Sunday, July 15, 2012

Anniversary wrap-up

Music playing, coffee nearby, having finished breakfast, I sit here and reflect on last night.  Last night was the anniversary celebration that we had put off, because we've both learned that making plans in the middle of the week is damn near impossible, and at times a complete waste of time because something always arises to disrupt the plans.  Weekends are more laid back, more open for getting things completed, and thus we set Saturday as our celebration day.

My day started earlier than I would have liked, having gone to bed way too late the day before, and begrudgingly I answered the shrill call of the alarm clock and set off to the laundromat.  My weekly chore, getting the laundry done. goes a lot quicker if I get there just as the place opens at 7 am.  This way, I don't have to struggle to find an unoccupied washer and dryer.  It's times like this I miss not having a washer and dryer of my own, but I've had to make do with this in the past, and hey, it's only once a week anyway.  I put my headphones on and listen to my music while I sit and read a book on my Kindle app for my phone.  The television doesn't interest me all that much, showing either music videos from groups I've never heard of, playing music I really don't care for these days.  Or, the channel will be set to a local Spanish-language station, and since I can't follow along I don't give it another serious look, raising my head only to let my neck relax for a moment.  About an hour later, I have the clean laundry bagged and I'm heading home.  One hour out of my day, and one more chore complete.

Saturday is also our shopping day, so we had to go out earlier than we normally do.  We got what we needed for the week, and after it all got put away, we had a little bit to relax before we had to get ready.  Our dinner reservations were at a fondue restaurant that we'd heard about, and we finally had the money to give it a try.  Our strategy is to save our pocket change fro the year, and when anniversary time rolls around, we cash it in and use the proceeds from that to pay for a luxurious dinner.  Last night was not a disappointment.  I never knew fondue could be so good, and so filling.  The amount of food that was served didn't look like a lot, but it sure filled me up.  From the cheese course right through the dessert, it was small bites of fresh vegetables, wonderfully seasoned meats, and rich, decadent chocolate with luscious sweet treats.

Our only problem was the meal didn't take as long as we were figuring, so we had close to two hours to kill before we were to go see a comedy show at the Improv club.  There was a coffee shop in the same general complex, so we nipped in for a frozen hot chocolate, which I can only describe as pure, concentrated evil in a glass topped with whipped cream.  So good.

About an hour before we needed to check in at the box office, we went to the car and watch the sudden rainstorm roll through.  Made me kind of glad we didn't wander far, as sudden as it came on.  We saw the ominous-looking clouds heading our way, and since we had time to waste, it was kind of neat watching the rain and the other people coming in trying to fond a place to park.  That was the one benefit to getting there early.  The show started a bit late, but that didn't matter.  I don't think I'd laughed so hard in quite a long time.  This was the first comedy club we'd been to since we left the Frozen Tundra, and the first big-name, national comedy club we'd ever been to.

We went back to the coffee shop to let the traffic thin out and grab a snack before we finally headed home around midnight.  I hadn't had a night out like that in a long time, too long by my estimates.  I guess that's a sign that I'm getting old.  Clubbing has lost its allure, I'm not a big drinker in public being as risky as it is these days, and I usually don't have the money.  Last night, however, was worth every penny I paid for it.  And, it's nice after eight years to have someone that shares the same interests I do and that I can have a great time with.  Here's to lots more nights like that, and even more days together.