Friday, November 7, 2008

the cream and the crock

went out with Vicky, Andrew and other Darrell from Lize's work last night. The evening was a two part affair. Dinner and a show. The dinner bit was at Da Vinci's, a hitherto dependable Italian eatery where my little sis used to work back in the day. I've always dug the place, its comfy, friendly and unchallenging. Last night sadly was a bit of a shocker. The computer what does everything crashed apparently and the old pens and paper posed a fair challenge for the young uns waiting. Drink orders were taken, then taken again and again. Food orders were taken as our parched tongues lolled in a tell tale manner, still no drinks. It was the computer you see. No drinks. The drinks and the food arrived about the same time. Everyone liked theirs except for me. My pasta, a tortellini romana was in the grip of a sauce drought and tasted very similar to the tortellini you get in the fresh pasta section at Woolies. Then the plate snatcher made his appearance. A hand snaked in between myself and Andrew and woosh the plates were gone. My forkful of food paused in mid-air. It was obviously time to go. If it was 11 I would have said fair enough but it was ten to fucking nine! Like good punters we took it laying down and didn't give any guff. They just ain't gonna see us for a while.

The show part of the evening was great fun though. You Am I played a storming set full of unexpected song choices and cracking harmonies. Davey Lane was in fine form on the Telecaster and Tim Rogers confirmed his place for me as one of the great Oz rock frontmen. Witty, lewd and occasionally vulnerable he sang with a clarity he's missed since late nineties and seemed much more comfortable in his skin. Gunslingers off the Convicts record was a real highlight as was the torchy Fender Rhodes treatment of Heavy Heart. A few jack and cokes soon washed the sour taste of dinner out of my mouth and just as the tequila monster was starting to manifest itself Lize lured me into the car and we returned home at the sensible hour of 1am.

6 comments:

Anonymous said...

Hey, Paddy -- full marks for your comment on the gun thing in my blog over at JS. Are you a JS member, or is this your hangout?

Either way: nice to find you on board, looking around. Best to you, mate.

Manuel said...

took your food mid fork eh? i'd a busted noses for that!!!

paddy said...

i think the poor kid just didn't have a clue. Whoever was running the floor could have used a bit of a kick up the hole though.

cogidubnus said...

When I was in my early twenties I dined a girlfriend at a very posh Chinese restaurant (allegedly the oldest in the UK), where there was a would-be "plate snatcher" who attempted to hurry us through the courses...I was young, shy, and very inexperienced...nonetheless, having cautioned him, on his third or fourth attempted plate extraction I got the fucker clean through his left hand with my fork...RIGHT through...jesus did he scream...

The girlfriend insisted on leaving immediately...and ditched me soon after...but it remains a high point in my sad life...

paddy said...

jesus! that's sending a definite message.

cogidubnus said...

Bastard was smug about it...and smugger still about my ignorance and naivety...almost (but not quite) to the point of total rudeness every time he came near us...

As a very ordinary young guy, misguidedly, (and at rather great expense), trying to impress a,(younger), girlfriend in a posh restaurant I felt (as I've no doubt I was expected to), unecessarily humiliated, patronised and condescended to...cunt paid for it though...

Sadly I probably wouldn't have the nerve now...