And a homecoming queen

The homecoming dance was last night. At the homecoming game on Friday, TJ Bowman and I had secured a ride with Mike. I spent most of Saturday doing nothing in anticipation of the dance (in which I might also do nothing). The three of us decided to go out to a restaurant beforehand because we figured that there wouldn't be anything you could make a meal of out of the dance. We went out in Mike's Jetta and went to Ruby Tuesday, being very careful not to make a mess on our fancy clothes. Yesterday also happened to be Mike's 18th birthday, so the least TJ and I could do was split the check (and not tip it off to the waiter, who would surely embarrass Mike with a song and a free dessert).

After stopping at a gas station for gum (gotta freshen your breath in style, you know), we made our way to Bahia Mar, right on the beach in Ft. Lauderdale. It took us a while to get there because of traffic and because it was farther away than I expected. We were about a half an hour late (it was supposed to start at 7), but there were lots of people there who were in line to present their tickets and IDs. Lisa, Kevin, and my sister were there -- they had gone as a group. Andrew was wearing a dashing suit and fedora that he had also worn for Character Day. Mark, Nick, Vivy, and Julie apparently went as a group too. Ed, who loves the color orange, wore an orange suit. He's allowed to do that because he's Ed. You just have to know him.

And then we made our way in. The ballroom was pretty small, I guess, but the dance floor was even smaller. The theme of the dance was "A Night at The Palms." I guess The Palms is a casino? Anyway, the decor was generally fancy. There were big tables everywhere where you could eat your little finger foods (that they were serving in another room for some reason). For the most part, they were empty, because a lot of the people were dancing. I should have known that they would play all rap/hip-hop/R&B-type stuff, deviating from this formula only to play "Electric Boogie" (a.k.a. "The Electric Slide"). Needless to say, I didn't dance. I did socialize, though. While inside, I encountered a lot more people, including Justin, who I hung out with a bit.

Yes, it appears that I forgot the Two Rules for Enjoying Oneself at a Dance:

1. You have to be able and willing to dance.
2. You really should have a date or something.

I didn't meet either of these requirements, so I spent much of my time sitting around and talking to TJ or watching people dance. I took some pictures, and some pictures were taken of me. Kristen and Kelsey went wild when they saw me -- I guess people wouldn't expect me to go to homecoming. At one point, Ed decided he was thirsty, so he went to some empty tables and chugged all the glasses of water. He's allowed to do that because he's Ed.

Over the course of the evening, some people left, including Kevin, Lisa, and my sister. As time dragged on, I wanted to go too, but Mike was having too much fun with some girl he had just met. He danced with her the whole night. Finally, around midnight, they turned on the ugly fluorescent lights, and everybody started to leave. No afterparties for us: we went right home, and that was fine with me.

So that was homecoming. It was nice to see (some of) my friends dressed all nice and everything, but I probably wouldn't go again (unless I happened to meet either of the Two Rules). Prom, however, is a different story. I imagine that a lot of my friends will be there (am I right, guys?) And come on, you've got to go to your senior prom. I think it says so in the Seventeen Rules for Enjoying Oneself in High School.

Web 2.0 at its best: Movietally is social networking plus movies. You list the movies you've seen, and it will give you recommendations for similar movies. I'll really have to check this site out in depth. After all, I once kept a list of movies that people recommended to me, but now I can do the same thing online. (Also: it's in beta!)

When you just can't pick a restaurant, there's Lunch Slots. Just enter your US zip code, and the site will search through independent establishments and national chains to give you three random recommendations for local restaurants. You can even send an invitation to a friend via the website. (I guess that's for like when you're at work or something and everyone in the office is slaving away at their computer.)

Two years ago: "You're probably wondering if I'll be going to the Homecoming Dance, which is pretty much what this week has been leading up to. The answer is a zuquardic 'no.'"