further to diary

had two big social engagments this week.

i went to a major banquet with politcal types. tickets were $200 a crack. the speaker of the assembly here gave me some tickets because he knew i was broke and he and others wanted me there.

they only gave me the tickets two days before the event. the banquet was on the evening of the day that son's surgery (outpatient) on his toes for ingrown toenails was occuring. the doctor got busy and forgot that we were around. the surgey didn't end up finishing until just as the banquet (cocktails) were supposed to start (5:30pm).

Smitten was supposed to go with me. because it would have been a massive rush (i got there at about 6:22 - right before the sitting), we decided that it would work better if she didn't attend. she needed to leave by about 7:30pm for a really important planning practice session with her belly dancing tribe (group).

i was sad she couldn't go.

i was happy she has a life and had something important like her dance to attend to.

(stbx-Mrs_C jammed out several years right at the door to our house as we were leaving. she would spaz and have a fit [social situation anxiety] as we were literally walking out the door and i would end up going alone)

hey - did i mention i looked hot? i was doing the evil super-villain thing again.

a woman i know who was unaware of my relationship with Smitten tried to pick me up. that was cool.

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went to my friend's 50th on the weekend. he had it a local private club. it was a big bash. he has a lot of friends. there was a $10 donation at the door to cover costs of the event.

i asked Smitten to go. even though we had the kids, son was at the house playing dungeons and dragons while babysitting his sister (stbx-Mrs_C had a big date [oh, sorry - she's not dating yet... :-P] with "Bob" the hang around guy) and Smitten's son watched her daughter.

Smitten knew no-one there (not quite true - she did know a couple of people from my work that we had gone to the other bash with - but they arrived later).

she went in cold. she said she'd never been to a big birthday like this where she knew no-one. she cut short her own visiting with friends outside of town to come back in to attend.

right after we arrived another couple came in - the birthday guy introduced us. we had just finished looking at the picture display - they began. we seated ourselves near some folks i knew.

the other couple finished and began looking for a place to sit. they seemed quite lost and unsure. so i stood up and called them over. didn't know them - but they seemed badly lost in the crowd. they were relieved to have a place to sit.

we ended up talking with them most of the evening (until they left). the fellow owns the boutique coffee house downstairs from where the birthday guy works. they were fun to talk to. discovered he had previously worked as a master roaster at another coffee house some other people i kneow own.

it was a fun enough evening.

had a discussion with Smitten after we left that has had some forward repercussions - nothing bad - just stuff to work through. that will be the subject of another post.

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more later