A post in which I head for Columbia

It was a beautiful morning.  Of course, since I could sleep as late as I wanted today and had been like the walking dead last week, I was awake early.  I fell into the internet vortex for a while and ended up trying to do a buddy visit that didn't come off, but managed to waste a huge chunk of time.

I frustratedly ate a huge breakfast, made up of things that I thought for some reason would go to the bad while I was out of town.  Overnight.  Yeah.  Then I cleaned up, threw some things in a bag and hit the road.

I entered another plateau of aging today.  I love my lame music.  Not ironically.  I just love it.  Today I put my Chaka Khan and Diana Ross CDs in the car, and grooved right on down the road.  I became the Solid Gold driver.  By the time I got to Columbia, I was thinking what a shame it was that there wasn't a mother and son t-dance going on somewhere there.  Because my mom would totally go to that with me. 

Mom and I were glad to see each other, and she was in surprisingly good spirits with all that's been going on.  We caught up a bit and then decided to go out for lunch and shopping.  We went to a great place that Mom knows called Casa Linda's.  They have a great vegetarian selection (recently re-vamped, apparently) and the food is great too.  We had a great lunch, and then it was on to two Ross Dress for Less.  I scoped them for underwear and Rhonda mugs, but struck out on both counts.  We ran through the grocery store for odds and ends, just because Mom needed some stuff. 

When we got back to the house, we both needed a nap.  After futzing around for a bit, we settled down in the living room for a little snooze.  But just as I got to sleep, the doorbell rang, surprising both of us.  It was Cole with one of his buddies from the rugby team, by for a visit. 

OK, let me go on record here as trying not to be the creepy gay guy.  I really do try.  And I usually don't really go that much for terribly young guys.  But the guy Cole brought in with him today was just cute as a bucket of puppies, and engaging.  He actually sat down to talk to Mom and me as if we were people - rare in a 17 year old.  He was sitting on the sofa with me, and then I got a whiff of the scent.  He still had that 'new boy' smell (it turns in to 'old man funk' later).  So there I sat, awash in pheromones that smelled like fresh cut grass, sunshine, and exuberant sex.  Plus he had on these clingy shorts that were showing his furry young rugby legs.  And he had eyelashes you could trip over.  But I reminded myself that this kid was young enough to be my son, and that I didn't want to embarrass Cole.  I managed to keep myself together and hold a passable conversation.  I don't think I leered overtly.  I certainly tried not to.

They stayed until around eight, but were meeting friends for dinner, and Cole was hungry, so they went on.  Surprisingly, after the large lunch we had (or not so surprisingly, actually), I was ready for supper too.  Lisa was supposed to come to dinner with us tonight, but she called to say that Dad had called her today to rake her over the coals.  Apparently he did "This is Your Life" over the phone, taking her back through every major mistake she has made as an adult.  She was too pissed to want to see anyone, and bowed out.  I know how aggravating he can be, and because he's helping her right now, he feels fully justified in weighing in on whatever. 

Mom and I headed over to Zorba's, a little Greek/Italian place around the corner from Mom's place.  I love the food, and the atmosphere is outrageously tacky-kitch, with big plaster clouds hand-sculpted around the ceiling and such.  It's irresistible.  Tonight was 'Greek night', though, which involved a big crowd of folks and a live band.  It was noisy and crowded, and our food wasn't quite heated through as it should have been, which was a bit of a disappointment.  But we were together and agreeable, and it was fine.

We talked a bit about Rod.  Mom and Rod used to eat at Zorba's a good bit when they were dating.  She says she misses him, but not enough to go back out with him.  She has a new guy she's seeing named Earle, but he seems to be a transition guy, and she doesn't seem all that fired up about him.  I'm glad she's getting out.

After supper we headed back to the house for more conversation and we watched some of the Olympics.  Before too long, though, I was fading.

I turned in just as it started to rain, then remembered that I had left my car window cracked.  So it was up and out into the rain to roll my windows up, after which it of course promptly stopped raining.  I probably should have left the windows down.  It would have rained all night then.  I would have had a wet tushie, but I would have done my part to relieve the drought.