mary's back in town (lyn)

I enjoy staying in.  That’s for two reasons.  One, I like hanging out at home.  It’s comfortable.  I don’t have to put on makeup.  I can wear comfy, unfashionable clothes.  And I get a lot done.  The second reason is that leaving home means spending money.  It’s impossible for me to walk out the door without buying something.  Even if it’s something as small as a box of tomatoes at Agata.  I’m still spending money. 

So when I do go out, I choose carefully.  I try to avoid high-temptation -spending venues.  I prefer friends with whom I’m totally at ease.  And, I only go to places I’m interested in going to.  But even with those criteria, I could be going out every night.  Especially during screening season.

My friend Mary (who lives in Chicago) is back visiting.  We meet at a Soho hotel where we are seeing a screening of a much-hyped movie, The Black Swan.    We haven’t seen each other since last May, and only have about 20 minutes to catch up before the movie begins.  It’s an intense film starring Natalie Portman.  She is incredible as a ballerina having a nervous breakdown.  Her dancing is frenetic and compulsive. We leave the movie hungry and tired. All those pirouettes are exhausting.

We eat at a little French Bistro with an attentive American waiter.  I order duck with some kind of fruit sauce.  The food and conversation are both great.

Mary’s visiting is special, but our getting together is so easy and comfortable it feels like I see her all the time.  The dichotomy is nice.