For the record

For the record, my first official will heretofore be known known to have been Mothership Wit by New Belgium, or whatever the company that does Fat Tire is.

Haus of Alkies

Ash Ash wishes she were cool and progressive like me.

Decisions being made for me

Tango and I spoke for a long time today. I "counseled" her on relationships and how to handle the situation with the guy she currently likes.

I called Miss Jen before going to Porter and Pinar's house. We are going out on Saturday more or less. I guess one of her friends just lost a close friend, so Miss Jen might be busy on Saturday consoling (she thinks that's the day of the funeral), so she warned me that she might have to cancel. It's all good.

Catfight

PROS
Miss Jen
-Cutest face ever
-Super smart
-Dedicated
-Volunteer-minded

Tango
-Also super cute face
-Shy (in an endearing way)
-Inexplicably sexy
-Likes world travel

CONS
Miss Jen
-Might think I'm a little goofy
-Maybe TOO smart?

Tango
-Never exercises, I think
-I don't want to have to open someone's eyes again

These are just silly things, of course, and I'd never make a decision in this way. I'm pretty much just doing it for fun, so whatevzies.

The birth of a Nation

I called Miss Jen on Thursday, but she did indeed have plans for Friday.

I remembered how long it had been since I'd seen Secret Lover.
I called Secret Lover. She called me back. She wanted to go to First Friday on the Fourth with me. Anna was already busy.

I call Secret Lover about three hours early. Confirmation.
She is going to be at a party with her boyfriend, but wants an excuse to leave early. This will work.

Her boyfriend drives her to my house. I showed them around the place, and make some small talk. It was mildly awkward, even though I've known him for a while now. He left. She changed into something more comfortable.

We left then.

We parked across the street from the Coronado Hotel and a few gangsta' ass lookin' thugs. We walked to CB/AG and see some of my friends. We walked through various galleries and studios. We finished through Just Breathe, some wellness studio thing. Back to the car we headed.

We drove, hoping to go to Lux, which turned out to be closed due to parade or something. We continued driving.

Drove to Zen/32, a sushi place right near The G Spot. I realized that I can't pass up the chance to say something quick and ironic or with a double meaning even if it doesn't always accurately convey my intentions:

Secret Lover: "You can't go to Peace Corps! You can't leave!"
Me: "It's only two years, no biggie."
SL: "I know, but still!"
Me: "It'll go by quickly. But you can't get married while I'm gone, I won't be able to afford to come back."
SL: "Aww, you'd go to my wedding?"
Me: "I figure I'll be there."

The double meaning is extra vague, which is what made it so tantalizing. Anyways, to continue:

We went in to Zen/32 and realized the immensity that was our collective hunger. Sushi menu. Ordered two vegetarian rolls and one tiger roll (for her). She also ordered a Mocha Jamocho, a hard coffee drink with Tia Rosa and Bailey's and two other things. I tried a sip of it. Tasted like chocolate covered cherries. It was pretty tasty, though the coffee aspect wasn't the greatest. With better dark coffee, it would have been awesome.

We drove a little bit then and saw some fireworks float up above the hill tops in the distance. It was a beautiful night.

I let her out (my inside passenger door handle is broken) and walked her to her front door. We said goodbye and hugged hard.

We spoke about her and her boyfriend. She has doubts, like anyone would. If it was two years ago, I'd push the issue. It's now, and there isn't time. Who has time?

Miss Jen IV

I think that Miss Jen is like a crystal ball. An extraordinarily fragile thin glass thing that holds tremendous potential and confusing power. A person holding a crystal ball must feel awe for the power, but anxiety over the fragility and the apparent ease with which the ball could be reduced to nothingness.

I am excited about this girl because she is ridiculously cute, but also (and now mostly) because she is very smart and able to comprehend complex concepts. I'm nervous or something about ruining this, which is new and weird. I'm not in to playing games and counting days before I call or whatnot, but I really don't want to be all dorky and call super early. I don't know.

