Lazy Sunday, OR The Happy Nappies

i'm currently skipping church due to M's crazy sleep habits, which have only been exacerbated by his mouth deciding to sprout 3 new teeth, all next to each other creating one bumpy, red, sore set of gums. so church is at 2, and M fell asleep at 1:30. of course. but i can't bring myself to wake him up, poor thing. he's just a tiny little guy trying his best to behave while his teeth race to the surface. i wish they'd hurry up. so while he snoozes i'll relate to you all, my most surreal night out EVER, which was last night, and is something i can't stop thinking about:

I had the most amazing dining experience of my life! R and I were invited to Mastro's Steakhouse, where there are attendants in the bathroom, the waiters wear tuxedos, and they have a Personalized Iced Seafood Tower on the menu. The dinner was courtesy of R's hiring partner, who evidently has lots of money, since my halibut was $35 and R's prime, prime rib (yes, 2 primes) was around $40. and that's just the main dish...

we had lovely green salads with lots of exotic cheeses (i.e. Gorgonzola, i know it's not really that exotic, but i've never had it before), lobster mashed potatoes, creamed spinach, sauteed veggies, and then our steaks and lamb and fish fillets served on 400 degree plates plopped in front of you while still sizzling. then of course there was the warm butter cake for dessert: caramelized sugar crusted cake topped with raspberry syrup and vanilla ice cream and berries and whipped cream, which we all ordered after hearing the waiter describe it and proclaim that it was the best thing on the menu. this food was even better than my favorite thing ever: sushi at Yuri's in CA. i was full and happy and sleepy.

however, the food aside (did i mention it was the best food ever?) it was also one of the most uncomfortable things i've ever done. i'm not used to tuxedoed waiters hovering about and recommending lavish desserts with an air of culinary superiority. i'm not used to R needing Jay's advice on proper tip amount for using the restroom during dinner. and i'm certainly not used to living the rich life on summer internship weekends while having had regular conversations with R about paying off student loans, etc. and the strangest part of all was that everyone else, even R, was more okay with it than me. and i don't mean this in the "exalted poor" sense, like i felt guilty for enjoying an expensive meal. i was just plain out of place, like a little kid swinging her feet off of a too tall chair. but tom and his wife were old pros, it seemed, and 2 other couples were already working for the firm and used to it (i'm guessing), and even R has been out to lunch several times already in his workin' clothes.

basically i was finally backed into a corner with a real adulthood situation (with no way out) and it was weird. but at the same time, i'm glad it's over and i can do it again in the future without near-paralyzing anxiety. instead i'll be a regular, expecting this type of thing on birthdays and anniversaries. i've mentioned this to R and his eyes got really big. then he laughed and realized i was kidding. mostly. but seriously folks, if you have the means, i highly suggest it. yummm!