First, I had got to do some stuff for work. There were three things to do, and I got two of them done. The third thing showed some potential problems during final testing, so I decided to put it off until I can research it some more. Because I'm all about quality control and shit.

Then, I took a nap. I dreamed about LaptopGirl, probably because she emailed me and woke me up right at that precise moment when I was about to drift off to sleep. Anyway, it wasn't a very good dream, because LaptopGirl was mean to me in the dream, and in the dream I got angry at her. Then when I woke up I was still angry at her for a while. Stupid, I know.

Then HatGirl and LuckyFucker came over for a while.

HatGirl!

Yay!

I took about 800 pictures of them. Standing in front of a tree. Sitting on my swing. Standing in front of another tree. I have no idea why HatGirl chose me to take the pictures. But it was still fun to pretend that I had a clue about what I was doing.

(Deleted)

Then, I went to Hooters and had a couple glasses of Newcastle (9910) and watched some baseball on TV.

Then, I came home.

There's still a chance that HatGirl and I will test my video chat capabilities tonight, but it's getting pretty late so probably not.

If only they had some devices which could extinguish fire...

So after Friday night's swillfest, I knew that I'd want to return to my roots on Saturday night. I got to Rich O's at 8:00 or so. It was only about half-full, so that was nice. I sat in the throne and talked to some people about some stuff.

Two glasses of Schlenkerla Marzen (4130) later, I was still sitting in the throne talking to some people about some stuff.

It was a nice evening, except that my stupid email on my Blackberry has been broken since Saturday morning. At least I think it's broken. Every time I send an email with the thing, I get an error back saying that the recipient doesn't exist. This causes me great concern, because I'd certainly prefer that they exist.

Some of my emails seem to go through anyway, but I can't be sure if they're all making it.

Anyway, I left Rich O's at 10:15 or so and went to Sluttopia. I talked with my Uncle Wayne for a while, then sat and had a glass and a half of Newcastle (9870). I'd tried to talk LaptopGirl and BigWheelGirl into coming to Sluttopia, but they declined. So there was really no point in me staying there. I went back to Rich O's for a couple of minutes, then went to Jack's. Nobody I knew was at Jack's, so I came home.

It was a warm night outside, so I sat out on my swing, drinking Diet Cokes and contemplating the universe. I stayed out there until 5:00, only coming inside long enough to post a couple of strange blog entries.

On a night like this, the waning moon throws its light from beyond the sky, transforming the clouds into a gray sheet stretching between horizons.

Featureless, to my eyes, but incredible beauty lies just beyond that dome.

My eyes are irrelevant, on a night like this.

It's so beautiful. Out of sight, it still shines through, overwhelms.

I'm in such a weird mood tonight.

Life provides its own metaphors.

Who __ __ that ___ ____?
Duh. You get one choice, and that's more than I ever had.

What __ __ _____ you ____ about ____?
Everything. Literally, every single thing. Even those things that piss me off.

Where __ ___ most _____ _____ _____ touching ___?
Her lips. Almost always her lips.

When ___ _____ ________ begin?
Maybe the day I was born. Maybe even before that. I don't know for sure. I don't think that it really matters.

Why __ ___ ____ her, __ all ______?
For the same reason that I breathe, and for the same reason that my heart beats.

One of the weirdest things about last night was this.

For over four years, I've carried my phone everywhere I've gone. For a while it was a regular cellphone, more recently it's been a Blackberry. Whatever, I did everything I could possibly do to always stay available. I've never quite figured out how to shower with my phone, but the thing is always sitting on top of the toilet when I shower, so I can still hear it. You know, just in case.

Then, last night when we arrived at the casino complex, I turned my phone off and gave it to LaptopGirl so she could carry it in her purse. This was a night, the first night since forever started for me, that I wouldn't need my phone at all. I had all the contact I needed.

Freaking surreal.

Friday night, LaptopGirl and I went to this Bier Prost 2008 thingy at our local riverboat casino complex. I insisted on calling this a date. LaptopGirl insisted that it was merely a thingy. But then I guess her mom said it was a date. So there. Majority rules.

