We'll Open Up a Restaurant in Sante Fe

Back in the day I could stay up all night. There was a summer, years ago, when my summer love (the pickle heir, if you must know) and I would stay up all night. Drink way too much and talk way too much and the other stuff you do with your summer loves (pickles not included-well not often). I would sleep an hour or two, often in the incredibly disgusting frat roon he was renting, head to summer school and then to the maggot lab* where I did scientific things all day. Short nap and back to the pickle heir. For an entire summer.

And last night we went to dinner with a fellow Rent-head and dear friend's husband. He was in town for work and we wanted to impress him. Drinks at the Trendy New Hotel (but alas it was too crowded so we moved to the wine bar in the Ferry Building), dinner at that Famous Vietnamese Restaurant with the killer view.

The mister is soooo spoiled. He's only been to the FVR when it was a private party for a friend of ours who is the related to the sous chef. Trust me, you get awesome food and service when you are in the private room dining with the sous chef herself.

The food was great. Turns out you also get amazing service when they find out the last time you ate dinner was for that particular party. And your waiter loves the Sous Chef's relative. Shaking Beef. Grapefruit jicama salad. Amazing corn. To-die-for creme brulee. There was more but those were the very, very best. I think people have killed for their Shaking Beef. I know I would.

Well, you know how it is when you just talk and talk and have a great time. Let's just say Mr DFH is no "civilian". And we can talk forever with people that aren't "civilians". I can do that with a very few normal folks these days, but only if they want to talk about Mini Coopers or kitchen remodels. The only thing that could have been better was if Ms DF herself was in attendance. We wouldn't have even bother trying to sleep. And the guys wouldn't have gotten in a word edgewise. Right now I just wished they lived so much closer.

The Dear Friends have recently returned from Cape Town. And they had an incredible trip. They loved going on safari. They loved my favorite hotel. They loved Dr. Champagne. See how much we have in common? Unfortunately they also had a failed donor cycle. I didn't need to have that much in common with them. And they're both hurting pretty bad right now. I was glad to see at least one of them because the mister and I know that hurt. And I think it helps to have friends that have been down that path. We were lucky (or unlucky depending on how you look at it) to have a fabo couple that live very close to us and we found solace with each other.

It's amazing how even when you're hurting so much there's a comfort just in being with people who 'get it' on a deep level. You can speak in shorthand. You can finish each other sentences even if you've never met in real life before. And you can not feel alone and just be. You might even find it healing.

I hope our dinner helped the Dear Friends at least a tiny bit. I even sacrificed one of my remaining tisers to surprise Ms Dear Friend. And now her husband has already chastised her for not trying for an audience with the great Tertia while they were in SA. Apparently my calling him an asshole doesn't mean as much as a famous writer doing the same.

And so I didn't home until after 1. And when the clock went off at 5:05 it hurt. In a bad bad way. And I didn't even drink much last night. Thankfully I planned on showering at work and no one else was on the shuttle so I had the whole back row to myself. And being somewhat worthless at work doesn't actually impact much. Sad but true.

While I wouldn't trade the mister for the pickle heir for all the bread an butter pickles on Olive Mountain**, I sure do miss my younger self who could stay up all night and crash for a bit in a skanky frat house and not have these bags under her  eyes. And greet the day with optimism and good cheer.

* Yes, I truly was a mistress of maggots. That seemed to really pique people's interest. Trust me, my maggots (Drosophila melanogaster aka common fruitfly) were very clean and not very smelly and very small. So much better than the flesh flies down the hall and the imported cockroaches one flight down. Hard to believe I didn't pursue a career in science after that, isn't it? Anyway my little guys were about the size of grains of rice. I also had to dissect them using a microscope. It probably doesn't surprise anyone reading that a fly brain looks like testicles and a penis.

**Although that pickle heir had the sexiest slow drawl you have ever heard in your life. Ever. Still gives me shivers now just imagining it. And the saddest, most soulful eyes. And he still hasn't grown up all these years later.

Comments

[Lynnette]

Sorry about your DF's. That sucks. Glad they have you guys, though. Does she blog? The dinner sounded great. Shaking Beef is my favorite at our Vietnamese restaurant, too. Also, I had to laugh about the fruitflies. I remember the smell vividly...kind of a cross between Play-Doh and oatmeal, right? See, I've been "studying genetics" since I was knee-high to a maggot...

[KIMMER]

Your dinner sounds divine. To have dinner with a couple that has been down the same path, I would pay a million for that. Younger nights, to be able to function on next to nothing again, that would be nice also..

[chris]

I never buy those pickles. They always look a little bit hinky.

It's been years since I could stay up all night. Sigh.

[Pamplemousse]

Mistress of the maggots hehe!

It really does help when people know what you have been through. Fucking sad but helpful. Enjoy catching up on the sleep this weekend!

[Ms. DF]

*sniff*

Gosh Millie-that is the nicest thing ever. You are making me all teary. Thank you for taking such good care of my guy while he was down my way. And even more thanks for the tiser! Nectar of the gods I tell ya.

[Mary Ellen]

It is so nice to have friends who "get it." That dinner sounds absolutely amazing!

[Lisa]

Flesh flies? I don't want to know. Really.

[Account Deleted]

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