Cougar Cub

I know I have said it before, but I will say it again, getting confused for a student does nothing but pump up my ego. And now that school is back in full swing I have had offers from willing upperclassmen to reconfigure my room, sign me up for a meal plan, and show me where the new gym is. I've also been scolded by administrators to not ride my bike though a construction area, and been told that my card won't let me into the electrical rooms and that I have no business there anyway. Imagine their surprise when I go in and turn off the power or the construction workers greet me by name.

I love my job!
I love blending in!
I'm like Joe Pesci in my Cousin Vinny sporting cowboy boots and hunting gear, except in my case its a pony tail and a Hello Kitty bike.

Yesterday I was cruising down the street on my pink Hello Kitty beach cruiser. There was another "cyclist", and I use this term loosely, on the road. He was meandering around, checking his cell phone, riding leisurely around as if he had nothing but time. I was on my way to meet a contractor and was scurrying as fast as my leopard print wrap dress and high heels would allow. So I wasn't exactly booking it, but I was going faster than the yeahoo riding a bike that looked like the guys from Orange County Choppers made it.

Don't those high handle bars make their arms hurt?

So I passed Mr. Chopper and headed towards the dorms.
Being the good cyclist I sometimes am I actually stopped at the stoplight, and despite the fact that there was no traffic coming I still waited for the light to change. Don't want to set a bad example after all. And as luck would have it, guess who pulled up beside me. Mr. OC Chopper himself.

"Where did you get your bike?" he asked.
"Craigslist. Why, are you looking to upgrade." Wow... Sometimes I am snarky.
"Haha! Just curious. I've seen them at Orange Cycle."
"Oh yeah? That's kinda cool. Makes me kind of sad though that someone else might have my bike. I've actually seen another one on campus, though." I said as the light changed and I started to petal away.
"So are you excited for school to start back?" He asked.
"I guess so. It never really stopped for me. I was here all summer."
"Oh were you working or taking classes?" He asked still riding along beside me.
"I am actually an employee."
"Oh, really? What do you do?"
"I'm the Energy Manager for the university."
"Oh, that's cool. Do you know So-and-So? They work in the School of Dance." He said. "I'm good friends with her."
"No, I'm sorry I don't. Well, this is my stop. I have to meet a contractor." I said pulling my bike over in front of one of the dorms.
"Oh, okay. Well maybe I'll see you around. My name is Luis, by the way."
"Nice to meet you. Bye."
"Wait! What's your name."
"Crigger." I said after a long pause where I debated if I could give him a fake name.
"I look forward to it." He said with a wave.

I may have just gotten a sneak peak into my future. I'm not quite a cougar yet, but maybe one day...

A chef and a personal trainer? The answer should be a no-brainer...

A chef and a personal trainer?
These are two things I have dreamed about having my whole life.
As much as I like to cook, I prefer that delicious food just appear in front of me. And Lord knows I hate doing dishes!
And a personal trainer is a luxury I envision that would just bestow on me Claudia Schiffer's body with very little effort on my part (obviously they will also be giving me some sort of amazing treatment to stretch my 5'2'' frame to 6'2'').

But seriously... What more could a girl want? A chef and personal trainer seem to good to be true.
But that is what Stephen is. A chef. And a personal trainer.
The mystery of why he has the nicest arms I've ever seen has been solved.
Oh, did I mention he is super nice and intelligent?
Oh, and that he's Greek?
And Lord knows I love everything about Greece. Greek people. Greek food. Greek tragedies. Greek gods. I was a Philosophy major-- of course I love that country!
(Don't really love the rioting and their financial planning inability, but hey! once that is sussed I would consider moving there)
And he managed to explain soccer to me in a way that it actually made sense. God bless my Pittsburgh roommates, who try as they might, could not make understand soccer. It was literally like they were speaking Greek.

We met at a bar in Manhattan Beach and had barely ordered drinks before he told me he was a personal trainer. The first time we met we didn't cover job, family, how we ended up in Cali, etc... So when I learned he was a personal trainer any desire I had to eat ran out the door faster than a fat kid chasing the ice cream truck. But after watching him scarf down a whole basket of bread I decided he was someone I could eat in front of since he obviously wasn't opposed to carbs or booze. We shared a crab cake and some chipotle calamari and delved into the questions of how we ended up in Cali, what we love and hate about it, and which Olympic moment was our favorite.

