(*) Sup on seafood

I did something on Tuesday night I haven't actually done since I've moved back here - and that's over 18 months' ago now. I went out to dinner at a restaurant! A mate invited me out with a few blokes, so I went for it. Money was extremely tight last week (still is), but - what the heck. We sat around sipping on a few casual beers catching up. Everyone there had children, and - you won't believe this - within 10 minutes we were all sitting down swapping our kids' bowel movement stories! hahahaa! See? Even proud dads do that kind of thing, ladies! I decided to get something I'd heard was absolutely stunning from this place - a large seafood platter. And it was truly awesome! I think I'd forgotten what fresh seafood tasted like... prawns, oysters, fish, octopus, muscles... melt in your mouth stuff. The other blokes had all ordered various forms of steak, and they were drooling at the sight of my plate! Nah nah! It's not often you can trust a place that says it has 'fresh seafood' - when you live 200km inland from the ocean! But I'd heard good things already...

What was funny was that - blokes always seem to need an 'agenda' to catch-up together, don't they? I mean - can't some blokes just go out together and just hang out for no other purpose than just enjoying each others' company? Bugger it - towards the end of the evening, one bloke started talking about one of the local groups were looking at starting some new small bible study groups... I sat there quietly, not being rude, but I didn't join in that particular discussion. They were thinking of starting up a new group, and were asking people to join for a 6-week basis. Bugger that - I mean, these are lovely guys, don't get me wrong (these are some of the 'better' blokes from the local church I used to go to), but I'm about 10,000km away from making myself available to get involved in one of 'those' types of study groups again. And damn - I should know about small groups - it was one of my majors at Bible College! What i'd really need to be part of is a care/friendship group for a long while, rather than a straight christian 'study' group right now. But, I don't think none of those guys would really appreciate that - maybe. My mate probably would, but the others... I'd only be dead-wood for the rest of the group. Anyway, I was a bit frustrated after we all finished our evening together - why does there have to be an agenda? It was just dinner, for gawd's sakes! Anyway - I had a really good time, comfortably relaxed, and not feeling so paranoid or self-conscious as I could have been. (As you may be aware, the last few years' emotional upheavals have really done some very severe emotional damage to my ego and self-conscious).

I prattle on... one thing I did notice was that I think I need to get my hearing tested again soon... I was finding it hard to hear and follow a conversation from people only two people away from me, in a crowded room with lots of background chatter and music etc. Maybe I just wasn't used to it, but I think... I used to play in live bands for years about 10 years ago, and my last hearing test about 5+ years' ago showed I had very minor upper frequency hearing decrease. Nothing major, but I am getting on a little bit, and it wouldn't hurt just to keep an eye (ear?!?) on it. See how the silly things we do when we're younger affect us when we're older? Gees... we never really give a stuff and think about that sorta stuff when you're younger, do we? Hmmm...! lol.

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On This Day...
Born: David Gates (Bread, 1939); Jermaine Jackson (Whacko's brother, 1954).
Died: Sam Cooke (singer, 1964).
Events: Frank Zappa thrown off the stage & breaks leg by a crazed audience member, London 1971.
Useless Trivia: English poet Lord Byron had a brain weighing 5-pounds.
My Soundtrack: Jimi Hendrix Live at Monterey 1967; Beatles 'White Album' (surprise surprise!)
Footwear: naked (feet, that is...)
Weather: Rain, rain and more rain... I think we've had like over an inch this week alone! Yippeee!

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Cyalayta
Mal (ie. Mallard d'Quackers) :o)
Email: mal [@] maljam [.] cjb [.] net