She's a very good egg

I had dinner with Elaine last night. This represents the third time I've gone out with friends this month. To borrow a phrase from my friend Nancy, I'm finally starting to "people" again.

We had $3 margaritas at Madison Tavern. We split the spinach artichoke app and then she had a chopped salad and I had fish and chips.* I insisted on paying the bill because ...

Look what Elaine brought me and Roy Hobbs! It's a virtually new carrier that she got for her cat but it hasn't worked out. Her cat takes many, many trips to the vet and I guess he bounces around too much in there. That will not be a problem for Roy Hobbs, as he's more than 15 lbs. (far bigger than the average house cat). 

It's a hit with Roy Hobbs!

As soon as I got home, I kicked off my sandals, dropped my briefcase, plopped the new carrier down and opened it. As you can see, Roy Hobbs walked right in to check it out. This made me so happy! I had to kinda shove the big guy into the other carrier and he got a cut near his ear from the zipper. No zipper on this carrier. It's perfect for him.

But it's practically new and cost Elaine nearly $30. She drove me all the way home from Madison Tavern, even though I could have easily taken the train, because it's located in the station, but she thought the carrier and my briefcase were too much for me to handle. I laughed, because she has no idea how many bags I can drape off my person when I'm commuting, but she insisted. 

"I don't want our dinner to be rushed," she said. 

Of course she wanted to talk more about Larry. I'll never understand why people discuss their romances with me. I have the worst track record with men! But she wanted to continue to dissect her ill-fated date with Larry from our movie group, and so I listened. "I guess I'm too much for him," she concluded, and I think she's right. Elaine's a former dancer, still in great shape. She does yoga and pilates and is trying to organize us into a badminton tourney of sorts. Her last relationship -- which ended over a year ago -- was with a man 14 years her junior. Larry has a bad back and just can't keep up with Elaine in terms of energy. Plus he's still recovering his divorce,  after 30+ years of marriage his wife dumped him. 

Larry has now missed two movies. I guess he's still too embarrassed by their romantic misfire. Which is too bad because he seemed to enjoy watching and discussing the classic films ... and because he's missing out on Elaine. Even if romance isn't in the cards, they could be friends. She's a giving, generous person. She laughs easily. She's up for anything.

I feel kinda sorry for Larry.

*I'm still not ready for beef or pork, post-GI upset.