...and a Snickers bar...

If it's true that absence makes the heart grow fonder, then I have a feeling that my other half and I have been absent for quite awhile. I managed my way over to the W on Thursday night and, within minutes, we picked up right where we left off. For the most part, I can't see how we've gone for so long and not been sleeping in the same bed every night; when we finally do see each other, the urgency, the fire and the chemistry just comes back and boils up over and over again, leaving us each breathless and muttering "God damn, it just can't get any better."

And yet it does. Each day and each night continue to remind me, with an assorted assortment of gestures, looks, touches, fingers and kisses, that like a fine wine, this "thing" just gets better and better.

We finally fell asleep Thursday night sometime around 1AM EST, and the next morning was, simply, smile-inducing. Every time I wake up with my other half, I find myself captivated by the fact that I am not dreaming and all this is really happening. I'm sure that once she's living in NYC full-time, I might not be amazed on an every-morning basis, but over these five-day lifetimes, whether it's a work day or a play day, I just can't believe how quick -- or how often -- I smile. It's really something to behold; waking up happy and spending your day, your night, your week or your life with someone you love being with makes a lot of difference.

As for the particulars, we did room service Thursday night as neither of us wanted to get dressed again to go out, so we wound up relaxing and enjoying a long, quiet conversation without phones. Friday morning went by quickly; I found my way over to my office and she headed to hers. By the mid-afternoon, we had been in and out of contact; I had gone downtown to pick up some paperwork that was seriously overdue and done some other groundwork, while she was addressing her dead wifi card with an IT dude in her office. She headed out mid-afternoon to meet a friend of hers for a drink, and I continued to plug away at the office. By the time I'd realized it, it was late afternoon so I headed out and over to Bar 41 to hang with the other half and her friend Jim, who, as I expected, was a great, down-to-earth guy. We ended up knocking back two bottles of champagne and a bunch of bar goodies, and sadly, before we knew it it was dusk, Jim had to head home and we to the hotel to prep for that evening's festivities. I gave Jim some info that he needed in connection with a personal situation so I am sure we'll run into each other shortly, either online or in person or both, but it makes me happy to know that all her friends love and think as highly of her as I do. Not a shock, of course, that her friends are fun, funny, intelligent and "good people;" just "previewing" how and where she and I will be in six months from now makes me smile.

But I digress.

We both needed some down time so we headed back to Base Camp W and relaxed for awhile. Our plan to nap before a late dinner didn't quite come off as planned, but at the very least, we made sure we didn't waste any quiet, alone time. And we both lamented the "rug burn" from the W bed's sheets. Weird...the bed is very comfortable but not always conducive to things other than sleeping. Like watching TV and reading (perv). ;-)

Anyhoo, friends of ours had gone to see the revival of "A Streetcar Named Desire" featuring Natasha Richardson & John C. Reilly, both of whom are really high-quality actors. I'd been walking a week or two ago on 54th Street and seen the theater so I was actually considering getting tickets, but then I figured I could always do the last-minute pick-up if we opted to go...and our friends really loved the play, so weather-depending we might wind up seeing it tomorrow (day or night). In either case, we met our post-Streetcar friends at Cafe Luxembourg at 70th and Amsterdam, which is around the corner from a client of mine, and I remembered coming to this restaurant years ago. Happily, I was pleased to discover it's still very much a great place for late-night dinner. We got there a bit before 11 and the place was full -- almost claustrophobically so, incidentally -- but the food was rockin'. Baby artichokes with garlic, oil, flash-fried and served with an olive tapenade; calamari sauteed with panko; free-range chicken, salmon and lamb chops; and for dessert, a french boston cream pie souffle. Worked for me :-) The best part was as I was sharing a joke with my dinner companions about the recent spate of sexual abuse allegations, a guy sitting next to us added to the joke (below, in bold). So by the time we were done, it went like this:

A few boys at a catholic school were waiting in line for confession. Jimmy says "I'm in trouble. I had impure thoughts, swore twice and talked back to my mom." Frank says "That's 46 hail marys." Jimmy says, "Yeah, I know." So Michael says "Well I'm in trouble too. What does the priest give for cheating on a test?" Frank says "25 hail marys, and you need to tell the teacher you cheated." Michael says "Uh oh." So another boy in line says "Well what does Father Flanagan give for oral sex?" Frank turns to him and says "A fiver...and a snickers bar."

All in all, a fun, relaxing, entertaining evening. And by the time we got home, we were almost ready for bed, and wound up passing out soon after from sheer exhaustion and contentment.

Today we're heading downtown to Soho and Mercer Kitchen, then we'll tool around and pop into a few stores: Aldo, Pottery Barn, Banana Republic and Vuitton, and mebbe Mont Blanc and The Broadway Panhandler if we have time. Then tonight we're doing sushi and a movie, either out and about or in the room. I bought Mullholland Drive, a David Lynch film, and since neither of us has seen it in its entirety, we might wind up staying in; otherwise we'll catch a movie downtown and go for drinks afterward.

As per usual, being with her feels like a vacation, whether it's a work day, a play day or a quickie lunch between errands. I don't know if that's a good thing, but when I'm done smiling and feeling this way I'll be sure and let you know.

Be back later.

-B-