Thursday, February 17

10:20 pm
Home

Christ, what a long day.

Just got home.  Only ten but feels like 3 am.  Probably because I've been up and running since first light.

Okay, not quite that early.  Since 7:30, when Cate kissed me on her way out the door to work.  Sucks she had to go into the office today since tomorrow I'm back on the road.  But she has responsibilities.  Dammit.

Our flight leaves at some ridiculous hour in the morning, got a car coming to get me at 6 am.  All because of Richie's party tonight.  The one I showed up at, had my drink and made my congratulations, then dashed out of.  The one he'll probably leave to go straight to the airport, ha ha.

The last place I wanted to be on my night off was a Fashion Week afterparty, but I put in my appearance because it's for Richie.  He's doing so great with WTB, he's really been busting his ass with all the publicity and stuff.  I'm really proud of him.  Haven't seen him this grounded in awhile.  Not since back in the early days with Heather, right after Ava was born.

This is good for him.  And although I had my misgivings I think Nikki's been good for him too.  I don't see it turning into as-long-as-we-both-shall-live, but for now he's settled.  Richie's always been the Warren Beatty, the method actor who puts so much of his heart and soul into whatever project he's doing that he ultimately ends up involved with his leading lady.  It didn't surprise me when he and Nikki coupled up.  But for the first time in a long time he seems happy with who he is and where he is in life.  That's good to see after the hell he went through the last few years.

His show was fabulous.  Cate and I met Dorothea and Stephanie there, had front row seats.  Steph was so funny -- she loved every single outfit that came down that catwalk.  I swear, every damned one she turned and looked at me and said "Ooh! Daddy!"

Thank God I know the designer and can get them cheap, ha ha.

That's my girl.  She's off to college in the fall, gonna study design.  And I think she'll be good at it -- she so much more visually artistic and creative than I am.  I can write music and poetry but don't ask me to paint or draw or even pick out wallpaper samples.  God knows what happens when I try to even do music videos or album covers, ha ha.  I learned long ago to leave that to the experts.  But Steph -- she's a natural.  She'll do good.

And like every teenaged girl she loves fashion and pretty things.  Gets that from her Momma.

Okay, and maybe a little from me.  I liked pretty things when I was young too, ha ha.  Just look at the photos from 1985, for Christ's Sake.

Anyway, spent the whole day before the show checking things off my to-do list.  Finally got a call back from my Doc about my little procedure.  He said I don't need to do labs or blood work since I just had a physical, but he'd like me to see a urologist for counseling before I schedule the operation.  I assume "counseling" means the 20 questions about my erectile capabilities (which I think Doc still thinks I'm lying about) and another thorough ball-squeeze.  Fine.  If that's what I have to do to get this rolling, so be it.  I told him to refer me to the best Dick-Doc in the City and I'll do it the second I'm back.

I also finally talked to Cate about Jesse.  I picked her up from work and we had an early dinner before heading over to the show.  Was a little worried about how she'd take it -- not the details of Jesse's status, but the fact that I waited so long to tell her.  But she was fine.  She did kinda cringe a little when I mentioned it could have been her who walked in on my randy son and his little naked friend, but she was otherwise completely calm.  It was the cop training, I'm sure.  Sometimes I forget she's seen and dealt with so many awful things that something like a horny teenager banging his girlfriend isn't gonna faze her.  When Steph pulled the Runaway stunt she was cool and calm, even with Dorothea breathing down her neck and hurling insults.

It was later it got to her.  When she took off the cop armor and let herself be a woman again.

But I think she'll be fine with Jess.  I know she won't breathe a word to him, she'll just watch and evaluate his every move and word and thought, ha ha.  She'll know in a heartbeat if something's up with him, just from reading his cues.  It's like having my own personal profiler.  Sometimes I love her special "criminal minds" talents.

Except when she uses them on me.

But as for her other talents... there is a certain set of them that I like very, very much.  And since I'm leaving early tomorrow morning I'm gonna try to persuade her to practice them on me one more time before I go to sleep.  I have a feeling she'll oblige.  I can be very persuasive, after all.

And she's in the shower now, so what better time to practice my persuasive arts than the present?

Heh heh.