Week Thirty-Eight: Michelle and Mike

It feels like I have revealed too much about the rollercoaster of a human being I am. I haven't looked back, but I'm sure, every other week, I talk about how stressed out I am and how everything is falling apart. This week really took 52 DD to its limits. I was stretched so thin by my weekend, that I would not cook. There would be no pictures of food. But there was a date. And it was a fun one, with Michelle and Mike.



Erica and I have several times discussed shutting down the blog. Just cancelling the rest of our dates and having a quiet weekend, free of hosting duties. And Table Topics. Talks this week became serious, but we reconsidered. This is our thing. No rules to it. At minimum it just has to be a date, one of 52 in the calendar year. So we decided to take Michelle and Mike out for dinner.

Michelle and Mike said they'd be down for some pizza, so Erica and I suggested we drive up to The Rock. The one we typically go to is in Lynnwood, right by Erica's work, so we hopped in the car and drove up there together. Unfortunately, the wait was 45 minutes to an hour. We turned the car around and headed towards Northgate, and ended up at The Ram, a common dining experience for Erica and I when we can't decide what we really want.



At the Ram, I ordered my usual Thai Chicken salad, Erica had a Cobb Salad and Michelle and Mike split a veggie burger. The conversation was light and upbeat. They told us about how they met and what they were currently up to. They are both very pleasant people and very fun company.

After the meal, we came back to Tune Castle for a shot a Table Topics. We had some laughs and called it a night. After they left, I felt a little guilty I didn't go the whole nine yards and actually cook something. I definitely will attempt to stick to my guns for the final run of 14. And I will probably even invite Michelle and Mike over for a meal after the dust settles on our weekly events. Michelle has been a big supporter of my music and she's a really sweet person.



Part of the reason I considered my week so difficult is my job. Specifically, my schedule is now altered so that I can no longer record music. So, without any desire on my end to stop... I've kind of... quit music. At least temporarily. It's embarassing because I already have pre-orders for an album I was going to finish with studio time I had scheduled. Which is now cancelled. And now I'm just some loser that works at a sandwich shop.

The only way I can approach life now is half full. I do have Erica, Lola and our house. I need to get through these dates and my musical hiatus with my head up and stop being so dramatic about it. Eventually, I will be back in the studio. I just don't know when. And I feel at my lowest when I realize I've been taking my wife for granted and not worrying about her feelings, and how to make her happy. These posts have become far too internalized, less entertaining and unfocused on the dates. Next week, I will turn that around, when Susan and Sano will show up to a nice homecooked meal. Cheers.