At first I was thinking of grand evenings involving travel and elaborate plans, but quickly realized that a perfect night for me is actually much simpler and obtainable. Being with my wife at home on the couch, no time pressures or agenda, windows open and a cool breeze, a few cold beers, all 4 cats hanging out with us, eating whatever amazingly delicious thing my wife made that night, and watching a favorite movie like A Hard Days Night, the Godfather, and/or Monty Python and the Holy Grail. Throw in a cupcake and a cup of coffee and I'll wonder what I did right to be so lucky. Luckily I've had many perfect nights and look forward to many more.

A great lazy meal followed by a campfire with friends, some cold bottles of beer, and musical instruments.

Hot bath, shaved legs, fresh sheets right from the dryer, a good book, snuggled in with my guy and my dog.

There are three basic possibilities here. Do we want the one where (insert celebrity crush of moment, usually Nicolas Cage or James McMurtry) 's car is broken down on the highway so I totally save him - by, um, well, I just save him, details unclear - and we go off and have an amazing meal at the most fabulous restaurant in town and then have a couple of drinks and then end up back at my house? Or the slightly more realistic one where I get together with a whole bunch of my friends for food and drinks and conversation, ideally around a campfire? Failing the third and best option, which is standing there at the convenience store going Oh Wow It Looks Like I Won the Lottery Imagine That Let's All Go Fly To Bali I'm personally voting for option one. Although option two is very nice as well.

My girl, my cats, a good book or movie, and depending on the time of year cold beer or a single malt.

Heh, mgl, have I ever mentioned here that I once spilled a beer on James McMurtry? He was nice enough about it for someone who was really kind of pissed off.

FWIW, that wasn't my idea of the perfect evening. I think I used to actually have my perfect evening on a regular basis, actually in practice and not in theory. It was 13 or 14 years ago. I had Guinness and cheese fries for dinner, was able to moderate the consumption of both, and watched British comedies on PBS all night. Those were perfect 'me' nights, before I ever really had to worry about 'me' nights stepping on someone else's toes, and I haven't come up with a better idea since.

One without a panic attack or worring that one is Going to happen.

Beach,campfire, good friends, good music, alcohol. Doesn't get any better than that.

That's so hard. Dressed up for fancy classic speakeasy cocktails and then a long walk to a swanky hotel with Mr. Arkham? Or jeans and t-shirts crushed into the front of the stage at a punk rock show?

I don't know. And maybe that's not a bad thing.

I second that.

Cozied up with the mister, munching popcorn, watching a movie or reading our books, the beasties flopped all around us and a nice fire going in the fireplace. We try to make sure we do that at least once or twice a week, fire depending on the weather, of course.

My honey picks me up and we go to dinner at a local place that we've been meaning to try. Then we go to the movies at the Sundance theater in town, the one with real butter on their popcorn and reserved seats that let you preselect the row behind the railing so you can put your feet up. The seats also have raisable armrests so we can snuggle together. Then we come home, maybe with a little shopping at the store on the way, and watch something that we've TiVoed but haven't had time to watch.

Come to think of it, we might do that tonight :D

I seem to actually have them quite often. Lucky me! Cannot decide whether I most enjoy romantic dinner with my sweetie, going to see a good play or movie with my sweetie, having friends over and eating up my sweetie's most excellent cooking, hanging out watching something good on the tube with sweetie and furry beasts and fire a la deborah's ideal, or those Christmas Eves when we tool around in the car, visiting the lights and handing out food/cash donations to the food bank Santas.

I notice my sweetie is the key ingredient.