Oh, by the way, we met for coffee, it was excellent. I promised her that I was going to take her out for dinner. She agreed. Dope!

Tucson Day Trip or Miss Jen iii

Went to Tucson today with Adam.

Met with Lesley, the Peace Corps Recruiter.

Found out about Fellows International. Can get giant tuition forgiveness for Peace Corps service.

Love Falafel.

Miss Jen on phone. Coffee tomorrow, no dinner.

She has to babysit.

Told her that I want to take her out sometime also. She said sure.

Miss Jen II

It's Thursday and I'm on my way down to the bike shop to work on the 1973 yellow Schwinn Super Sport that a customer had given us the week before. I had promised the bike to a cute girl that Adam, Jose, and I had met at Cartel the week before. I'm walking to the back of the store, through the double doors and into the thick air of the warehouse area where there is no air conditioning. Through the rows of metal hooks I see the faint lemonade paint and the post-it note with my name on it. It's heavier than I expect, and I emit a low grunt unexpectedly while lowering it to the ground. The cracked gum wall tires, void of air, slide along the dusty treated concrete as we push back through the double doors. Hospital doors. Operating room. A rebirth seems imminent, and excitement begins tugging gently.


I hoist her heavy skeleton into the grabbing arm. As I'm wiping down the steel frame, it occurs to me that this bike completely outlived its significance before I was even born. Ten years or more of existence prior to obsolescence, and twelve years prior to my own arrival. I work through the bike slowly, noting the good condition on its metal, and the surprisingly good mechanics. It needs just a little love for the wheels, and the headset has to be completely repacked. The once slick grease has turned now to gum and sticks hard. New tires. New tubes. New chain. Grease and oil all around. Finally it's coming to a close.


I'm scrolling through the contacts on my phone now, and the worry tugs at the back of my throat a little bit as I am not seeing "Jen" anywhere. I remember now, and I zip down to 'Ms Jen (bike)'. I hit SEND a little too soon. I haven't thought of what to say yet. She isn't answering. Four rings. There she is. The conversation stumbles, but it's hard not to come out on top. I tell her that I'll call when I leave my house to go to Adam's dinner party. I'll drop it off on the way. No problem. No, it's on the way. Okay, I'll call you. Bye.


She sounded so professional on the phone. "Is that the bike shop which is located upon the corner of Southern and the 101 freeway?" she asked. Not really, not so many words, but memory seems to be so.


I change my shirt and wash my face. I grab the blue tie which looks like a church window, and the short stack of vinyl that I'm taking to Adam's. The bike is three pieces, and already loaded in the back half of my car. I call her as I pull on to Margo and head towards University. I should have just taken Priest. I know exactly where she's describing. Broadway, just before the 101. There is limited parking, but there's always limited parking when you live across the street from a park. I drive past the house so that I can turn around and face the proper direction. She is in the open garage, but didn't see my drive by. I slide up to the curb and pop my trunk. She sounds excited when I pull the frame out and stand it upside down on the sidewalk. I slide the wheels in with expertise, but realize that maybe she needs a tutorial. I took for granted her knowledge when she told me that she was piecing together a bike at the co-op. But her question speaks to inexperience: "So when the wheel has that lever on it, that's known as a quick release?" I take the wheel back off and show her how to do it right. How to adjust the brakes with extreme prejudice if need be. I warn about the wet wet chain and its staining intentions. Enough business.