The conversation was so nice and so easy. I was really having a great time and I wasn't even working at it! We've all been on the dates where you have to make an effort to find things to talk about, or you say something that is off-putting, or worse, you hear them say something off-putting, and its just awkward.
This date wasn't like that all, as much as I kind of wished it had been. I truly enjoyed spending time with him and if I had gone out with him when we met a few months ago, then maybe when I met Zach and he asked me out my answer would have been "Sorry..."

But we didn't go out then.
And now the situation is different.
And all I could think of as I left the bar was "He's great, but he just isn't Zach."

Less than excited...

So after four dates with Zach I decided I liked him too much and needed to go out with some different guys. After all I am kissing him on Ferris wheels at fairs and holding his hand in public. Obviously, I am having some sort of psychotic break.

Or maybe I am just genuinely falling for him.

To be honest, I'm not sure which is scarier. Losing my mind or losing my heart?
Probably losing my heart when I don't know where the other person stands. Plus, I hear that when you lose your mind you don't actually know it.
So... Maybe I just answered my own quandary.

Either way, I was getting a bit too comfortable, too early in this relationship, and I needed to take a step back.
I don't want to end up dedicating The Achy-Breaky Heart to him during Open-Mic Night at the Gypsy Den. Not that I've ever done that, or something similar to that.
I have, however, experienced some awful second-hand embarrassment while watching people profess their love in a similar fashion at said Den of the Gypsies.

This much I know to be true. Beer and gypsies make people do crazy things.

So naturally, when Stephen texted me for roughly the 13th time saying we should get together, I readily agreed.
I needed something to take the edge off Zach.
(Is it just me or am I starting to sound like a drug addict? Am I addicted to dating?)
Plus, I was going to be in LA on Wednesday, so squeezing in a drink with him would be easy.
This could not have come at a more opportune time. 
I swear, men know when you are interested in someone else, and they all start coming out of the woodwork again. It is like their 6th sense!

But, to be perfectly honest there was nothing I wanted to do less than meet a guy who wasn't Zach for a drink. Despite the fact that Stephen has some of the nicest arms I've ever seen.

Then why do it you ask?

The answer is easy.
Zach manages to sneak into my thoughts at the most unexpected times.
Someone mentions the windy city and there is his smiling face.
I see a baby with curly dark hair and find myself wondering if that's what his hair looked like when he was a baby.
When my phone rings in the middle of the day I irrationally hope its him on the other end, despite it being my office phone.
I hear that an awesome band is coming to play in my neighborhood and I find myself wondering if he likes them and would want to go?
And this goes on, and on, and on... in various forms at other trigger points.
It is skating along the insane line, and I know it.
I have got to reel the crazy back in like a giant marlin.
At least knew I needed to break out of the only seeing Zach-phase, or run the risk of being in deeper than I was ready to be.
And even worse, being out in the deep end, all alone.
Isn't the first knowing you have a problem?
So clearly I needed to go on a date with someone new and remind myself that Zach was not the end-all, be-all of men in Southern California.
At least until we have a DTR and he tells me what I want to hear; that he doesn't want to date anyone else and that he doesn't want me to date anyone else.

At which point I will more than happily oblige his request.

So Zach, if you happen to be reading this, just do it.
Tell me to quit this crazy dating game and just date you.
Because as nice as I am sure he will be, I don't really want to go out with Stephen.

I only want to be going out with you.

Fair Play

Moons and Junes and Ferris wheels,

The dizzy dancing way you feel,

As every fairy tale comes real,

I've looked at love that way.

-Joni Mitchell

I'm four dates in with Zach and I already know I am in trouble.
Not like Rizzo and Kenicki in Grease "trouble". 
But a "Oh, I hope he calls me! He's so dreamy. I held his hand-- in public." TROUBLE.

That's right folks.
I held his hand. In public.
That is a big, honking, deal.

AND!
Hold on to your hats for this juicy tidbit.
I kissed him.
On a Ferris wheel.

Which by the way, I feel like should be spelled fairis wheel, because you know where you see those things? At the fair! And yes, I know its called a Ferris wheel because George Washington Gale Ferris, Jr. designed and constructed it for the 1893 World's Columbia Exposition in Chicago. I am willing to bet that 97% of all other Ferris wheels have revolved around fairs!
I am sometimes irrationally passionate about some things. 

And also, can I just have a moment to note the irony of the first Ferris Wheel being erected in Chicago. The same city Zach is from. 

Anyway...Tangent is over.

That's right.
A kiss.
Out in the open. In front of God and everybody!
Who am I?

