Out on a date

Karen and I went out for supper last night. I tried hard to find a quiet restaurant. Some places you would think would be quiet seem to fill up with noisy parties. This has been our experience at Cyrano's and Issacs. We've been to the Keg Manor, and sat next to some really profane folks. Same for Giovannis. Great food at all of these places, and great atmosphere, but way too much noise. Even some panels on the ceiling to cut noise reflection would make for a big improvement.

So, we went to Graffitis, which is the Italian restaurant in the Holiday Inn. The food is great and it is usually quiet. We ended up with a great table in a quiet corner - quiet that is until half way through the meal when the bartender turned on a TV over our heads. If I wanted to listen to a hockey game, I would have stayed home. Really insensitive. On the other hand, one time we were there in the past, we had the best waiter I've ever encountered. On the ball, enthusiastic but sensitive, everything you could ask for. I left a 25% tip and mentioned to the Food and Beverage Manager I thought this guy was great.

We also went to see a movie last night, for the first time in a couple of years. The chain advertizes "Changing the way you see movies". Good advertizing, but the theatre wasn't that clean and there were huge lineups at the concession. What's changed? The movie itself, "Radio" was quite good. It was really touching, and yes I cried several times. I always cry for the true stories.

Of course, the real highlight of the date was not the restaurant or the theatre, but rather it was Karen's company. It was great being able to get away from a stressful world for a couple of hours and just spend some time together. The joy of spending time with her made for a fabulous date, despite the small inconveniences of atmosphere.