Fortunately Elizabeth is a great date. We noshed and chatted each up for a full two hours. All the while I kept vigilant Famous Person watch on the room’s only entrance.
At least I thought I was vigilant. Coming up on 10:00 PM and still no Benicio, it was pretty clear he must be sequestered in some VIP suite. Or maybe he’d decided to take his entourage out for a night on the town? Oh well, c’est la vie. Give me an unlimited supply of mini crab cakes and yes, a second glass of wine, and well, after a while, I’m just happy to be there.
Elizabeth and I were deep into our current topic of conversation when the young woman standing next to us interrupted to ask, “Did you see Benicio? ” Her tone implied they were best buds, possibly even related.
“He was here!”  My eyes darted like a pinball machine gone beserk. So much for playing it cool.
“Oh, yes.” She nodded with lazy-lidded self-assurance, her smile so satisfied it was positively post-coital. “Earlier, for a half hour. He’s gone now.”
So I ask you, how does a person, say me, manage to stand in the same (modest-size) room with Benicio Del Toro for a full thirty minutes and manage to miss him entirely ?!?
But then Mercury is in Retrograde. It’s the only explanation, or at least the only one I’m willing to entertain. (The alternate one being that I am a complete idiot)! You see, Mercury isn’t just in any ole Retrograde but retrograde in my Sun Sign of Libra.  Allow me to take this opportunity to express my advance thanks for your support. Seriously. Last week my laptop hard drive crashed. The other day I ordered, or tried to order, replacement bags for my vaccuum cleaner. First online, then via the 800 number. It didn’t go well. Suffice it to say I’m looking into weaving them by hand.
Watcha gonna do? Mercury goes into Retrograde just three times a year though when you’re in it, it certainly feels longer. October 14th, the end of this quarter’s phase, isn’t that far away though personally I’m holding off on signing any contracts and purchasing electronics like say, that laptop I now need until October 20th.  I believe in giving Mercury Retrograde a broad berth.
In the meantime, I’m practicing self-therapy in the form of LOL–laughing out loud. How many of us include “LOL” in our emails, not to mention all those smiley face emoticons, and yet rarely practice either? Maybe we can’t literally laugh our problems away but for sure a good chuckle can go a long way in cushioning the blow.
I was walking along Central Park the other day when one of the carriage drivers called out to an apparently insufficiently cheery passerby, “What’s up wich you, boss? Did you suck lemons for breakfast or what? Give that puss a rest and smile, why dontcha?”
Few things in life are free. Fortunately laughter is still one of them. So go ahead live it up, kick back, and have a laugh on me.
Hope