Princess, Party of One

Doing things alone has never particularly bothered me. During a horrendous break-up a few years ago I discovered first the pleasure of going to movies alone. It's great. If you're one of those people who watches the credits you can sit back and relax without someone nagging. Conversely, if you wish to dash for the door as soon as they pull the plug on the Million Dollar Baby - sprint away.

My next adventure was to go to a bar alone. See, I wasn't always the experienced lush I am today... anyway I actually made the majority of my friends in Verona by simple parking my tush on a barstool and waiting for someone to talk to me. As a result I have become a regular (which sounds a lot less like a direct ticket to rehab than barfly) at The Parkside Lounge which sounds a lot more glam than it is as evidenced by this photo of what we fondly referred to as the White Trash Living Room. What began as a few old wooden chairs outside the back door so the smokers had a place to sit became the beginnings of a trailer park when our dear friend Bill Barrett decided to haul his old pink recliner up onto the stoop. Rumor has it that The Parkside's proprietor Drew damn near fainted when he saw that one...this photo is all that remains.

There was a point here somewheres!! Yes, ridin' solo...it can be a lovely thing but, of course, on some level, it reminds you of how much you enjoy the company of others. I had a VERY quiet weekend -- I was out for just 45 minutes on Saturday night - long enough to determine that my buddies were staying in - and about an hour today. Although I was looking forward to seeing my boys today (I saw Jake and Bruce for about 10 minutes each but Joe was a no show - no doubt still trying to conquer his Mao biography) and missed having our usual Sunday hijinks it makes me look forward to Happy Hour tomorrow night all the more.