I made arrangements to get together with Tan and Roc on Saturday down at Tan's place. Tan's planned Friday night trip with his friend Simon to a coin show because Saturday's trip instead. So he made plans to meet me at The Phoenix at 6. That's a little hole-in-the-wall Chinese restaurant on the corner of his street. Nice food, cheap prices. About what you'd expect.
The remote for my new DVD player quit working Friday night... don't know why. Anyway, I bundled the whole thing up and took it back to Wal-mart. They replaced the remote, no trouble. So I headed downtown after that. I guess I got down to Parkdale about 5:20 or so, and I wandered around. Went into Blockbuster and actually found a movie I've been looking for for a long time, George C. Scott in The Last Days of Patton. It cost $8 and was sure worth picking up. It's really well-acted. I haven't seen it in years and years, but I remember being impressed by it, and now I know why. I also went into the local Sally Ann, but I didn't find anything worth buying, so I wanded back to The Phoenix and got a table just before 6, and I started waiting for Tan. In the meantime, I ordered won ton soup with pork slices. It was really good, but whoa, a week's worth of salt, I bet. 6:45 rolls around and still no Tan. So I get out the cell and call him. I reminded him we were due to meet at the restaurant, not his place. "Oh, I forgot that detail," he says. So just before 7, he comes in. He's broke. He's got four bucks. Can I float him the rest? Sure, whatever. Kind of grating when he starts talking about hundred-dollar antique coins he's picked up, but we were talking about just a few bucks after all. Simon's supposed to come by with "cat food" money for him later, and he'll settle up.
Anyway, we both had the curried chicken. It was great too. Like the food there. Not sure how healthy it is, but I don't suppose it's really all that bad, either. Roc, as it turned out, had family issues that, not uncharacteristically, tied him down for the evening, and so didn't join us. Simon was due sometime between 8-8:30 so we left just before 8 and went back to Tan's place.
On the way up in the elevator, we shared the ride with a young black girl and a scruffy little white guy in his 30s. There was a strong note of alcohol in the air. Tan was going on about the cost of something... I forget what now... and it apparently elicited enough interest in the scruff little guy for him to pipe up and politely enquire as to what Tan was talking about. Tan laughed and said, "Not drugs." I couldn't believe he said it. I don't think the guy knew quite how to react. He was a little cowed, and he said, "Well, I'm not after drugs. I'm an alcoholic, but I don't have that problem." About then the door opened, and he exited, sheepishly. I said to Tan, "Do you know that guy?" I thought it might have been understandable if he knew the guy and his habits at least. But no, Tan didn't know him. He just saw an opening for a cheap shot and took it. I really wanted to go back down and apologize to that guy, but it wasn't my place, and what difference would it have made? An apology from me would have been worthless; it wasn't me who said it. But it was just one more example of how oblivious Tan is where other people and their feelings are concerned. There was no reason in the world for him to say that. I really like Tan's company, but sometimes I have this real urge to lay into him. But what good would it do? He's 52 or 53 years old. If he didn't learn by grade four that he shouldn't hurt other people's feelings if he doesn't like having his hurt, is he going to learn it now? So I decided there was nothing to be gained by spoiling the evening and I kept my trap shut.
Tan and I traded some movies... I gave him my copy of Roger & Me on tape and he gave me a copy of Shrek 2. I haven't seen it since it was in theatres so it was nice to get a copy. We did a lot of talking about politics and stuff. He gave me a few photocopies of some of his recent work. Eventually Simon did come by, but wanted Tan to come down for the money. He gave Tan a wad of 20s, but since I didn't have a ten, I was out of luck to get re-embursed. I hung around till about 1:30, which was unusually late for me.
Sunday I got up and inked a couple of his drawings; one of an orcamorph boy and one of Lola Bunny. I coloured them in Illustrator and sent them off to him and P-Doug. For once, Tan actually deigned to respond favourably, though, as usual, with reservations. I don't know why he can't just acknowledge the tribute without feeling compelled to put in his two cents. And I can't remember him ever commenting on anything I've sent completely of my own, much less him working from something I drew. It's just enough that if I ever do it again, I think I'll keep it to myself, and do it just for the sake of practice. Sketching's the hard part; inking a finished sketch is easier, and it's bringing it to life in colour that I like best anyway.
I got drunk on Mom's white wine yesterday and, typically, I listened to the little devil on my shoulder. I ordered from Double Double for the first time in years... large pizza, eight pieces of chicken, twenty potato wedges, four pieces of garlic bread. I didn't need it, and really couldn't afford it at this time of the month, but went with it anyway. Man, it was really good. Not that I ate it all! I did polish off the bread and spuds, but I have most of the chicken and half the pizza left, bundled up in the freezer for next weekend (hopefully I'll make it that far without touching it), and what I did eat was lunch and supper. Still, $35, I didn't need to blow that. But, all told, that was a good Sunday. Sittin' around skyclad, drawing and colouring, getting drunk, and doing the comfort food thing. If only I had more money and didn't lard on the pounds, that's how I'd spend every Sunday. As it is, I'm back on the lemon juice and maple syrup bit. I mean to make it last all week, like the first time, but I haven't managed it since. Well, let's just see if I can stick it out and pay back yesterday's deficit at least. :)
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