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April 30, 2000 |
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Big plans today. Other than having to finish cleaning my place, which
already a monumental task. I had a number of other plans today. I have a
houseguest, Jenna, arriving tomorrow, and I want to
be a good host. I would be skipping my workout today. Before you start to
give me grief, I allow myself to skip three workouts each month, and I'm
within my quota.
Today, Pam would be joining Len for the traditional Sunday Dinner with
Len™. It's a bit of a long-winded story. Since we made plans
to see Fantasia 2000 tonight, we agreed to get dinner on Sunday
with Len. She then wondered if Len wanted to come along, and he agreed.
So the three of us are going to see the movie.
Pam and I agreed to have me pick her up sometime in
the afternoon. We were pretty busy, so we kept moving it later and later.
It was about 4:30pm before I showed up at her place. We drove back to my
place.
I could tell you that my place was already clean, but it would be a lie.
It was getting there… quite slowly, but it was inching its way towards
cleanliness. At least I had a place for her to sit and chat with me while
I continued the incredibly painful process of cleaning up.
Did I mention that I'm extremely allergic to dust? No kidding. I
conveniently use it as an excuse not to clean up. It's pretty sad really.
At the peak of allergic sneezing, I often look like I'm in convulsions…
maybe a grand mal seizure. I had a number of people tell me in the past
that they have never seen anyone sneeze so much. I've been
sneezing so much over the course of the past few days that I nose is raw,
so raw in fact that some of the skin on my nostril broke. Yes, I know…
more than you needed to know.
Pam is watching me sneeze into oblivion. Now, I
have yet to put all my stuff away, so I did not vacuum yet. Needless to
say, there were bits of dirt and hair and debris all over the carpet. No
biggie it would be gone once I vacuum. I had forgotten Pam's strong aversion to hair. Don't get me wrong, she
likes my long hair. She once threatened to withhold sex
if I were to cut my hair… it would be an awfully lonely time. What I
have a hard time comprehending is why my hair magically turns from
appealing to disgusting once it happens to lose contact with my scalp. She
wasn't able to explain that one.
I felt bad that I didn't realize that she was stressing over the loose hair,
because I would've vacuumed the section that was visible.
I called Len and we pushed dinner until about 7:30pm. Unlike our typical Sunday dinners, we had already decided where to go. We talked about going to the Outback Steakhouse. Len showed up right on time and he drove since my car is only a two-seater.
I like the Outback. It's a good place. Good food. Fun atmosphere. I normally get some kind of a steak dish, either the prime rib or the rib eye. Len almost always gets the Alice Springs Chicken. Although I surprised him and got the same chicken dish. Pam also got a chicken dish. We also got some of the chicken wings, which are good, arguably as good as Hooter's wings. Pam also got a chicken dish. Although I normally order for her, since she likes it, this time there were far too many options on her order for me to remember.
Pam was sitting in the inside of the booth, so I could not reach for the pepper. It's the little pepper/salad game that Len and I play. Intead of Pam helping me hide the pepper shaker, she hands the pepper shaker to Len. Whose side is she on anyway? Dinner was delightful… my girlfriend and one of my closest friends, who could ask for more?
Len drove to the movie. It was at the IMax theater at the Seattle Science Center. I was still sneezing uncontrollably, so he gave me some of the tissues from his glove compartment. We got there about half an hour ahead of time and meandered to the theater. We still paid for parking, since this is Seattle and free parking is something of a rarity.
I had never been to an IMax theater and it was certainly an experience. The screen covers your entire scope of vision and the sound is truly breathtaking. It's like being submerged into the sights and sounds of the film. I'm glad that my first experience with an IMax theater was with Fantasia 2000.
Fantasia, this version and its predecessor, are not typical Disney films. They're not filled with animated characters that appeal to children. There isn't a real theme to the film with the possible exception of merging music and animation together. It is a collection of small films with different animations and music. It is a celebration of sorts, the artful choreography the two elements. I'll admit that I thought it started a bit slowly, but it finished splendidly. I was pleased to find that they had kept the clip on the Sorcerer's Apprentice, which may be the most popular film with Mickey Mouse. If you get the chance, I highly recommend it. Just don't expect it to be the typical Disney film. I wouldn't have had an appreciation for it as a child.
Len drove Pam back to her place since it was only a few minutes away. I kissed her goodnight. He then drove me back to my place. I'd be spending much, if not all, of the remainder of the night cleaning my place… and sneezing the night away.
April 30, 2000