random thoughts – Day 1,543 – (Sunday) –lunch, rain, music

My sister’s birthday was this past Monday and today we were able to meet up for lunch. Birthdays are almost always (like 99.9% of the time) observed in some way in my family, just not always on the one and only exact date, because, well, work and life and stuff.  

Today’s festivity took place at Bailey’s in Townsend, which is becoming our go-to for a nice weekend lunch, usually after I get out of dance. We like Bailey’s for the consistent kitchen. The delicious whatever that was ordered the last time is just as delicious the next time. When lunch was first planned, we had hoped to be able to eat outside on the patio.

All week long, weather forecasts mentioned rain and I left the house armed with a raincoat and umbrella that became unnecessary baggage because it didn’t rain. I even had to keep watering the parched yellow pansies in the flower pot out front. Today I said screw it and wore just a light jacket. No hood. No ball cap. Left the car umbrella in the car.

Wet patio.

It was a reckless decision. In the multiple intervals between the car and various buildings throughout the morning, drizzle and humidity made my hair, which was foolishly blow-dried smooth after showering, a bit, um, bulky-wavy-frizzy. Oh well. And of course, the patio was closed due to the rain because who on earth would want to eat outside in the rain? 

Our arrival for lunch (12:15) was perfect. People kept coming in to the dining room as we ate, and as we were near to finishing, a steady stream of other patrons was filing past the window towards the entrance. Many were young girls in short-skirted outfits and really big wigs and jackets with the name of an Irish Step Dance school. Clearly, there had been a performance and clearly we had beaten the post-performance rush. Sometimes we get lucky in my family. We wound our way through a small crowd near the host station on our way out. 

The rest of the afternoon was spent relaxing. The TV stayed off. I read a book, Sam by Allegra Goodman, which is a touching and realistic trip into the head and heart of a kid. Later, instead of the usual diet of Netflix shows, it was YouTube for music videos, which is the closest to the old MTV I can get, with the added benefit of being able to search for bands I want to listen to/see. Today’s entertainment included Balkan Beat Box, The Dresden Dolls, Gogol Bordello, and Miley Cyrus. Overall, a great day.