Ms Jen: "Are those tires new? I hope you didn't spend too much fixing it up. Can I pay you back for them?"
Me: "Nah, I get all the stuff wholesale, so it really isn't very much."
Ms Jen: "Well, I feel like I want to repay you. Can I take you out for coffee?"
Me: "Yeah, that'd be great. I'm always down for a cup."
-we talk about nothing in particular...she comes back to the point-
Ms Jen: "So next week sometime then?"
Me: "Yeah, how about...Tuuuuuuuesday night?"
Ms Jen: "Yeah, that should be fine."
Me: "What do you think? Dinner?"
Ms Jen: "Yeah, that'd be nice."
Me: "Okay, awesome then."
Ms Jen: "You're vegan, right?
Me: "Yeah...is that a problem?"
Ms Jen: "No! I'm really down with vegan food. I love the places around here."
Me: "Okay, great, we'll go somewhere awesome then."
Ms Jen: "Well so thanks so much again, this is so awesome."
Me: "You're welcome, but it really isn't that big of a deal."
Ms Jen: "Well, can I give you a hug at least?"
Me: "Of course!"
*hug*
-now normally, this would be the exit point, but unexpected nervousness is too exciting to leave alone-
Ms Jen: "This is so perfect. I'm moving, and I was really hoping to have a bike when I moved."
Me: "Why are you moving? This place looks pretty rad." (the yard is really nice, and the neighborhood, too)
Ms Jen: "Oh yeah, it's great, but I sort of have to. The family is expanding."
Me: "..."
Ms Jen: "I live with a family. She's a schoolteacher, and she is pregnant now, so they'll need to the room."
Me: "Oh, raw deal."
Ms Jen: "Well, the original plan was that I'd leave in July, and then my friends had this house in South Scottsdale sort of, so it all works out pretty well actually. And now I have a bike, so it's perfect."
Me: "Well, excellent...Anyways, I should probably be going now, I need to get to that dinner party"
Ms Jen: "Oh, okay...well, thank you again so much, seriously"
Me: "No worries."
-hug-
Me: "Okay, I'll call you next week."
Ms Jen: "Alright!"
Me: "Bye, have a good night."
Ms Jen: "Bye, have fun at your party."

I drove off then. She was wearing the long short things that Leslie wanted more of, and a green t-shirt. Her body is unlike my normal preference, but I am drawn to it. Healthy. Curves, I think. But it isn't just her body. Her skin is the color of summer, or culture, I'm not really sure. Her freckles are each deep abysses into which I fall endlessly. She seems legitimate and enthusiastic, maybe even excited, and that has shed onto me as well. I don't know why I fall so easily, but I don't really care either.

Miss Jen

I'm having some coffee with Adam y Jose the other day at Cartel. Costa Rican Soy Au Laits for myself and Adam. Blue for Jose. Miss Jen sits down. I'm in love, naturally, as I fall in love with every girl I see. We all four strike up a conversation of sorts regarding random things and whatnots, as well as stuff or something. I agree to buy her love with a bike. (A customer at Landis donated her sweet old school yellow Schwinn the other day, which I accepted graciously). I am going to fix up the bike and then call Miss Jen and be like, "you owe me some mad sex." Nah, I won't bribe her. Or I will. Depends on if it will work or not.

Wink i

I went out with Wink, sort of. We met up at Xtreme Bean, which is an ass awful coffee shop in south central Tempe. They used to be an excellent chill spot with good art and talented baristas, but now they are all assholes and their coffee sucks. Anywho, I left with enough time to stop off and get a flower, as that is my custom. This proved to be harder than expected as the first place I stopped had nothing worth showing to anyone. The second place also had nothing. The third place (I'm already like 15 minutes late at this point) had nearly nothing, except for those individually wrapped roses with all the shitty white stuff and whatnot. I threw all that bullshit by the wayside and stripped some of the dead leaves, so I just had a single rose. Roses aren't really my deal, but I was out of options.

I rolled up and saw her chillin at an outside table. She had an iced tea sort of thing and was on the phone, but hung up when I walked up. We sat there and talked for like two hours maybe, and she had to go to some thing. She invited me to her birthday party/concert the upcoming Saturday night, but warned me that she was going to get drunk like crazy and that it probably wouldn't even start until like ten. I said that I'd go (I didn't go).

Impressions: Nice girl, and more or less smart. Has some back story that may be interesting. Not my physical type, in general. A little too smart ass or something; not coy at all.

We'll see. I think that we might go on an actual date this coming week.