People are a trip. I swear, sometimes I think I�m living in a surreal world. I guess it can all be surreal, depending on your perception. I just had a little chat with our new security guard, Al. Joe, the one who was here all week, the old guy, owns the business and was only here because he didn�t have any available guards. But now, there�s Al. It�s the last day we have them scheduled, figured there wouldn�t be any more trouble after a week.

I introduced myself to him. The first thing he said, I kid you not, was �So, did Joe try to pick anyone up?� I assumed he was talking about �perps�, you know, perpetrators. So I asked him to clarify. He said, �All these women here? I�d be surprised if he didn�t hit on you guys every chance he got. He does that. All the time, anything in a skirt, he�s on it. Offers money, he�ll pay for it, oh yeah, he�ll pay. Offered a woman a thousand bucks once, she said, �Piss on you�� � okay, at this point, I got a bit confused, because I thought he was trying to tell me that Joe was into water sports. So I said, �He wanted a girl to piss on him?� �No, no, he wanted to pay for sex. He pays for it all the time, that Joe. All the time. He�ll pay for it whenever he can.�

Um, yeah. So here I am, laughing, because I cannot believe that in my first conversation with this guy, he�s telling me all these things about his BOSS. No, that�s not an acronym, he was bad-talking his actual employer. And I thought it was hilarious. I just pictured this little old black man with the earring and the jerry curl offering random women money in exchange for sex. And them turning him down! I said to Al that I thought that was sad. Then I assured him that in this office, as far as I knew, no one was offered any money.

Anyway, went to a play last night, Thoroughly Modern Millie. And I sat in the front row, spit seats I call them, all alone. It was great. I couldn�t get a seat next to my father and because someone hooked us up with the tickets, we weren�t about to bitch. We each had two, he brought a friend, and all my peeps were busy, so it was me and an extra seat. I�ve never been to a movie or show alone, and always wondered if I could do it comfortably. I found that not only was it comfortable, it was refreshing. Yes, I love to share an experience with someone. But it�s also nice to have your entire focus on the show. No concern for whether or not the person next to you is enjoying themselves.

So I guess that answered that question. My father was feeling guilty because the friend that he brought said she would feel uncomfortable if she did not sit with him, and he wanted to make sure I was okay. I told him to forget about it, assured him that I was perfectly alright. And even though when I first found out we couldn�t sit together I had freaked a bit, it was as if by saying I was fine, I made it so. Immediately afterwards, in my comfort with the situation, I noted the discomfort of the woman who was with my father. I wondered what it would be like, at 40-something years old, to not be comfortable � in any situation. I have to admit, a part of me was satisfied with myself for truly not caring where I sat or who I sat with. A year ago, I would have been a neurotic mess, and would have made sure that I got absolutely no enjoyment out of the situation.

Here�s to personal growth. I had a fabulous time.

-Barbarella

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