I don't think that either of us was at all sure what to expect there. The flyer said something like, "Beer and food from around the world." So that sounded cool. right? I guess I was expecting it to be more beery than it was. I mean, they had a bunch of tubs with bottles of beer in them. We got cute little ceramic sample cups that would hold about two ounces of beer. Then we'd walk around and ask the bored people working the tubs for whatever we wanted.

None of those people knew about or cared about beer. The only brewery representatives there were from NABC.

It was like the people running the event just went out to a liquor store and bought a bunch of bottles and then put them in tubs full of ice. Even the other attendees seemed to be there just for the charity aspect.

But most disappointing to me was the food. It was just like they called some caterer and said we want some various stuff, and that's all they got.

But the point of the thing, for the people running it, wasn't beer and it wasn't food. It was some charity thing that I never heard of before. So they obviously wanted to save costs wherever they could.

The point of the thing for me, of course, wasn't beer or food either. It was to get to spend some time with LaptopGirl away from Rich O's. And that goal was very well satisfied.

Anyway, I did have some beers. Most of these were just 2-ounce samples. Here are the ones that were new to me:

Barley Island Flat Top Wheat

(bottle) Fizzy, with a nice aroma and a pretty good taste. Very light. More like a Belgian wheat than an American or German wheat. Pretty good. I'll look for this.

(bottle) Dark brown with a nice head. Aroma of dark fruits and maybe some chocolate. The flavor was surprisingly good to me. I will definitely look for this again. Probably today.

(bottle) Usually I know to steer clear of any beer calling itself a blonde, but this was listed as a Belgian Triple in the flyer, so I tried it. I liked it. There was nothing outstanding about it, but neither was there anything wrong with it. Maybe a watered-down Delirium tremens. Good.

(bottle) Straw and other dead weeds, in both the aroma and the flavor. Not very hoppy. Not very much of anything. Disgusting.

(can) Pretty metallic. Quite gross. I don't think that even people who like lagers would like this.

(can) Just gross. Smelled of rotten hops, and tasted very metallic. It tasted to me like it was skunked. Suprisingly bad.

(bottle) I know I'd had this before, but I'd never reviewed it. As a Baltic Porter, it of course reminds me of my beloved Baltika 6. Dark and roasty and chocolatey. Just a touch of alcohol burn at the finish makes me want more right away. Good.

Then we came back to New Albany, and LaptopGirl got this sudden intense craving to stop and eat at this one place I'd never been to before called Waffle House. Anxious to prolong the evening as much as I could, I readily agreed. So we sat and talked some more while she got something to eat, then I took her home and then I came home myself.

It was a really fun night for me. Kinda surreal, but really fun.

Of course I'm excited.

I just don't want to jinx it.

What's always funny is how it just ends.

No sign off. No fade to black. No national anthem. No hint at all.

There's something, and something, and something and then, click!, there's nothing.

And, of course, when I say funny I really mean almost unbearably stress-inducing.

Seriously, would a simple good night be so terrible?

20 questions about you and your lover

(Since I don't have a lover, I'm using the last long-term one.)

When did you guys start dating? December 2005. And she wasn't a guy, she was a girl.
How long have you been dating for? Off and on for a couple of years. Off now.
How did you meet? I wrote an entire entry about it.
Do you love him/her? Yes.
Do you want to spend the rest of your life with that person? Irrelevant.
Does he/she make you feel like you are something? She made me feel useful, more than anything else.
Does he/she make you laugh and happy? Absolutely.
Have you kissed? Ewww, kissing is gross! Duh, of course we kissed.
Do you like being with that person? I liked it very very much.
Would you cry if he had to go far away forever? No comment.
Do you like that person for looks or personality? Initially attracted to the former, became attached to the latter very quickly.
Would he/she die for you? Doubtful.
Would you die and for him/her? That's a tough one. I probably still would. The world needs people like her more than it needs people like me.
Does your lover make you smile? Absolutely.
Does he/she support you in everything you do? Not even close.
Does he/she try to be there everytime you need them? Yes.
Are you always constantly thinking about the person you love? I don't think about her too often anymore. It's moot.
Do you dream about him/her? Every now and then.
Do you want to spend the rest of your life with that person and raise a family? I thought so at one time.
Do you love her/him with all your heart and soul? With as much as I could spare. Which wasn't enough.

