Yesterday was my mom's birthday, so we took her to the Glory Days Grill for an early dinner (in addition to a couple of stores and a local festival, where I picked up a carded Star Trek Jadzia Dax figure and used copies of S. Darko and "Red Dwarf" Series 1 for $2 each). Granted, Mom chose the restaurant because she had a birthday coupon for a free Oreo sliders dessert -- and because she'd gotten a free submarine sandwich earlier at another place, she only ordered sweet potato fries for her "meal" -- so it wasn't exactly a proper birthday treat on us, but still. It seemed like a restaurant; I'd go there again.

And our waitress? Bloody gorgeous. Mom adamantly protested when I tried to order her a glass of sangria to help her celebrate (and also because it'd be nice to see her get over her weird fear of alcohol; she seems to think that a single glass of wine can make one stumbling, vomitously drunk and effect extreme, nutty behavior), so I ultimately told the perplexed waitress that I'd take the drink if Mom wouldn't touch it. At that point, the waitress gave me a quizzical look and asked if I was of drinking age, whereupon I presented my ID. She remarked that she'd thought I was younger than she was.

And then I stupidly asked how old she was. Perhaps even more stupidly, she said, "Guess."

I tried to avoid answering, but she persisted in asking and forced my tongue with her sly gaze and sexy smile. I guessed 24 -- wrong. The waitress responded that she was 19.

And then, as the waitress skipped off, Mom gave one of those "ooooooooh" responses like we were in first grade and I'd just mouthed off to the teacher. Overestimating a woman's age by five years is bad! And then I started trying to explain my guess. That the girl said she thought I was younger than her threw me, since I certainly don't look younger than 19! Moreover, I tend to think of 19-year-old girls as, well, girls. That's probably the best indicator of my own age, actually. I generally tend to think of myself as being the same age I was 10+ years ago, and I don't feel or look much different (at least I don't think I look different, aside from being 10-20 pounds lighter), but I do regard people younger than 24 as being "children" in a way that I probably didn't a few years ago. A 19-year-old girl seems so, so very young to me, and I saw womanly hotness I looked at that waitress.

And then I felt a little embarrassed, both because of the unintentional "insult" to the girl and my pedophiliac fancy. Enticed by a 19-year-old girl! (How sacrilegious is that, Mickey? She wasn't even British!) But I guess she was in accord with the American hentai axiom, and 24 is hardly grey-hair-and-wrinkles old, so maybe it wasn't so bad.

Also, this song -- "1973" by James Blunt -- played at the restaurant while we were there and I took quite a liking to it (following my recent overdosing on Britney Spears's "If U Seek Amy"). In looping it since we got back, I have naturally come up with my own words for the refrain:

I would save New York
every single night
with my ninja skill
and my mutant might
then I'd cry,
"Cowabunga, dude!"

Though Windows counts up
I will always be
at a DOS prompt typing
T-M-N-T-3
crying, "Cowabunga, dude!"

Okay, that's all for now. 🙂