Dressing up for Home Depot

Melody helped me color my hair yesterday. We did a few other things... trimmed a lilac bush, lectured the cats, cleaned the kitchen floor, but my goal was to get rid of most of my gray. She and I ended up going to get something to eat and talking for quite a long time.

I think both of us miss times like that. Neither of us seems totally enthusiastic about meeting other people, but it's something we have to do. The evening left me a little sad, because she seems so discouraged. And I am, but I put on a good show of being occupied in interesting ways.

Anyway, this weekend, I am supposed to be with M, the tall blonde with the dog, while she's home for a day or two from a marathon bout of business travel. I am supposed to meet S, the graphic designer from Frederick, tomorrow for dinner and meet her cats. That should be interesting, although she and I had a conversation on the phone last night that was a bit awkward, as if I had to push the conversation uphill without much help. I will hope that's just an artifact of telephones, and not this woman's natural style of conversation.

You know, if I ever meet another woman who can dress up quite the way Melody could, I will be astonished. It doesn't seem like it's that difficult, but maybe the casual culture has caused that to become a lost art. In any case, it amazes me the number of women who show up for first dates looking like they're going to go to Home Depot right afterward.

At least they could have brought me some sandpaper or a package of washers.