A Brew, A Barbecue, And A Babe

Ah, last night…

The Boss and I were treated to a quiet dinner for two at the Hereford House, one of Kansas City’s premier steak houses. All thoughts of scales and points and misandrists were forgotten while I gorged on Spinach & Artichoke Dip, creamy spinach and hearts of artichoke served with crisp garlic baguettes; the House Salad, a blend of romaine and iceberg lettuce topped with diced tomatoes, cucumbers, daikon radish and garlic croutons, served with your choice of dressing; BBQ Pork Ribs, a full slab of St. Louis style pork ribs, glazed with barbecue sauce; and a large slice of New York Style Cheesecake served with Caramel and Strawberry Sauce. I washed it down with a draft of KC’s own Boulevard Wheat. No one serves a better draft of Boulevard Wheat except possibly the brewery. Our waiter gave the Boss a large steak knife for her filet. She looked at me and said, “I was planning on cutting with this,” as she held up her fork. She did. The meat was that tender.

Did I mention free babysitting? The couple who gave us the dinner, a thank you gift for participating in their wedding, also watched the children while we escaped for a few hours. We arrived home near ten thirty to be told that the younger two had just gotten to bed at ten; however, since there were no emergency room bills or policemen waiting at the door when we arrived, we really didn’t care. Mornings were made for sleeping in.

The only disappointment in the evening was Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince. Arguably the best of the seven Harry Potter novels, Hollywood has shown its resolve to remove all the magic from Rowling’s story-telling ability and continue a tradition started in Goblet of Fire of sacrificing character development and engaging dialogue for special effects. I really wanted to see the “frog-like little man” in the picture on the wall announce the arrival of the Minister of Magic, or watch the expression of a tired Prime Minister as green flames erupt in his fireplace and a wizard emerges onto his carpet. The best part of the movie was sitting next to the Boss, the arm rest raised between us, holding hands. I was not surprised by the poor quality of the writing and editing choices made in the movie (I really do not have any beef with the actors’ performances) or the poor box office showing for this film. The theater was empty.

Our evening was best described by the Boss when in the car she said, “Listen to this…” and we sat in silence as we rolled down the highway. Pure. Childless. Bliss.

And my best friend.

Now this morning…

The Captain is wandering around the house wearing her pink princess dress over a pair of pajamas, announcing to her older brother that her oldest brother just tooted. And, according to her, it’s stinky, too. That’s our princess. She likes to dress up and enjoys being “pretty,” but she thinks like her brothers.

Reality returned with a vengeance.