Clearly, the only possible answer is that I am a pod person.
Yes. That must be it.
That, or maybe I am in the throws of "like".
The latter might be slightly more plausible, but not by much because I thought I would sooner sprout wings and fly than meet someone I liked this summer.

How did this all happen you ask? I'm quite bewildered myself to be perfectly frank about the situation.
This is supposed to be my year of 52 dates. If I get all wrapped up in Zach, that means I quit less than halfway through. And I'm a lot of things, but a quitter isn't one of them!
He is only #23. That means there are 29 men who still haven't had the pleasure of my most excellent company.
Wow. I have just made my dates sound more like data points than actual people. And I haven't even brought up the Excel sheet yet that I use to keep them all straight.
I can just feel my halo sparkling as the 7th Circle of Hell prepares for my imminent arrival.
In my defense, you would be using some sort of tracking system if you had gone out with 23 different people in the last seven months.

Names, faces, hometowns, occupations, pets, siblings. It all starts to run together.
I use excel everyday! It is the way I naturally keep track of things!

However, if I was really good at Excel I would have found a formula to find my perfect man and this adventure of 52 dates might never have happened in the first place.

So... if you guys don't hear from me after this post it is, because the Earth has opened up and promptly swallowed me whole into its molten lava depths where 22 of my 23 my suitors are throwing things at me and listing my flaws. Zach, is of course, not in this group because I don't need an Excel column to remember him.

Which is probably why I let him kiss me on a Ferris wheel circa 90210's Brenda and Dylan's Fair Date.

But anyway... back to how I ended up smooching on a Ferris wheel.

Zach lives near the fair, so one Sunday afternoon I headed over to his house to hang out and take in some of the action. There was quite a crowd amassed, so naturally there was some flip cup to be played, as well as "Dizzy Bat". I didn't actually play Dizzy Bat since I was wearing a dress and the likelihood of falling and showing everyone my underwear seemed too high a risk. Note to self, wear boy shorts next time!

FYI... Dizzy Bat consists of filling up a plastic bat with beer, drinking it in as many seconds as possible, then spinning around the bat the same number of times that it took you to drink the beer. So, if you drank the beer in 10 seconds you spin around 10 times. Clearly, being able to waterfall a beer in 3 seconds is a desirable trait in this game.

Eventually, we drank all the beer and took this as a sign to head towards the fair. Once we got there Zach wanted to look for the booth his company had set up so he and I broke off from the rest of the group to do some searching. As we wound our way through the crowded booths I found myself naturally taking his hand when he held it out. It wasn't so crazy-crowded that we really needed to worry about getting lost, but I was also completely comfortable pretending I needed to hold his hand to avoid getting lost in the crowd.

When we couldn't find the booth, or any of the people we came with we decided to wander around and check out all that the fair had to offer. We watched the end of a livestock show, smelled all the different variations of fried foods the fair had to offer and briefly contemplated eating some it, and eventually stumbled upon the Ferris wheel.

*Funny side note that provides some needed detail.
Since I was wearing a dress that didn't have pockets, Zach was holding my wallet and phone. As we were getting ready to leave the house I asked "Where did Zach go? He has my money and phone in his pocket." His roommate said, "You sound like a wife already."
"Bite your tongue" was my reply.

"You wait in line, and I'll go grab us some tickets. May I have my wallet, please?" I asked holding out my hand.
"Nope. You aren't using your money to buy the Ferris wheel tickets." He said handing me some cash.
"But you paid our way in."
"I told you not to worry about it!"
"Ok!" I said skipping away to get our tickets.

Yes. I skipped. For real.
I probably looked like an 8 year old with my loose ponytail and striped t-shirt dress skipping through the fair grounds.

I got our tickets, skipped back over, and we hopped on the Ferris wheel. I'm not even sure we had made it to the top before Zach cupped my face in his hand and bent in to kiss me. And that is what we proceeded to do for the whole, entire, Ferris wheel ride. The only time I wasn't kissing him was one time when we were at the top and I noticed the hunter-jumper equestrian ring down below.

Yes, the only thing that could distract me from smooching is a hunter-jumper course.
Me and my horses...

We had so much fun on the first trip on the Ferris wheel that we decided to go around a second time :)

So now do we see why I am in trouble?

I'm Better Than Prime Time!

My friend Leslie once told me I am better than prime time TV.
She also says she sees me as more of a cartoon character than real flesh and blood human.
She might be right.
I guess when that anvil falls from the sky the question will be settled once and for all.

Or maybe I'll just tune into Gordon Ramsey's Kitchen Nightmares and watch my first televised date and see how I do at a 9:00 time slot...

