It's just before 10:30 Saturday night and I am sitting here posting to the blog, documenting recent training courses, (each course is followed by at least 30 hours of documentation to be available for inspection) and checking data for clients.I don't mind, it is what I chose to do. However, there is no escaping the fact that while I am doing all this - the cricket is on TV!
And it IS Saturday night.
Saturday night used to be about The Top Rank (Cardiff, Wales). The Top Rank was a disco. If I close my eyes I can still smell the hot dogs that were sold on the second floor.
Every Saturday night myself and my mate David, would dress up and head for the Top Rank. As Rod Stewart sang, "Me and the boys thought we had it sussed, Valentinos' all of us."
Of course there is a big difference between thinking you have it sussed and actually having it sussed.
Valentino didn't hold his pint of Double Diamond in one hand while prodding his mate with the other, telling him "you go ask them to dance, I asked last time."
Eventually we would swallow hard and take that long walk across the dance floor. I think it was during those years that I realised that space is relative. A small dance floor can seem like the Simpson Desert - huge and lonely.
Everyone could see us and I could swear blind that all eyes were on the two of us as we made our way towards two girls dancing together.
In those days you didn't actually ask the girls to dance, you tapped them on the shoulder. If all went according to plan they would turn round, smile and start dancing with you.
I am not sure which was worse. The girls rejecting you by continuing to dance with each other, or actually dancing with you. If they did that, then came the next problem. What do you talk about? "Turned out nice again didn't it?" never seemed quite appropriate somehow.
Slowly and often painfully, small talk would develop. By the time those awful pregnant pauses had shortened to 1.8 seconds, KC and The Sunshine Band had finished.
It was then you were faced with another dilemma. Do you ask for a second dance?
David had this odd idea that after the first dance you should offer to buy them a drink. I explained to him that one dance isn't sufficient to gauge if the cost of a Bacardi and Coke would be worth the outlay. David never did know as much about business or women as I did.
So it's Saturday night and I am sitting here thinking about The Top Rank Days and thinking.....thank heavens for paperwork, it's a lot easier!
Wherever you may be - be safe!
The photo tonight - Echo Point, Katoomba. Blue Mountains just outside Sydney
