are fearless actresses. Dench plays one of the most desperate, bitter, lonely, sinister, predatory lesbians (not to mention women) I have ever seen portrayed in film. I recoiled so strongly from her character that I literally was pushing myself back in the seat, trying to get as far away from the screen as possible. Amazing. But perhaps a bit much to ask me to digest right now. ... Second, after the show, as The Good Witch and Cartman dissected just how *evil* "old-school English dykes" can be, they asked me to walk with them to their car. When we got there, they pulled out a large glass container with a bunch of hydroponic tulips -- not yet blooming -- and gave them to me. "We wanted you to have something to remind you of your aunt," Cartman said. "These will stay in bloom for a long time." I was so very touched. What a lovely gesture, even though it helps to drive home the point that she's really gone.

-- On the way home, I had a conversation with a classmate who has promised to help throw a Mardis Gras party in a couple weeks. I wanted to make sure she was really on board before I sent out the invitation. During our conversation, she admitted that she watches the British comedy, "As Time Goes By," which stars Judi Dench. She said she doesn't like to admit this to people because it's an "old people" show. It was a rare moment of communion for me -- because I watch it, too, and also am a little embarrassed to admit it. But what the hell. It's nothing to be ashamed about. If nothing else, Judi Dench is in it -- even if I'm *never* going to look at her the same way again.