The intimate Dinner Party is by far my favourite social venue. Catchka's sister and her roommates share a vintage Baltimore row home about 11 blocks north of my apartment. This place has 3 wonderfully spacious bedrooms (bay windows and a spacious window seat in one of them), complete with a sunroom, and explosed brick walls in the livingroom. Since Lady C is in town for the autumn holiday, and her lovely sister was hosting a small supper gathering, I was invited over to partake and to visit.

Sarah dropped me back off at my place at about 4:30. I changed clothes and braved the torrential rain and windy gales. I was finally able to hail a cab after about 10 minutes (unusually long for my part of the city), and made it there in plenty of time for wine and appetizers. I was soaked through.

I've been in such a foul funky mood lately that I didn't think I'd be up for staying more than an hour, but the atmosphere was lovely, complete with gooshy couch, candles, and a fat grey cat (Annabelle Lee), who was winsome and liked to have attention paid to her. I was convinced to stay for dinner, the central piece of which was the tenderest, plumpest sea bass I've ever tasted. Karen drizzled extra virgin, basil, and diced tomatoes on top.

It felt good to be in a new place, feeling capable of negotiating a room of people much younger than me, seeing a friend I don't get to see too much, not feeling the weight of my own insular, boring existence.

Now I'm just sleepy. But before I go to bed I want to try to read some more of Wally Lamb's debut She's Come Undone.