dining alone?

why yes. yes, I am… thankfully there is counter seating as well as table seating. that way you can dine along with the worker bees, watch all the preparation, listen to the clamber and feel like you’re not dining alone.

i went to esperza’s for dinner. pretty sure margaritas on a sunny day is what motivated me. and since i thought the MC61 might be able to join me, i didn’t stray to far from the casa.

frank. who was he the owner? the restaurant manager working this night shift? not sure. 

elvis fan? Yes! he was even nicely schooling one of the waitresses on his music and movies. i mentioned blue wawaii.. oh yes. he added viva las vegas with anne margaret, you should see that one too! the gentleman to my left said he just saw honeymoon in las vegas, although not an elvis movie it did have elvis impersonators. i’ll give him mild props for the tie in.

east coaster, yes! i overheard him mention a “yankees cap and jersey” at home to the other waiter. gasp! naturally, when frank was pouring some beers from the tap close by, I had to butt in.. “so a Yankees cap?, did I hear right?” oh the good ole days of sports. he wondered how can you be rivals, I mean doesn’t the other team have to win sometime?! funny, funny. mentioned there was just a game where a player was going for the ball, which was heading into the stands. Fans go for it, reach out. Player goes for it, stretching. Player gets washed with many beers. Player throws a sissy fit (and yeah I know it’s hissy fit) And fans get tossed. Wtf? That’s not baseball. Personally, I would have thrown more beer and peanuts.

yup a new yorker. father from nyc, mother from Brooklyn. asked which one i was red sox or yankees. oh northern connecticut, so that would be the sox. (somewhat true)

rangers. remember the days when you could bring in yer boot flash, smoke pot in the parking lot. probably do some coke in the bathroom. Afford beer; not pay twelve dollars for one. meet people in the hallways, the stairwells… the good ole days.  now it’s just a bunch of rich folks cramming the seats. He continued about hockey. Used to go with family.. then “that’s expensive” so he opted to get tickets one time, mind you for a regular game, regular seats and they were well into the thousands. Instead the obvious choice, go see the Trenton  devils? … $150 for three people, not per person.  he knew the whalers. gordie howe, his two sons that also played.  yup now their in the Carolinas…

He’s been here for a few years. lived in seattle for twelve. lived in london for a few. gone back to new York and lived there again. happy with portland. small city;  great neighborhoods … i point out the lovely condo building across the street when we gloss over change coming “yeah, but it’s empty!”…  i say just wait a few years. oh yeah then it’ll be 2012 and the worlds gonna end.

He’d been here for a few years…there was a masshole, a vermonter, no maniacs…of course, he’s just the new yorker. but now me a connecticuteur? connecticutite? In the ranks.. how nice to be included. Suddenly I didn’t feel like I was eating alone… why I had the east coast with me.  For the record MC61 is a masshole.

it was a nice little sojourn..