“Self-Love, my Liege, is not so Vile a Sin, as Self-Neglecting.” William Shakespeare

Another rough brunch; two weeks in a row. I felt beaten down by the end. The fistful of tips was blood money… But there was light at the end of the tunnel today! This Sunday was the Portuguese parade down Cambridge St., an annual delight that lifted my spirits. I told my tables to hang out and relax, lit up a cigarette and waded outside into the throngs of friends, customers, and passersby to watch the parading Portuguese dancers, princesses, marching bands, and floats.

That parade lanced my boil of negativity, and I decided to build on that by giving myself some love and care today. Hey, nobody’s gonna do it for me! Sometimes number one comes first, and today number one needed some pampering, some TLC. What I decided to do was take myself out on a date… dinner and a movie. I drove out to Highland Kitchen and immediately said hello to chefs Mark Romano and Mariposa in the kitchen before bellying up to the bar for sustenance.

I ate four delicious courses, all told. The first was an amuse-bouche, complimentary of Mark; hand-made potato gnocchi with grilled vegetable ratatouille. Next I devoured a six-pack of clams casino, a classic summer treat. As for my entree, I chose the braised pork shoulder (again!), served with crispy bacon (pork on pork!), collared greens and cheesy grits. For dessert I had the banana bread pudding (again!!), which I somehow cannot resist. For me, banana bread pudding is like a high-powered tractor beam or exotic catnip… I’m hooked, meow!

Eating that much filled up some of the hollow cavity I felt in my stomach, and washed away the bad taste captaining brunch had left in my mouth. After dinner I went home and looked up show-times while resting a minute. I decided to go see Sex in the City down the street at the Harvard movie theater. What a long freaking movie! But it was good solid entertainment… when I entered the dark theater I was a sweaty mess… upon my exit I was digesting comfortably, though still full and content.

Sometimes I gots to love myself.