Baby Baby We've Got a Date! Baby Baby Don't you be Late!!

We're gonna rock it baby rock baby, tonight, rock it baby rock it baby, tonight. Look that one up on You Tube and turn it up LOUD -- ideally while you get ready for that Friday night or Saturday night date. That would be the great rastafarian and purveyor of love and peace and soulfulness -- Bob Marley -- bringing you that lilting calypso gallop that will stick in your head for a while.

When Bruce Springsteen would hit the stage for his Tunnel of Love shows, he would have a dozen roses, and that great western, sharp-cut black suit with that string tie, crisp white shirt, black boots. He'd come up to the front of the stage, peer out across the audience, step up to the mic at center stage and ask a question... actually he would throw down a challenge to the audience.... he would ask a deep meaningful question that is all about relationships, and love, and how people "deal" as they say, not alone, but together in some fashion... by connecting your heart to mine little girl..... The Boss would stare out into the crowd before one more night of holy communion E Street style, and ask, implore, "ARE YOU READY FOR A DATE?"

We went on a date last night. I love dates, always have. I am a hopeless romantic, although many would not guess that or see it ostentatiously dripping off my skin. But that may depend on how close they look (into my heart that is), and what they really define as or know about romanticism. I am a hopeless idealist. I am all about people, and if you are all about people, you are all about relationships and feelings and connected-ness. You are all about trying to enrich your life and the lives of others by searching for deeper meaning, and you like to do that with some conversation, and nice wine, some nice craft beers, some good food, a sunset or some general ambiance is real helpful. And a beautiful early spring night in Mpls (I do mean Mpls, the city, not some aseptic, blandified suburb with no soul, I mean a city with a bit of personality, character, some grit, people milling about in neighborhoods, sidewalk cafes, music eminating from open 2nd story windows, that kind of Mpls) and a little adventure provides the perfect backdrop for date night.

Hit up (my kids talk this way, when they were 2 I started talking how they talked, now that they're a bit older, I'm still talking like them, ridiculous) a place called Buster's in South Mpls. Recommended by the Vin Man, even though his kidneys would not allow him to be here on this given night. Lots of craft beers, and owners who come sit at your table and taste test great beers, and learn your tastes, and make great, spot-on recommendations that go like this... "oh, if you like that, you will really love this..." And by God they are right, more right than that damn Lonely Planet that lies once in a while and say's banana pancakes right around the corner in the southern tip of Colombia, yea right. Next time maybe just stick with Axel Rose and not Lonely Planet. What is this Europe, where they really understand how to slow life down and enjoy good wine, good drink, good food, and good conversation with proprietors of small cafes and bars and bistros coming to sit at your table and chat and make great recommendations about life in general? I knew this would happen in America with a Democrat in the White House.

Food was great, beer was superb, complete with breaking new ground with this Fulton's Sweet Child of the Vine, brewed right in Mpls. Then another I will have to get the name of, that of course comes from the great state of Oregon. We will be back.

If you are going to be in love, if you are going to have successful date nights, if you are forever planning out little adventures and outings but often times don't plan every little thing, but leave some air for the date to breath, leave some flexible leeway for things to kind of unfold, let the spirit move you, let the music take you... well then you are going to call some audibles. Parents of young children - these kind of audibles depend on things like "well, how late did the baby sitter say she could stay?" Husband's typical reply, "ahhhh, ummmm, ahhhhh like until 3am I think she said, yea about 3". Responsible parent (read: typically the female in nature), "what? excuse me? 3am, yea right. Did you happen to get confused honey? She is a friggin' 8th grader, and she has a father who will kill you and come over and pick his daughter up at the stroke of midnight and leave our children home alone..."

So anyway, I'm rambling a bit, whoops, first time that's happened in my writing (not). Called that audible as we approached the stop light at Hiawatha Ave - left to the sparkling lights of downtown Mpls on a Sat night, or right and back to the burb's and maybe some bad tv and/or the local news? Just so happens, my research told me there would be some soul singing, some blues playin', some gospel-y jazz folks down at the Dakota Jazz Club in downtown Mpls. Took Daughter #1 there back a few months ago to enlighten her about the great healing powers of Dr John and that New Orleans sound. This time around we had Debbie Duncan and Fred Steele and some pretty cool players laying in some pretty soulful stuff. ... and the music will fill your soul. You give a guy like me a beautiful woman by my side (oh and by the way important to note here if you are keeping score at home: that would be my first wife, the woman I'm still madly in love with a few years and a few children later...), and some soulful music and throw in some nice weather, there's not much else you really need.

So take it from me kids, life kind of stressing you out of late? Little tension in that kitchen as you get the kids breakfast, do the laundry, go to work, blah blah blah everday tedious tasks of life? Not enough zip or spice in your life? Looking across that table at that person you shacked up with way back when, hitched your wagon to theirs, and sayin to yourself, "who is this person? I feel a bit distant, removed, not as connected..." Need a shot of rhythm and blues? Need a pure shot of adrenaline? Need to go out tonight and find out if love's real? Need to connect your heart and your soul one more time to the person you need more than you need air and water? Then take my advice, call her up, stop by her house, hell in these days go ahead and text or skype or blackberry or send a carrier pigeon, and sing out, "Baby Baby We Got a Date.... Baby Baby Don't you be Late..." And for God's sake people if you are going to go on a date, rock it baby rock it baby, tonight. Turn the music up, open up that sun roof, take the T-top off that old Camaro, let the wind blow back your hair, and you too, that's you two I mean, can fill your hearts and souls with the great sounds of LOVE in the Springtime in the Northland as you hear that rock n' roll music blastin' off the T-top.