Something creepy this way comes

Yesterday was productive.

I got my inspection done on my car, picked up my comics, and got my tickets for Mastodon and Dethklok (Holy crap nearly $40—That's like $10 more than it was to see them last year).

Snags? I wasn' t able to pick up tickets to Brooke Waggoner. It turns out she's only opening for someone, and I didn't know for whom at the time. Apparently she's opening for Owl City, a one man synthpop/electronica band. Does anyone know anything about him? All I know is that the cover of his most recent CD has a pic of the Burj al Arab hotel in Dubai, something halfway around the world that I've actually seen with my own two eyes (It was built but not yet open when I was there in late 1998). Synthpop piques my interest as I love me some Freezepop.

Second snag? After all this, I treated myself to Café Brazil. The food was fine, but I got the distinct impression that I was not wanted there. Upon entering, I was immediately asked if I was getting something to go by the girl who would be my server. It was only after I asked for a menu that I was allowed to sit down. This alone I could have shrugged off, but not when combined with what followed. As I was waiting for my bill, one of the male servers nonchalantly leans on the bar near me. Again, by itself, not so bad. After I paid my bill and went to leave, nonchalant guy picks that exact moment to go up to the front of the restaurant, making me seem as if he's following me out to make sure I don't try something with my server or the college-age girl she was talking to (who I had to pass to get to the door). WTF? Eating alone and minding one's own fucking business doesn't make a person some kind of sexual predator. Seriously, am I so creepy that going someplace to eat a salad in peace triggers some kind of Pervert Alert in people? I think I'll go back there sometime next week (preferably in the morning as I know those servers a bit better) to say how unwelcome I was made to feel and also to ask up front if I'm really that creepy. It doesn't help that this article has made me hyper paranoid about these sorts of things.

Brighter side? Derby is this weekend, and it's the ACRD Championships. There's the barbecue/tailgate party beforehand and then the afterparty, well, after. I don't own a grill, but I do wish to contribute to the merriment and whatnot. Which would be better to bring, plenty of hot dogs, bratwurst, and traditional grilling noms in exchange for allowing me to use someone's fire to cook OR make some Carolina style pulled pork and share with everybody? I also have strawberries and rhubarb in the refrigerator, so a homemade pie is also looking pretty likely as well. Why yes, this certainly does look like I'm trying to bribe people into being social with me using food. Don't you judge me, I'm a damn good cook and I need the social encouragement after that crap I talked about above.

Regardless of which route I go, if you've got nothing going on, I highly recommend you come out to see it. Tailgate is at 5:00, doors open at 7:00. $15 for tickets at the door, kids under 10 years old get in free, BYOB (no glass), 3022 Moon Dr, Mesquite, just off of I-30 and Gus Thomasson Rd. You don't want me to keep talking about this, do you? I'm gonna drag at least one of you Dallas-area people to a bout one of these days if it kills me.