Seven Deadly Sins Survey

Who did you last get angry with? Myself. If I'm not allowed to say myself, then probably NotHideousGirl.
What is your weapon of choice? Stupid question.
Would you hit a member of the opposite sex? I was just a kid.
How about the same sex? Only in defense, either of myself or someone else.
Who was the last person who got really angry at you? I'm not sure. I think that TremensGirl is mad at me right now, but I may be mistaken. If not her, then probably MixedSignalGirl.
What is your pet peeve? How much time do you have?
Do you keep grudges, or can you let them go easily? I tend to keep them forever.
Sloth
What is one thing you're suppose to do daily that you haven't? Cleaned the litter boxes.
What is the latest you've ever woken up? That's a nonsensical question as I've worked several different shifts in my life.
Name a person you've been meaning to contact, but haven't? Gene.
What is the last lame excuse that you made? All of my excuses are decidedly unlame.
Have you ever watched an infomercial all the way through? Probably. Who cares?
How many times did you hit the snooze button on your alarm clock this morning? Three.
Gluttony
What is your overpriced yuppie beverage of choice? I don't understand the question. Does Diet Coke count?
Are you a meat eater? Yes.
What is the greatest amount of alcohol you've had in one sitting/outing/event? I once had a 12-pack of Bud Light in a 12-hour period while camping.
Are you comfortable with your drinking and eating habits? Pretty much.
Do you enjoy candy and sweets? I prefer salty snacks.
Which do you prefer: sweets, salty foods or spicy foods? Whoa, I just answered this. Salty.
Have you ever looked at a small house pet or child and thought, "lunch"? That's weird. Of course not.
Greed
How many credit cards do you own? One, and it's just a debit card.
If you had a million dollars, what would you do with it? Spend it.
Would you rather be rich or famous? Rich. Famous people have to put up with too much bullshit.
Would you accept a boring job if it meant that you would make megabucks? Probably.
Pride
What's one thing that you have done that you're most proud of? I dunno. I used to be a pretty good pool player. Probably something related to that.
What's one thing you have done that your parents are most proud of? They're gone now, but I know they were proud of me when I joined the Air Force.
What thing would you like to accomplish late in your life? Immortality.
Do you get annoyed by coming in second place? Not as long as I did my best.
Have you ever entered a contest of skill, knowing you were of much higher skill than all the other competitors? A million times.
Have you ever cheated to get a better score? Absolutely not.
What did you do today that you're proud of? I didn't murder anyone at work.
Lust
How many people have you seen naked (not counting movies, family, strippers, locker rooms)? I'm going to guess 20.
How many people have seen you naked (not counting physicians, doctors, family, locker rooms, or when you were a young child)? I'm going to guess 20 again.
Have you ever caught yourself staring at the chest/crotch of a person of your chosen sex during a normal conversation? Duh. Though I try to behave myself.
What is your favorite body part of a person of your gender choice? Even though eyes are a cliche, I really do love eyes.
Have you ever had sexual encounters (including kissing/making out) with multiple persons? You mean at the same time, or over the course of my life? Yes.
Have you ever been propositioned by a prostitute? Yes, In Las Vegas last Summer. I politely declined.
Envy
What item of your friends would you most want to have for your own? I can't really think of anything tangible. I'd like to have MusicalYuppieDude's talent at playing guitar. Does that count?
Who would you want to go on "Trading Spaces" with? My sister Dina has much better taste than me, so I'll pick her.
If you could be anyone who existed in the world, who would you be? No comment.
Have you ever been cheated on? Yes. It sucked, by the way.
Have you ever wished you had a physical feature different from your own? I'd often like to be taller.
What inborn trait do you see in others that you wish you had for yourself? Ability to carry a conversation with a group, I guess.
What deadly sin...
Do you do the most often? Sloth.
Do you do the least often? I'd say the eating one. Gluttony.
Is your favorite to act on? Lust. Duh.