Hope I'm not competing with The Big Bang Theory!

I at least got lucky in my type of televised date.  It is doing something I am good at: eating Italian food, not skiing down a hill backwards in a bikini like the Bachelor contestant vying for Ben's heart last season.

Yes, I watch the Bachelor. Its a relief to watch other people on awkward dates! If I spent all day thinking of my own awkward dates I might bag this whole experiment, I mean experience.

Who wants that?
Certainly none of you :)

Anyway... So you are probably wondering how I ended up on Kitchen Nightmares. Quite luckily for me, a friend of mine is a producer for Gordon Ramsey and hooked me up with a reservation for four to a segment being filmed in Long Beach.

However, the catch was that it was on Thursday night.
And I had already made plans with Zach for Thursday, since he was leaving for a business trip on Friday and would be gone for 10 days.

He, luckily, is easy-going and up for anything, and agreed to be filmed scarfing down what we hoped would be good food. He also agreed to drag along his roommate Justin since I was bringing Allison to round out our foursome.

Nothing like a semi-double date that is being filmed to make me freak out about what I am going to wear all over again! Oh, and did I mention that they sent us a list of what we should and shouldn't wear to look our best on camera?

Subdued colors. No patterns.
Ummm... I pretty much only own two types of clothing.
Bright colors. Fantastic patterns.
Can you see why I struggled getting dressed for my Prime Time debut?

Allison came to my house, and Zach and Justin picked us up. I was a glass of wine deep when they arrived and took Allison's unfinished glass for a the road. Clearly, I needed to steady my nerves for my close-up!

When we arrived at the restaurant, we had to sign over our first born child, and have our picture taking holding a sign that said "Crigger". I suppose so they could flash our names under our faces when they put us on camera.

Or so they could come to collect that child in a few years...

After we listened to a speech on the dos and don'ts of reality TV (make natural conversation, no cursing, no vulgar gestures or nose picking, etc...) we were deemed ready to go stand in a line and wait to be called to dinner! Clearly, Snooki didn't get the same pep talk before Jersey Show started filming.

As we walked into the restaurant we were followed by a camera crew and I just couldn't help feeling a little "campy". I did resist the urge to skip and open the door with a ridiculous flourishing bow, but it took all my strength!

Once we were seated a very nervous waiter came by with menus and took our drink order. He then disappeared for 20 minutes. We would occasionally see him flutter around nervously, but never near enough to our table for us to actually inquire if we were ever going to get our bottle of wine or beers. During this long interlude another production assistant came by the table.

"Be sure to tell us what you like, what you don't like. If you love something or hate it say it. That goes for food, decor, drinks, etc..."
"Well, I can tell you what I don't like. The fact that we have been waiting on our wine for 25 minutes." I replied.
"Alright. Good to know." He said.
"Can you send someone over here with the wine? That might improve our impression. And most certainly our conversation" I said.
"I'll see what I can do." He said scurrying away.

About 15 seconds later the skittish waiter returned only to tell us that all the wine glasses were dirty, so that was what was taking so long.

"Alright. Thanks." said Allison.
As he walked away, I said. "You know how you get clean glasses? You wash them."
Chill out. I said it under my breath. I'm not that mean. Plus, I don't want him to spit in my food. Or cry. He did seem so nervous about his TV debut.

Fifteen minutes later our wine arrived via a new waitress.
"I'll be taking over for *what's his face*. He is swamped. I'm not really a waitress. I just know the owner so I am here helping out. I'm sorry there aren't any wine glasses. I hope these are okay?" She said setting down what appeared to be candle holders. "Can I take your order?"
"That's nice of you to help! I have a few questions." I said.
"Of course you do." said Allison. "You always have questions."
"Well... I'm a vegetarian. So I just wondered about your recommendations for those of us on the herbivore train."
"You know I'm not really sure. Let me go ask Gordon."
Wow, she is on a first name basis with Gordon. Whatever he tells me to eat, I'll eat!
"Great! Thanks so much."
"You know we aren't ever actually going to get to order." said Zach with a smile. "And what are these? Candle holders?" He asked picking up my "wine glass".
"I know right! But at this point I don't even care. Fill up my candle!"

The waitress, who wasn't really a waitress, returned shortly with some dinner suggestions and we ordered. And then we proceeded to have a conversation about really awful last names, like Titlow, Buttkovich, Gassman, etc...

