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Saturday, June 25, 2011

Retirement Observations - Revisiting Past Lives

If this post seems a tad disjointed, it’s because I’m writing it with half a buzz on. By the time I finish, it may be a full buzz. One of my friends signed on for a Groupon promotion at a restaurant near her house and we took advantage of it for tonight’s dinner.

For those not familiar with Groupon, here’s the short version. They are an Internet purveyor of promotions from third parties. They announce lucrative short-term offers with a minimum number of takers required by a certain cut off time in order for the deal to actually happen. If enough people sign up, you get the special that was promised. If not, the deal goes away.

We had sixty dollars of good food and libations for around thirty. But this post is not about the meal as much as it is about actually going out to eat with Lynne. As you know, I’ve been singularly focused on getting my house on the market (next week for certain.) That means that most days I throw on grubby clothes and pay no attention to my appearance.

I decided that tonight I would get dressed properly. By properly, I mean real underwear (not a comfy camisole that gives no support) and linen pants with an actual waistband (not my baggy shorts with the drawstring that does double duty now that the elastic has given way.)

But wait! That’s just the beginning. I also put on earrings. (Thank you, Lord, for not letting the holes close up—it’s been so long since I’ve worn any.) And makeup. (So that’s what a mascara wand looks like…) I even put on some perfume, which I’ve been hoarding, since I’m almost out of my favorite one. In the process of all this prep, I discovered that I had forgotten what it was like to “go out.”

The place where we ate turned out to be a sports bar, with enormous flat screen TVs all around. It felt like jocks and blue collar, so I decided to have prime rib and a Sam Adams draft. My friend had a Margarita that was big enough to swim in, and lobster mac and cheese (which almost sounds like an oxymoron, or maybe a sacrilege.)

It was a nice, relaxing break from the retirement routine I had fallen into, and I was glad to know that I could revisit my past life. I don’t normally get excited about Internet promotions and what I presume will turn out to be fads. But I’m glad that Lynne hopped on this Groupon deal.

But tomorrow it will be back to camisoles and baggy shorts, since I’m coming down to the wire on house prep. In the meantime, keep your eye on that Groupon site. And email me if you get a good deal. There’s still a little bit of perfume left in that bottle.

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