First, an update: On Thursday I had dinner with Emma at my parents', at which I ‘begged' for a loan from my parents getting the apartment in the village that we wanted. I don't really want to discuss it any further, suffice to say a deal of unpleasantness was involved. The good news was that we were finally able to officially get the apartment the next day, and move out of my sister's place with the aid of several of my friends, who I bribed with beer.

O.K enough with the recaps. Yesterday was the first day of my girlfriend's internship. Somewhat unsurprisingly she was giddily nervous and hyperactively flightily all that morning, but also (I think) excited as hell.

She looked so cute in her white blouse, little pencil skirt and glasses (which she hoped would make her look smarter-Not that that she's not smart). She'd even styled her hair into a very respectable looking ponytail with bangs to complete ‘the look'.  

Now over time at my job I've garnered a reputation for moderate tardiness at the beginning of each workday. I'm so renowned for this that it's now got to the point where people basically expect my arrival at half-nine, and no one says anything when I arrive then.

(I am going somewhere with this by the way, bear with me).

Because of that I was able to still be at the apartment to see her off. So I got to inspect her before she left and ask stupid questions like ‘you sure you've got everything?' (My god I'm turning into my mom!) and good-naturedly rib her about things. It felt like I was sending her off to school for her first day or something, as creepy as that sounds.

Flash forward to later in the day.

I'd told her to meet me and my buddy Jeff (who looks like a balding, not quite as handsome Ashton Kutcher by the way) at a bar near his work after her day finished.

Jeff and I waited and had some drinks while discussing Rovian strategies in the Clinton campaign as it pertained to the Pennsylvania primary and...oh who am I kidding we talked about sports and women. So we waited.

And waited...and waited. Until about an hour and a half latter when she marched in looking much more disheveled than before, and sat down in the booth with a disgruntled thud. I looked at Jeff quizzically for some kind of cue, and he just shrugged. So instead I asked if I could get her a beer, to which she replied whether I could get her a scotch instead, which I did.

Back up a minute: I've known her for a while now obviously, and never have I seen her order a scotch and anything. Something was clearly up.

She was in a foul mood too, being short and blunt even around Jeff, who she's so far liked a lot. Whenever I tried to ask about what had happened that was bugging her so much, but she just asked me to ‘just drop it o.k.' presumably not wanting to disscuss it around Jeff.

Once he left for whatever reason to parts unknown, I asked her again. It turns out that she was run off her feet all day, that it wasn't exactly the kind of work she'd expected, that she was completely overdressed, and that her boss was kind of a dick. There's probably other things I've left out, but that's the gist of it. I just sat there listening while she let it all out.

Now I could have said that I'd told her all this before, but then she would've strangled me to death on the bar room floor. No instead in empathized with her and said such (really meaningless) things platitudes as ‘it'll all get better.' This actually improved her mood, and we left shortly afterwards to eat.

NOTE: From now on I'll be posting ongoing reviews of certain Batman comics the week they come out. So if you'd like to read the slightly cranky rantings of a guy supposedly far too old to still be reading comics, feel free to stop by. Plus I'll occasionally post some Bat-centric discussion pieces as well. In fact the first of these reviews may already be there now. Quick, run and look.  

Of course you can still read my cranky message board rantings.

Of course if you're relatively well adjusted and have no interest in comics-go in peace.