So, There's this Guy

To begin with, we were both running just a smidge late. But Swede & Czech rang my cell right away to say he was 5 minutes out, which was a very good start because it's nice when people call to say they are running late.

I get to the restaurant first and it is impossibly hot so I'm standing under a tree waiting. And the nervousness starts. I sorta know what he looks like, but people change. It's not like we update our profile pictures all the time. So then all these guys start walking by and I'm thinking, "Oh, geez, I hope that's not him", (for all sorts of shallow reasons which I'll not relate to you because I value your good opinion and really, I'm ashamed of myself for not being more enlightened) .

Then, even though we said we’d meet outside the restaurant, I start wondering if maybe he’s inside so I peek through the windows to gander if there is someone who looks like he might be S&C, feeling kinda dorky about it all and thinking how great it is that I don’t have to go on blind dates because that’s kind of how this feels and who needs the aggrevation, you know? And I turn and across the street is this darling fellow waving his arms happily at me and all the nervousness went away, we greeted each other like old friends and spent the next 3.5 hours happily ensconced in a booth at Geraldine’s Counter talking and talking and talking.

Some of our conversation was of the informational-getting-to-know you variety, but not much. Most was just a mish-mash of politics, religion, kids, relationships, work, writing and blogging and telling stories. There weren’t any awkward silences or struggles to “make conversation”. It really felt a lot more like how it feels when you hook up with a friend that you email but haven’t seen in a long time. We laughed an awful lot. I admitted to him that I’d been a little nervous about meeting and we laughed about that, too, because so had he. [Note to Self: Fundamentally, everyone desires to be liked and found amusing and interesting. It's not just you]. Fortunately, for S&C & me anyway, we found the other perfectly delightful. (Unless he’s a big faker but I don’t think he is because his eyes are too twinkly for such falsehood).

The folks at Geraldine’s were awfully nice…they don’t close between lunch and dinner so it was ok that we were hanging for hours but still. They kept us supplied with water and coffee and just cleaned around us. And when we finally left it was only to return to ask the waitress if she’d take our picture, which she was only too happy to do (and if Blogger was cooperating you could see how cute we are. Maybe it will work later.)

So my first meeting with a blog buddy went very well, it was a delightful afternoon AND he picked up the check. I will now proceed to add him to my Christmas card list.