Old-fashioned courting in the 2010?

I had a date last night. Dates? Nothing new. The guy? Not new either. The whole date itself? Interesting as hell.
The background is that I "knew" him through my friend. He was actually my friend's friend's boyfriend when we all met. He/they came to a couple of sets at my house. They're cool, he's cool; all groovy.
Earlier this year, they apparently broke up (for the last time) and it's officially over. I guess another indicator of something being officially over is when one person buys a house and moves out of the joint apartment they shared. She invited me and my friend to the housewarming, and he was there, too. I didn't know at that time that they'd broken up. And they weren't really my friends, so why would I? That is...until he begins to inbox me occasionally.

So, inboxing, texting, a completely out of the blue phone call one night, and threats of "we need to get together..." He asks me to lunch a few months ago and we set it up. At the last minute, I had to cancel, so we reset, tentatively. Time passed, didn't do it...cut to finally getting together.
This weekend was the dinner plan. Then it rained. They say it doesn't rain here, but it's hella raining now, so we decided to stay in. I cooked.

I like to cook when I have people I know are going to eat and enjoy the meal. Lately, I've been more inspired to cook, getting recipes from other people and branching out...like I said, if somebody's gonna eat. My male friends know I cook my ass off: men can always be counted on to eat a home cooked meal.

So I decide on the menu: braised sirloin with mushroom and shallot wine reduction, garlic butter spinach, baked whole baby yams, tomato and blackberry salad and crusted garlic baguette.
Bomb-eats.com. No doubt.

We said 4 p.m. He gets here at 3:30 p.m. I have an issue with time. If I say 4, count on 4...maybe a few minutes after. I'm trying hard to be very punctual, to get punctual...but early? not so much. I'd gone to the store for some additional fixings, got home, music on, getting ready and *ding dong*
I let him in, get him settled, kinda, 'cause I was unsettled...went to get myself presentable.
We sit, we wine, we hummus and pita, and light conversation. I cook and we sip - I like a man who buys NICE wine; 2 bottles. And because he's Haitian, he brought some Haitian Rhum.

The plate was so pretty, I should have taken a picture of it. Just beauti-gorge.
We ate. He ate everything. And he should have.

After dinner, more wine. Movie. Then egg nog and rhum. and movie. And we just chilled on the couch, talking, chilling. No contact sports. Not even a hug. Oh he hugged me, tightly, when he first got here; kisses on the cheeks; hug again. But while we were maxin' on the sofa, after wine and rhum, NO action.
The thing is, normally, that would be a code 10, man down situation. But....I saw the *thing* that was telling me to let it play. And he's an older cat, ugh!, so a bit more paced with all the goings on. His ex just turned 32, so I'm going to let the age thing slide for a sec and see how it plays.

We chill, it rains, I lean my head on his arm, we movie it up, he says something about an event in the movie where the person gets lusty, "Need more willpower," and looks at me.
Mkay...gotcha. But I'm horny and tipsy. I couldn't fuck him on a first date though. Well, I could have, but I couldn't.

It's late, it's raining, we've had massive amounts of alcohol, he lives in the valley, so he says he'll spend the night. And he does...in my currently unoccupied other bedroom. No contact sports. But I knew that when he said he would "stay over and go to sleep" in his French accent. Ha.

I was so amped up, I put on some soft core porn on cable and rubbed out a good.one. Good. I will say that it was refreshing that he didn't come to my door 'cause I came hella loud...and I didn't mean to, but pressure is a muthafucka.

So he left this morning after it got light and the rain lessened. Again, BIG hugs, cheek kisses, grabby hug, another kiss on the cheek and leave.

He texted me when he got home...with a remark that "...once a year isn't enough..." because the last time he was at my home was just shy of a year when they came to the party here. I told him he could say the word when he wants to do it again. He said he would because he likes me.

Is this how a person is courted? I wouldn't know 'cause I'm not old-fashioned.

Solo

I went to the funeral home to do my sister's makeup today. She wasn't a woman who wore a lot of makeup, but...when you're dead, sometimes you need a little color. Yeah, I know...that was morbid, but I've been like that dealing with this.

My sisters picked out a blue and black blouse for her, so I coordinated her eye makeup with a blended out dark blue with a natural, neutral, slight brown and a natural highlight. I put a light yellowy pink on her cheeks just enough to make her look "alive", but you couldn't really tell it was there. It just looked like she would if her face still had vascular activity. I put a reddish-brown gloss on her lips, and it settled in nicely, considering...
My niece brought a half wig from the Bay from a place that they always bought my sister's hair. My niece was wanting me to fix my sister's hair like she would do it, but I blends wigs and weaves and leave no demarcation...my sister, well, she didn't have a good blend hand. So, since I was doing this, I took my marcel irons and curled her hair to cascade around her face and blend with the wig.
I think she looked beautiful and alive, like she was napping, when we left.

I feel weird about the whole thing. Picked up a blouse today so we can all be color coordinated for the service.

I feel like I don't have my bookend mate: she was the oldest, and I am the youngest (of my father's children). Bookends. Odd-ends: she had her issues regarding the family, and I had mine. She was my BigSister and I was BabySis, *[XX]* (always said with emphasis).

What does one do with one bookend? One odd-end?