Familiar Stranger

Tonight I ran on the Chisolm Trail for the first time in over a month. I was rusty and didn't go more than a few miles. Still, it felt so good to be out there doing it again. There were fireflies galore and masses of noisy frogs and insects down by the water. I also worked out (yesterday and today); very light to get started again. By the time HP7 rolls around, I should be back in good form.

My date this weekend was very nice. We went to Jorg's cafe in downtown Plano. It's an Austrian-style tavern with lots of weiners, sauer kraut, and beer. The place had strange looking coasters. They bore an extra hole in the middle of smaller circle which grew out of the main body of the coaster. We conjectured forever about what the purpose of the extra hole might be. Finally we asked our waiter, who didn't know either, and had to ask the owner; Jorg, himself. According to Jorg, Austrians like to have a shot of Schnapps with their beverage, ergo the extra hole in which to place the shot glass.

Afterwards, we walked around the square for a while (amidst brick roads and quaint store fronts). One of them was a dark, tinted door concealing some sort of dank looking video game arcade. It was very out of place; kind of eerie, actually. I peered in, out of curiousity, and thought I saw ... well ... an old acquaintace. Not important. We hurried away. I didn't mention it to my date.

However, as we journeyed further on, window shopping, we came to a newly opened Italian restaurant with a fancy Italian name: Massimiliano's. (Personally, I think they should give it a catchier moniker, but what do I know?) Looking in, I saw (definitely saw) an old friend of mine named Misty. It's a small world. I went in, her jaw dropped, we ran to each other, and we hugged. She showed us all around the place, the grand tour. It was very nice. Two stories. Outdoor seating on a balcony. Rooms for private parties. A bar (with it's liquor license pending). I'm thinking this place will be swinging by midsummer. I intend to return. Maybe with the same company as before.

My date is a very nice girl. She trains dogs, and can make them do all kinds of tricks. They jump through hoops, weave through obstacle courses, run races, and play on see-saws. Pretty amazing, really. Maybe she could train Rerun to do tricks. She also runs a music studio where she teaches guitar lessons. Sometimes she plays in local shows (down in the pit), and even played guitar for a production of The Who's Tommy. She has played for Rocky Horror, Grease, and various other musicals.

After we left Massimiliano's we heard a very loud (and likely drunk) band performing at Kelly's (the bar across the street). Their guitarist was playing a lot of sour notes and really destroying Eric Clapton's normally lyrical "Beautiful Tonight". We both winced. It was awful!

I am debating when I should call her back. There's no hurry, but I don't want to wait too long. Maybe I can set up a date at Massimiliano's. And we both look forward to Pirate's Day at Scarborough Faire ... with the Scanlans and the Raineys.

I am also debating whether I should sow my wild oats, or stick to one girl.
Hmmm. Lots to consider. Maybe I think too much.

P.S. Tomorrow I will deposit a big fat settlement cheque in my bank account!