Well, not spoken to Joe since the head fizzling incident.....nearly three days. Dance tonight so I thought I'd call him when I got back from class this afternoon - wanted to check everything cool before I turned up again and had a shitty evening. So...got in and he was online....Hey, how are you? Why don't you call me...easier to talk! Oh shit, wot does that mean? They only usually say that when something's wrong!!! So I left it for about an hour and then I called. I'm cooking...want to come round and eat? Hmmm.....of course I do....that way I don't have to bother cooking!!!! So I did and we did. And I had some wine. Not a word about all the crap. Interesting I thought. And then he started......typical, you wait until I'm fed and slightly drunk and then you start to have a conversation with me, knowing that I'm incapable of running for the door!!!! Not at all. Actually he was curious cos I'd told him that I've been getting comments from people thinking there was something going on between us. Really? Since when? Who? Well, I'm not telling you who and since Christmas. But I didn't really spend any time with you then? I know but there were certain people (no names) who gave me a lot of grief at Jackie's holiday party about him liking me.....and there have been a lot more since. Really, wow, never thought about that. Well, it's their problem. Indeed it is. We cool? Yep, we sure are. Me happy!!!!!

The Wednesday episode kicked off cos I got annoyed that he'd invited TOW out tomorrow night. I've been going to this place to dance for a year or so...in fact it was the first place I started going to after I moved to Buff.....guess it's my little sanctuary, she's never been there and he only went last month after I've been nagging him for months. So, I was a little "irritated" when he mentioned he'd invited her there. Ssssss..but she's not going.....yipppeeeee. And she didn't turn up tonight either. So, once again I got the joy of turning up with him. Not good from the public perspective but good from the "someone to dance with" and "post dance entertainment" perspectives. He's actually sent me home with a food parcel - wasn't that sweet?! And he said that if I needed any money he would help out until i got a job.......very nice....will remember that for when I'm completely broke.....unemployment still good for another month (I called them the other day) so, we shall see......

Tonight's intrigue. When we arrived there were a load of "new" people there. There aren't that many places to do West Coast so to see so many different people is always interesting. Where are they all from? There was a couple I recognised from USABDA who I didn't think did West Coast. They didn't. So, here's the background to tonight's saga: Joe and Barb teach West Coast on Saturday mornings. There is a woman, Jackie G, who holds ballroom parties once a month at the same place as the lessons. For some reason, she doesn't get along with Joe and Barb. Whenever she has her dances we have to be out of the hall by 1.30 so she can set up (why it takes 6 hours I don't know) but Barb is insistent that we keep completely to time and leave before she arrives....usually we go on til about 2 and just mess around for a while cos noone else cares if we stay. Jackie also holds ballroom classes (for old fogies from what I understand) on a Monday evening at the same place. Joe and Barb announced that they were going to hold West Coast dances on a Monday evening during the summer....at this hall. So, there's a clash! Apparently, Joe and Barb want to take the downstairs room cos it's air conditioned....leaving Jackie the hot and sweaty room upstairs. Shouldn't be a problem, should it? Well, Jackie has found out about this and is not happy. But then it also appears that sometimes she doesn't hold her classes and doesn't bother to cancel them so the hall doesn't get their rent for the evening and loses out cos they're not able to rent the place out to someone else.

So...back to tonight. I saw all these people and jokingly said that Jackie had probably sent them to crash this dance in revenge for everything that's going on. Little did I know how close I was to the truth! Just as I was getting ready to leave Barb came up to me and starts telling me about this group of people...who are from Jackie's dances and decided to crash (wow, I was right). Some woman came up to her and started complaining about the music. This isn't Swing! Er, yes it is! Well, it's that West Coast thing! Yes, this is a West Coast dance. Well, play ballroom music or we're leaving. Err....firstly this is a West Coast Swing dance, secondly I'll play what I want to play and thirdly...leave, see if I care!!!

The world has gone mad. Do people really think they can turn up at events and completely change everything because they want something different? Barb and the other Jackie are really good about the music they play and try to cater to their audience - if they know they have a lot of ballroom people, they'll play a bit more ballroom than normal. But their dances are Swing dances so that's the focus of the music. If they wanted to hold ballroom dances, I'm sure they would. If you want to dance ballroom, you go to a place that is playing ballroom. These swing dances have been going on for as long as I've been in Buff (and probably a lot longer than that). Everyone knows that they play swing music. That's the point of them. If you don't like it, you don't go to them. Common sense....?????? Yes, people request songs and if Barb has them she'll play them. Every dance she plays one Tango...for Julius and Marge. They like to Tango, they always come to the dances, she's happy to play it for them. I've asked for a Cha Cha a couple of times...normally towards the end of the evening when there are fewer people around and, yes, she's played them for me. I know other people ask for other things.....but, guess what, we ask nicely. We don't demand! None of this....play it or we're leaving. Behave like adults can't you? You get 4 hours of dancing, a lesson and food for $5. How can you possibly complain about that?????? I've a good mind to get a load of people together to crash a Jackie G party and demand that she play more Swing.....but why lower ourselves to their level? Pathetic!