So I went out to dinner tonight by myself...determined to leave my cell phone alone. It was a hipster place -probably a bad choice, but I wanted to try something new. Because I had no reservation, they asked me to sit at the bar, which was fine by me. I had two seats to choose from…one next to two couples talking and one next to one couple more my age. I chose the latter. I soon discovered this was a mistake. To my left, there was an older couple around 70 talking to a younger couple around 40. They asked them about art and classical music...the younger couple admitted they knew nothing of either. I scoured my brain for bits of information about Mozart and Beethoven and Bach – all of whom my mother loved – and the brief “music appreciation” course I took in college as a liberal arts requirement. I came up short. I noticed the box of Fruit Loops next to the Talisker Whiskey behind the bar and I couldn’t help feeling sad - like something has been lost. The Robert Downey Jr. lookalike bartender chatted with the couple on my right about being a model and how he joined the AIDS walk as a way to meet women but now its changed his life. The couple to my right giggled and challenged each other with trivia questions about celebrities and movies. I knew the answers but of course kept my mouth shut. I was quiet and still – as usual. Listening. I heard Bill Withers’ “Ain’t No Sunshine When She’s Gone” for the second time today come on the stereo. The older couple to my left was eager for stimulating conversation but the couple they were sitting with simply didn’t know any of their references...generational divide perhaps? They soon said goodnight. I did too. The Elk Lettuce wrap and raw oysters were fantastic as was the Kobe steak skewer. The Belgian style beer was potent. I wandered back to the hotel determined to educate myself.