Oh, and did I mention that this is what the film crew decided to film? They sure can spot a stimulating conversation! We all agreed after they had scurried away to film a guy yelling about how his pasta tasted like tires, that had they not been filming we might actually have been having a normal conversation.

Allison and I were through one bottle of wine and on to another before our dinner arrived. And while the conversation flowed smoothly and Zach worked hard to make conversation with my friend (which I must admit I love when someone works to include everyone), it really was never anything that Gordon would want to air.
Plus, we had too much competition.
A family with adorable kids beside us.
Some BIG foodies behind us.
Loud complainers across the way.

All we talked about in terms of the restaurant was how hard the booth bench was, why we drinking out of candle holders, and who did Gordon's make-up and if we could afford to hire them.

We did, however, all agree, when our food finally arrived, the vegetarian fare was the best! That was too be expected, after all Gordon recommended it!

After much laughter, some bad pizza, alot of wine, and a delicious basil patty which had a very fancy name, we were politely asked to leave the restaurant so the staff and owners could have some one on one time with Gordon.

The drive home was too short.
As they always seem to be after a good date.

Back at my apartment, Zach helped me out of the car and planted the briefest of kisses on my lips.
I found myself wishing that Allison and Justin weren't with us so we could have a proper kiss.
Complete with the foot pop!

As I walked inside and he pulled away, I found myself dreading the next ten days because it meant I wouldn't be seeing Zach.
This is new territory.
I usually love it when people I am seeing leave town or are really busy.
It means I am off the hook.
It means I can go out with other people.
Or take back to back yoga classes and leave dishes piled in my sink for two days.

This not wanting to be off the hook is a very different feeling.
Very different indeed.

And much to my surprise, I quite like it.

I'm not playing hard to get. I am hard to get.

Ahhhh Memorial Day!
So many things to celebrate!
Veterans! Freedom! Veggie-dogs! Dance parties! Surfer dudes!
The veterans who have defended my freedom so I can dance of a rooftop by the beach while eating a delicious veggie-dog and checking out surfer dudes.*

What about this picture doesn't sound awesome?
If you answered "Nothing!" you are right.
If you are thinking you need to come visit me, you are right again.

When we arrived at the party being thrown by Allison's friend it was about 1:00ish. The party wasn't quite in full swing, but the vodka soaked watermelon was being passed around and a corn hole tournament was kicking off on the sidewalk. Allison and I grabbed seats on the front patio, using our fascination with the corn hole tournament taking place on the sidewalk as a cover to check out every guy that came to the party.

As we lounged in the sun, cheering on the cornholers, and making new friends with the party goers we ranked the guys that strolled in and out.

"Hmmmm... Nice shoulders. Lots of freckles though." said Lane.
"Yeah, he's a little short though." I said.
"Crigger! Listen to yourself! He is taller than you! By like half a foot!" said Allison.
"Really? Are you sure?" I said looking over at the guy standing by the door. "Ok. Fair point. Those who live in short bodies shouldn't cut off other people at the knees."
"Ooooo... Check out the baseball player looking one." murmured Allison. "I just love a baseball player."
"He is cute." said Kristin, eyeing him approvingly.
"I don't like his hat. I hate those flat billed hats. But he he does have a nice butt!" I said.
"His friend looks like Steve-o from Jackass," remarked Allison.
"That's too bad." said Kristin shaking her head.
"Does he have two black eyes? Because the last time I saw Steve-O, he had two black eyes." I said.
"When did you see Steve-O?" asked Lane.
"At the Louisville airport last fall. That's right, I live in the land of stars and I see Steve-O in Kentucky. He was sooooo annoying. He kept playing hackey-sack and I just wanted him to go away."
"Alright. I'm going to get a beer." said Allison as she stood up. "Anyone need anything?"
"No, we're good." we chorused.

As Allison came back out on to the patio with her beer, she stumbled over the raised door frame and fell right into Mr. Baseball's arms.

She swears she didn't plan it, but I don't believe her.
Or maybe I am the only one who plans such shamefully obvious meet-men-ploys.

...Yeah... that is probably more likely.

So while Allison and Mr. Baseball were hitting it off like white on rice over her near miss and his good fortune to catch her, I went inside to find my sweater since the sun had started to set. When I came back outside Allison and Mr. Baseball had been joined by Mr. Baseball's friend, Adrian. Otherwise known as, Steve-O's double, sans tattoos.

