...in chronological order....

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Friday Forum

1] What was your first date like? When was it, and where did you go? What did you do? Did you have a good time?

My first date was with the psycho stalker ex-boyfriend from hell. We had been good friends for a while and flirting constantly with each other - it wasn't hard to become friends either since we were in all our honors classes together. We agreed to go out, I conned the parents into letting me go because we were going to go to dinner in San Francisco (and my parents are uber-overprotective to a dehabilitating degree), and spent the day worrying about what to wear. So, he picks me up and I find his best buddy is in the back seat.

Apparently this is a double date and he didn't bother to tell me.

What was also absent from this was that the best buddy was bringing twins. Apparently, one of the twins was supposed to be for the psycho stalker. This little detail wasn't told to the twins either, until after they got in the car. So, it seems that two of us were duped. I didn't realize this until much, much later in the year. Yes, year. I was *really* stupid when I was in high school, despite the 4.0+ average.

As one of my favorite statements from back then was: book smart doesn't help you when you have no common sense - it applied to me.

On the way up, the psycho got pulled over by the CHP for speeding and immediately got pissed off. Anyone who knows him would know that him getting mad basically ruins his mood, and there's no fixing it. I tried soothing his ego, knowing him as a friend, but it just wasn't gonna happen. I got him to crack one smile, behind his ever-present Ray-Ban shades (yes, one real laughing smile) and that was it.

I don't think I'll get into the details from here other than I was made to feel like a fifth wheel because one of the twins kept trying to hang all over the psycho, and my heart really wasn't in it to fight my way into the mess.

Let's just say I wasn't speaking to him when Monday rolled around and he slid into his chair next to me in U.S. History.

2] Who is the first person listed in your phone/address book? How do you know that person, and do you keep in touch often?

First person in my address book is someone with a demented view of things. Alphabetical by last name, else it would be someone totally different as the first person. I 'met' her online as she's a member of the stitching community, and we keep in touch via email.

3] What's the first music album that you ever bought yourself, with your own money? Do you still have it?

First album was Marillion's 'Misplaced Childhood' - but I bought that in college, long after I bought my first piece of music. First cassette tape (which was the first true piece of music I bought myself) was Chicago's 'If You Leave Me Now' collection. First CD was David Benoit's 'Every Step You Take'. I still have the album and tape in my room at my parent's house, and the CD is in my possession.

4] Do you remember your first day of high school, or perhaps your first day at college? What was it like, and how did you feel?

I remember my first day of high school as being mass confusion. First day of college was very memorable. I was moving away from my over-protective parents (even if it was only 25 minutes away), my dad helped me move in, my mom never came to see my room, I was living with someone who struck me as... slutty... from the first moment I met her (I was right), I went to a strange orientation event in the afternoon and saw someone who just kept staring at me (and I feared being stalked) who later turned out to be the first person I actually fell in love with (a musician). And together we were stalked by the psycho-stalker ex-boyfriend (this is how he earned that title). I had woken up at 4am that day just out of sheer excitement, and I didn't go to sleep until about 4am because I was up talking with that wonderful guy I'd met there.

It was a very good day.

I still chat with him (the musician) online once in a while, when I 'see' him or he 'sees' me - we're not as good of friends as we used to be, but there's history and a good foundation there, and we still care about each other (as good friends should).

5] Have you had any "firsts" recently ~ perhaps within the past month? [For example, trying a new food for the first time, traveling somewhere for the first time, grasping the concept of something for the first time, etc.]

First time I ever won concert tickets. Just happened last Tuesday. Concert was on Saturday... Sting and Annie Lennox - two folks that I have ALWAYS wanted to see in concert. I'll let y'all know how that concert was in tomorrow's blog.

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Sunday Brunch
1) Have you ever ridden a horse?

Yes, and I don't think I ever want to do it again.

2) What is your favorite horse story or movie?

I don't know that I have one... maybe the Black Stallion series. Folks keep telling me that it will be Seabiscuit when I finally see the movie...

3) If you had the means, would you own a horse?

No. Nuh-uh, no way. Smelly, large, expensive, and have you ever had a horse step on your foot?

4) Do you think it would be neat if we went back to everyone traveling by horse and buggy or just an inconvenience?

Um.... it would certainly give a new pace to things, but it's not my cup of tea.

5) Have you ever ridden in a hansom cab?

No, but I think that I might like to do that once in my life - probably with my kids so that they could really get the kick out of it.

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...and last but not least (by any means): Stitcher's Question of the Week

Thread organization: plastic bobbins, yes or no? How do you organize your threads?

All my DMC goes on plastic bobbins from Yarn Tree where I can slip the DMC sleeve with the number on the end of the bobbin. All of them are stored numerically in bobbin boxes. All the specialty threads are stored in floss baggies and kept in file-a-floss boxes by vendor (but not necessarily in any order, except the Dinky Dyes are in numerical order).

I've toyed with the idea of putting my Weeks and GAST on bobbins, but haven't gotten farther than thinking about it.

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So, that's the memes for the day, and I'll be back tomorrow with a concert review...