o.f. and i found a place to watch the boxing fight after a few attempts by me to ask bouncers and hostesses where i might find a place to watch it.

why so complicated?

there was a u.f.c. fight tonight (which i don't find very entertaining or dignified), and boxing seems to have lost its lustre. when i say, "are you showing the fight tonight?" u.f.c. was a "maybe," and boxing, at a few places was a "definite no."

canelo alvarez is the #1 pound for pound boxer in the world (on many lists), which probably means he is the best overall fighter in the world, yet the spectacle of him taking on another opponent is, at best, worth two screens in this sports bar.

the truth is, i've never spent much time in sports bars, and definitely none like this.

do people really enjoy submitting themselves to large, sweaty, inconsiderate men for hours on end? just to hang out and have a few beers? it was packed and enjoyable only for the spectacle – not the social scene.

there were a few friends, though: the bouncer was kind, and the security guy inside was very considerate, excited to find out for himself that his establishment was, in fact, playing the boxing match. two kind men who were lucky enough to have a stool to sit on (and were in the minority who also showed up to watch canelo), and another geeky guy who thoroughly enjoyed watching canelo with me rather than the ufc fight with his friends. i appreciated that.

o.f. was there with me, very beautiful, and quiet.

canelo, of course, won.

then we walked home, with a winding detour to mcdonald's. o.f., i could tell, was not herself. she was quiet and something was bothering her.

it ended up being a culmination of many things, an ailing grandmother, parents who support her and love her very much, in a way that she feels she cannot properly repay and for which she feels guilty in receiving it, and being spent by all of the class and rehearsals she's taken on. she ended up being okay, after a few tears, a few fries, and a few mcnuggets.