Movie, Dinner, Shopping

I watched the movie Kinsey with Mike M. this evening at the Loews Cineplex Odeon at Dupont Circle. The movie was okay, and I enjoyed it, but it seemed to lack focus. Lots of flashbacks and not much of a climax.

Afterward, we had dinner at a nearby Indian restaurant -- the Heritage, I think. Very nice place. I really recommend it. The decoration and the service was top-notch and the food was excellent, with a beautiful presentation. Our bill came to $72 for the two of us, including tax and tip. I handed him $40 and made him promise to buy me hot chocolate later on. :-)

We stopped in at Lambda Rising to browse a little. I found a great t-shirt for my bowling buddy, Louie. It has a graphic of a couple of bowling balls and a bin (artfully arranged to suggest a cock and balls) with the line, "grab your balls, we're going bowling!" That set me back another $20.

We wandered around the neighborhood, making a circuit from Dupont Circle to 17th Street and back again before ducking into the Starbucks for the promised hot chocolate -- with peppermint! Yum!

It was an expensive date, but I haven't splurged like that for months, and my checking account can support it for this one time. I've got over $1,000 after paying my major bills for this month, and the boss will be giving me another check this week, so I let myself go. Sitting in a nice restaurant with a handsome man was worth it.

I kept nodding off on the metro back to Union Station. Hot chocolate makes me sleepy, and I had a full meal as well. Michael took his leave at Gallery Place to transfer to the yellow line, Pentagon City and his car for the drive back to Arlington Village.

I gave Russell a call on the train just to check up on him. He's feeling much better and was happy to get the call from me. I also got a message from my mom checking up on me. She made arrangements for me to fly down to visit them in Jasper, Florida from Dec 22 to Dec 28 and wanted to make sure that I had received my email confirmation.

When I got home, the latest episode of Lost had finished downloading. I want to watch it now, but it's late, and I'm going to avoid watching it on the train tomorrow morning. That show always alters my mood unpredictably, and we're meeting with the client early tomorrow, so I need to be focused.

I also received an email from Bob, who didn't seem freaked about my frank disclosure of my feelings, which is an enormous relief. I actually posted a poll asking "was leaving an entry describing my feelings about Bob where he could read it a mistake?" but I deleted it because it was too pathetic. Not attractive. :-)

Anyway, hiking and lunch with him on Saturday, then the HIV social in the evening. Tomorrow is a rest day, so I'll be fresh for the trails Saturday.

Weekend plans

It's very nice to hear concern for Russell from my friends -- from folks who haven't even met him. I'll be sure to pass along the good wishes to him. He's feeling better; he's going out with Ett tonight. I don't know what other plans he has for the weekend.

I'm keeping to myself tonight, taping Star Trek: Enterprise for Russell, watching the latest episode of Lost, making dinner, cleaning up a little. Tomorrow I'm hiking with Bob, then we'll have lunch at his place. I've got to figure out what to do with myself between 4:30 p.m., when he has to be someplace else, and 8:00 p.m., when the monthly HIV social begins. Maybe I'll hit a museum.

Sunday morning is grocery shopping for my kitchen date with Kirk in the evening. I think I'm going to start with something simple -- roasting a chicken. Sunday afternoon is bowling. I think Louie is going to like his shirt. Jason and David pre-bowled last night and turned in good scores. I hope that Louie and Michael can round out the team and emerge victorious. :-)

Deadbeat Due

I just got off the phone with a collection agency for one of the two larger lab bills that I haven't paid over the past year. The invoice amount was $448, but they offered to settle for $360.

I don't think I've ever had a collection agency call me, and I'm feeling horrible. I'm having trouble even writing. I'm having trouble even knowing what I'm feeling.

I took their offer and paid the $360, so that's good news -- it's one debt retired. There's another for over $700 that they didn't mention, and all the others total to just over $200.

We have created the situation in which we find ourselves, and it is up to us to create the circumstances for our release.

-Lama Thubten Yeshe, "Wisdom Energy"

This situation is my own creation, because I ignored the lab bills for so long. Of course they would come looking for their money.

I asked about a payment plan, and they were willing to entertain the possibility, but I was unprepared to discuss any numbers. I wasn't calm enough. However, I can think about the $700 and how I might pay that off and how long it would take, and have something to suggest.

I'm feeling better now. Somewhat.