Steve Guzman, over at the Scooter Scoop, has posted what may be the best vehicle ever. If you know me, you may know that I like scooters. You certainly know my affinity for trains. Behold the railroad scooter, and bask in its dorky glory!
Christina and me, this April 30, on our way to celebrate our first wedding anniversary
I didn’t post this on our proper anniversary, so I’m posting it just after our second dating anniversary, which was yesterday. Two years ago, I was relaxing on the futon in the room at my parents’ house where I was staying (I hesitate to call it “my” room, as it was actually my sister’s, and bore the marks of her Veggie Tales affliction) after a day of work. I ambled into a Yahoo singles chat room suggested by a lady I had gone out with a few nights before, and was promptly informed that dinner was ready. Leaving myself logged in, I went to eat. Upon my return, I found several messages from women greeting me, and a few more from chatbots. I responded to each in their turn, among them a simple “hello” from ladypimpjuice96. As the evening progressed, other threads of conversation slowed and drifted away, leaving us bantering back and forth. Our discussion ranged from the mundane to the scandalous to the personal. Eventually we swapped photos, and decided to meet for, as we said at the time, fluids.
After work the next day, I arrived at Seattle’s Best Coffee on Parmer Ln., in a spiffy faux-downtown mixed-use development. Somewhat early, I lounged in a chair, my back to the door, as I scanned the patrons from behind a newspaper I feigned reading. She had told me that she’d changed her hair since the photo I saw was taken, so every woman that even remotely met her description got a careful looking-at. I heard a vehicle park outside, and heels on the wooden deck. A quick glance gave me an eyeful; the photo she had shared with me scarcely did her justice. I quickly turned back to my paper, pretending not to notice her entrance. She found me quickly.
We talked for a while, and then decided to get a drink. It was about then that we discovered neither of us drinks coffee. We slurped a pair of cold vanilla concoctions, and decided to catch a movie. Shrek 2 was playing, and we laughed through whole film, as much at each other as the characters. Not yet ready to part ways, we waded into the Cheesecake Factory and its famously hefty menu. By the time we finished our wicked confections, the sun had set. I delivered her back to the coffee shop where we shook hands and parted ways, but not for long.
It wasn’t too long ago that I claimed not to have any friends. As if on cue, to make me eat my words, friends appeared. At work, there are some I actually speak to regularly now; and in this vast online world, some faces from the past have given me an unexpected howdy. Strangely enough, for a guy with pretty much everything he wants, I’m very glad of them.
The Summer is going rather well. Idyllic, in fact. Between relaxing evenings at home, evening trips to the hot tub, films classic and fresh, and the occasional oppotunity to take in some live music, I can’t recall a better Summer during my adult life. Even work has been calm, albeit a bit tense. Heading into the second half of the season, there’s Independence Day BBQ to be enjoyed, a trip to Dallas with attendant sightseeing and even entertaining a houseguest in store. I’m going to do my best to wheedle in a trip to the Austin Chronicle Hot Sauce Festival if the rush back to a non-summer schedule doesn’t preclude it. I hope my favorite season, Autumn, can be this good.