Wow!

Where do I start? Kitten (that's what I'm calling the new girlfriend) changed some things around and managed to get here on Friday after work, a little early. After we unloaded her car and got her and her dog settled, we drank a couple of beers and enjoyed each other's company. Netflix had sent me "Pandorum" and even though Kitten says she likes sci-fi, we spent a good portion of the movie looking at each other and saying "What the fuck?" A person would probably get more out of the movie if they were actually focused on watching it, but we were a little too focused on each other.

Saturday, we got up and Kitten fixed the strongest pot of coffee I've ever had. Thirty minutes later, I was bouncing off of the walls and was babbling incessantly. She would just kinda give me a look, but I could tell that the wheels were turning in her head. ie "What have I done?" We left the house and drove down to Gnoshville for lunch. I showed her around town a bit. We walked around the Parthenon which is Nashville's exact replica of the Parthenon in Greece. Don't ask me why it was built, I couldn't tell you. I always look at the pictures of the Greek Parthenon, sitting on top of a majestic escarpment and think about how beautiful it must have been before time and vandals destroyed it, then I look at Nashville's Parthenon perched on a flat area surrounded by a park and think "Why?" About that time, I got a phone call from the Nashville Predators. Saturday was the last day to renew my season tickets and the rep wanted to know what my plans were. After I told him that regretfully, after five years, I wasn't going to be a season ticket holder any more because I didn't think I was going to be in Nashville next year, he invited me to a private showing of the Olympic medals that a couple of the players had won. I filed it away as something we might do given the time.

After a stop at Hustler Hollywood (don't judge, we hadn't spent significant time with each other in twenty years, there was a lot of pent up energy) we went home and took a nap before the game.


We left the house very early for the game because the parking situation is horrible right now. We walked down Broadway and went into a place I had been once before called "Past Perfect." They do vodka infusions. They take a gallon jug, fill it half way with fruit or peppers or even vegetables and then the rest of the space is filled with vodka. The whole thing is stored for a period of time until the vodka takes on the flavor of whatever has been put in it. I know, nothing new really, we've all had citrus or strawberry vodka, big deal right? Try it with ginger, or jalapenos, or cucumbers. My favorite of all time? Bubble gum. That's right. They put a whole bag of double bubble in there! The bartender shook it with ice and strained it into a glass. Cool liquid bubblegum flavor with no vodka bite. I could seriously sit and drink it all night, although the sweetness would probably catch up to me at some point.

We then walked over to the arena for the game and because we were a little early, we went back to the meeting room to see the Olympic medals. To my surprise, they were taking fan photos with them. It was way cool! A side note. There is a Swede that plays for Nashville named Patric Hornqvist. He's having a great year, so instead of my normal Steve Sullivan jersey, I wore my new t-shirt. It said "Me So Hornqvist" Yeah, I thought you would like that. The Preds won in overtime, a great game.

The next day, we got up and had brunch at the Germantown Cafe. They have the best french onion soup ever. That night we met up with two couples at one of my favorite restaurants, Sambucca. The dinner was great, the music was fantastic and I couldn't ask for better company.

Monday, I had to work, but Kitten straightened up the house for me and did a little work on her laptop. I was on call that night, so we just hung out and played with the dogs.

Today, I was off of work, so we got up and went down to the Frist Center for the Visual Arts. They had a small exhibit of kinetic sculptures by a Korean artist named U-Ram Choe. Each sculpture was a like a mechanical living thing and had a fictional description of it like it was a newly discovered species. Very, very cool. If you get the chance to see his work, I recommend it.

We walked over to the Flying Saucer for a couple of beers and lunch and then I had to put Kitten in her car and send her home. It was a very intense weekend and we are both fairly smitten. I find myself regretting the fact that I have wasted the last four or five years of my life when I could have been with her. I hope we have many years ahead of us.

Because her son is on spring break all week, she is coming back to see me on Friday. It's really nice to have something/somebody to look forward to now. I see a lot of mileage in our futures.