New DesignToleration is the greatest gift of the mind; it requires the same effort of the brain that it takes to balance oneself on a bicycle. Friday, October 20, 2000 I worked late tonight, but we succeeded in getting the redesign posted with not too much trouble. It looks good! All day I was waiting to hear from Jack -- would he come down tonight, or tomorrow? I had things fairly ready either way since I'd worked on it last night. It's difficult for him to make arrangements involving his daughter H---- in advance, because his ex-wife is very difficult to get ahold of on the phone. There was a message from him on my machine when I got home at seven thirty, so I gave him a call back. He wouldn't be coming down tonight, because he'd gone for a beverage or two (or three) with coworkers. He hadn't wanted to say no, because this is a rare excursion for his office group. I laughed when he described the conversation. He mock-lamented that his "girlfriend" would be mad about him not coming down to Seattle tonight. But when his coworkers started teasing him, he said that I was really very tolerant, and that they'd be getting much more grief from their wives there in Bellingham. (This whole scene sounds very retro, doesn't it?) But I agreed that it was the better part of valor for him not to drive down tonight after drinking, and decided to go to dance practice myself.
The Friday night practice is a good thing that the savoy swing club puts on. It wasn't hugely crowded, but there were a few people there. I danced for about an hour and a half, mostly one dance with each partner. A few I danced two with. One guy was in class with me in the recent series I took with Viola and Brian. I teased him as we tried to recall what we'd learned there, but I didn't expect him to have learned specific steps there. The classes had been more about concepts to break up your habits with, and we did manage to remember a few -- different step-rhythms, or purposely being on your "wrong" foot, or changing directions unexpectedly. All of these are useful and fun things to do in lindy hop. I danced with Mike -- I know I've danced with him before, but I don't know exactly when. So after I asked his name, I said "Nice to meet you -- or re-meet you!" He's a good dancer, and was mostly there to practice with his partner, I think. I snuck in a dance with him while she was out of the room for a moment. There was a woman there, sitting down on the side of the room. I spoke to her, and she said she was just there to watch -- she didn't know how to dance, she claimed, at least not swing or lindy. She complimented me for being light on my feet. Now that's something that's only said to fat people, I think! But I just said thank you. It seems she was so inspired by watching everyone dance that she couldn't stay off the floor. I saw her dancing with several people before the end of then evening, and doing just fine! I took off around nine-thirty, feeling only slightly guilty because I'd asked the DJ/organizer for at least one faster number, since most of the tunes had been in the slow to medium range. He hadn't gotten to it, though, and I don't know whom I'd have dragged in to do balboa or fast lindy with me. I got a few more things at the grocery, then came home and watched TV for a while.
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