Yesterday, I mentioned that the Wife and I went to the
symphony Tuesday night for St. Valentine's Day. And that, because of the timeframe, we took a change of clothes to work. And that, for me, meant a tuxedo. And, since we carpool, and the Wife drove, I was on foot.
So, there I am, walking down the streets of Columbus, Georgia, wearing a tuxedo, getting some nods, some smiles, and some other reactions.
My trek to the restaurant where we were meeting for supper was a winding path because of constuction. I passed many places and several people, also on foot, or sitting on benches.
One thing Columbus has, besides lots of banks, is "other financial institutions." The places you go when the banks can't or won't deal with you. Or that have arrangements with some of the furniture or electronics stores for financing.
Outside one of these lending institutions were standing two ladies. Both were obviously younger than me. One appeared to be 25-30. The other 30-35. And they saw me approaching from a distance.
When I noticed them, they had already spotted me. I passed others along the way before I reached the pair. And I nodded to spoke to those I passed: "Good evening, ma'am. Good afternoon, sir;" that kind of thing.
As I approached the two young ladies, I began to move slightly to the right, granting some distance as not to infringe anyone's space, and since the sidewalks there were rather wide.
I wasn't certain why they were standing there. They weren't smoking, so it wasn't a smoke break. It was late in the day. The business may have been closed, but it didn't appear to be locked up. Regardless, I looked at them, moved slightly to the right grant them their space, nodded my head and said "Good evening, ladies."
They smiled the whole time I approached them. Then, as I spoke my greeting, they cocked their heads slightly and asked, "Aren't you the stripper?"
I laughed, thanked them for the laugh, and continued my way to supper.
I think they were joking.
Heck, I'm sure they were. Anyone who's met me knows I'm not exactly stripper material. Unless you really enjoyed the
Chris Farley skit with Patrick Swayze. I mean, really enjoyed it.
Anyway, the humor of their comment stayed with me for a bit. But I would have enjoyed the rest of the walk, regardless.
I arrived at the restaurant early. It wasn't necessary, as it turned out, but you never know on Valentine's Day, or on symphony night, or both. Shortly after I was seated, the Wife arrived, and we placed our order.
We were the only ones dressed semi-formal. And no one was dressed formal. Still, we were there to have a good time, and did.
Except for the fellow to my left (her right) who decided that the resaurant inside the Marriott was the appropriate place to blow his nose. At the table. But, to our relief, he only did it three times during the meal.
After dinner, dessert, and coffee, we went to the
RiverCenter for the show.
We have been to hear the
Columbus Symphony Orchestra before. Not a lot, but a few times. But this was the first time we had been to the RiverCenter. Previously, we had only heard them at the
Springer Opera House.
Again, we may have been overdressed. But I don't think so. Valentine's Day, out to the symphony ... seem appropriate to me. Still, I was the only tux not playing an instrument or seating guests.
And, I'm not sure, but I'm thinking some of those there might not go to the symphony a lot. To a Willie Nelson concert, yes. Or a NASCAR race. Or a tractor pull. Or a cockfight. But not to the symphony.
Now, don't misunderstand me. I'm not a regular attendee of the symphony. But I know not to talk during the performance. I'd like to think if I ... a dumb redneck from southeast Georgia ... know better than to do something, others should to.
My suspicions were confirmed when, after the concert ended, they took out their lighters, held them up, and yelled out "Free Bird!"
Okay, I made that part up. They didn't have lighters.
Okay, they didn't yell "Free Bird!" either. But you get the idea.
Sill, the music was wonderful. The theatre is beautiful. And a night out at the symphony is a wonderful thing.
Swan Lake is coming up. No, it's not the symphony, but it will, I'm sure, be a treat. Also coming up is
Beethoven's Ninth. I LOVE Beethoven's Ninth.
We're making plans to go back to hear the Columbus Symphony Orchestra, and to other events at the RiverCenter.
I expect to see some of the same patrons again. If they host a tractor pull.
And, if this new job as a stripper works out, perhaps we can afford to attend regularly.
You ever have a problem with your blog taking forever to load?
Well, it was football. Not like football I was used to. But still football.
Who are the Mythbusters?
