Are You Going to Scarby Doo Diddily Zip Bottom Doo Dah Faire?

Last night, I went on a double date to the Italian restaurant, Massimiliano's on the downtown plaza. My date was the same girl from a previous entry. We were accompanied by Jerry and Tabitha Scanlan.

The Scanlans arrived at my house first, then we convoyed over to Anonymous' house. Jerry jumped out of his car, as soon as we got there, and was the first person to the door. I think he forgot it was my date we were there to meet. The marrieds claimed the porch while I stood down on the grass. They greeted Anonymous, when she answered the door, and I hovered in the background.

The restaurant was a bit cold on the inside. Everybody was shivering. The wait staff did their best, but you could tell this was a new establishment. The people there are just now earning their sea legs. For one thing, they kept trying to refill Jerry's glass of Sprite with water. One time they succeeded. It might have been confusing, though, because Jerry drinks his Sprite strawless and Tabitha drinks her water through a straw.

My friend, Misti, who works there, was kind enough to give us coupons for two free meals (out of four). Paying less is always good. I smiled big at Misti!

My date was so quiet and introverted that, when she went away to the restroom, I told Tabitha, "There isn't much chemistry between Anonymous and me."

Tabitha replied, "There isn't much chemistry between Anonymous and anybody. What you're seeing tonight is how she is all the time."

When Anonymous returned from the restroom, I wondered if she would bring her personality back with her. But she didn't.

Oh well.

But today ...

Anonymous and I went to Scarborough Faire, and we had a pretty goshdarn good time. On the way there, she asked me if I minded if she put in a CD of soft folk music which (based on the new Colin Hay CD I had in the player from the night before) was something she thought I might like. No sooner did she insert the disc, though, than Joe Walsh's loud & noisy "Funk #49" came blasting out of the speakers! Apparently, she had mismatched the covers and the discs. That was fine with me. Mr. Walsh's best-of made a fun soundtrack for our journey to Waxahachie, especially "Life's Been Good" (which I hadn't heard in a thousand years). I was a little worried when Anonymous started to describe the song as having "a good attitude about life". Actually, it is both a celebration and a lampoon of the wild lifestyles of rock stars circa 1970-1980. Oh well, not everybody can be a critic. Besides, art is subjective ... and that's a proven fact!

There were still lulls in the conversation where a more talkative individual might have taken over a bit, but it was fun to get to be the visible, outgoing one in the equation.

One of my favorite things about Scarborough Faire is the way it smells! The food courts and all those candle and incense shoppes whip up a heavenly aroma that permeates the entire countryside. There are animal smells and people smells, smokey smells and fruity smells. Heck, I even like the shitty odors wafting out from the privvies! (I mean the way they blend with everything else to create a mishmash of nasal stimulation.)

I always love the anonymity of a festival. Especially when you can move through the crowd, watching and being watched. It's very fun when you feel confident and attractive. But it's hell when you don't. Luckily, today I did.

Anonymous and I had fun. She was more talkative in this active atmosphere. I bought a new walking staff, a commemorative mug (I collect these), a magic wand, and a couple of nifty prints to put in my study. She ate a turkey leg, drank mead, bought various candles & accessories, and got some prints of her own. I nibbled her leg (her turkey leg, that is) and had some water. We had humorous encounters with the performers and Faire employees. One of the lads handed her a whip and told her to go to work on me (which she did, in a very light way). I half-heartedly said, "I'm such a naughty boy". The Scarbie told us he had owned that whip for years and it had seen a lot of action.

Basically, it was a good time.

We returned to Dallas and had dinner at Steak and Ale. Things got quiet again. I took her home. It was alright. At least I am out there dating again. It certainly felt good to go somewhere with a woman who actually seems to like me.

Afterwards, I came home and worked out. It felt good. More endorphins.

Then it was time to start blogging...

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!