"This is my friend Crigger." Allison said. "This is JT (baseball boy) and his friend Adrian (Steve-O, the New Class). They are down visiting a friend who lives on Balboa."
"Oh nice! Balboa is so cute!" I said.
"Niiiiiiiiice? Where are you from? Obviously not here." said JT.
"i'm from Kentucky." I said as I sat down beside Allison on the patio wall.
"Nice sweater," said Steve-O Jr. "I wish I had a sweater. We came to So-Cal expecting it to be warm and it isn't once the sun goes down!"
"Thanks. I always bring a sweater. I'm always cold and the temperature drops quickly."
"Yeah. I should have been more prepared. You both obviously live here, since you brought jackets." said JT. "Why don't you show me your southern hospitality and let me, your future husband, wear your sweater." said Adrian.
"Ummm... negative. On both accounts."
"You are mean." said Adrian.
"I'm not mean. I just came prepared to clothe only myself. Not half the party. And quite frankly, I don't know you well enough to lone you clothing, let alone accept your marriage proposal." I said.
"I actually have two more jackets in my bag. They might be a little tight, but they might work," offered Allison.
"Wow. She is way nicer than you." said JT.
"More prepared for sure." I said with a smile. "But nicer too!"

Allison came back with a long sleeved t-shirt and another zip up hoodie. After several clothing swaps and much laughter of the boys sporting midriff baring, fitted women's hoodies we headed up to the rooftop deck to dance.

Adrian and I did goofy dance moves to entertain each other while Allison and JT made goo-goo eyes at each other.

"Come on. You know you think I'm cute," said Adrian as we faux waltzed to some Katy Perry.
"I think you are pretty funny." I replied.
"But cute too right?"

At this point I couldn't quite tell if Adrian was just being funny, or if he was seriously coming on to me. I hoped he was just joking, because as funny as Steve-O Jr. was I did not find him the least bit appealing.

"I need to go move my car or I'll get blocked in." I said extracting myself from his vise like grip.
"I'll go with you. I don't want you going alone my darling."
"No. Really. I will be fine. I took karate from real ninjas in Japan. And you can see me walking the whole way from up here." I said placing a firm hand on his chest and kind of pushing him away.
"Well at least give me your number so if you aren't back soon I can call you."
"Yeah, give him your number!" Said Allison who had just come over with JT.
"Fine. XXX-XXX-XXXX. I'll be back in like 15 minutes."

As I was walking back to the party from moving my car my phone rang. It was Adrian calling to be sure his "future wife was safe." Which, in hindsight, is a nice gesture, but at the time I found supremely annoying. I walked back up to the roof top and found Allison, JT, and Adrian pretty much where I left them.

"Let's go dance!" Said Adrian dragging me across the roof top.
As we danced I kept trying to extract myself from his grip, but he was like an octopus! I became even more grateful for all the yoga I have done over the years since I could basically backbend away from him to avoid him trying to kiss me.

Once again, I couldn't really tell if he was just trying to be funny or if I was going to have to punch him in order to communicate "I'm just not that into you."

"Adrian, if you don't stop, I'm going to punch you." I finally said after he kissed my teeth. I was backbending and grimacing, and he managed to sneak one in.
"Oh! I like a women with some fire!"
"You'll think fire when I use that tiki torch to light your head on fire." I said ever so sweetly.

By now, Allison, JT, and JT's other friend Chris were ready to go back to their house. Since I was sober and they lived close I offered them a ride and we all piled into my Jeep.

"We could drive the long way around, but this time of night it is probably easier to take the ferry." said Chris.
"Ok. Adrian get your hand off my leg before I break it."
"Oh geeze, she isn't messing around." said JT as he put his arm around Allison's shoulders.
"No. She might kill him." said Allison.
As we pulled on to the ferry Adrian said. "Our first boat trip. Isn't this romantic?"
"Yes. It will be really romantic when I push you overboard and stand on your head." I said with a smile. Probably a very evil one.

When we got to their house, they invited us in for a nightcap. I figured at this point I had earned one for putting up with Adrian so Allison could hang out with his cute friend. Plus, Chris was luring me in with promises of some prohibition whiskey. And we all know how much I love an exotic whiskey. Or any whiskey for that matter...

Thankfully, Adrian passed out almost as soon as we walked in the door and I haven't heard from Adrian since! But Chris plays kickball in a local league and Allison has seen him a few times. I wouldn't mind staying friends with that guy! Anyone who has prohibition whiskey and is willing to share it is A-OK in my book!

*To my American readers: In all seriousness, thank a Veteran, even though Memorial Day is over. We are all able to live in an amazing country full of freedoms many other countries can't even imagine having because of sacrifices they, and their families, have made.