Wouldn’t it be HYSTERICAL if that’s all I said in this post?

I can’t start the month off like that, though. That’d be lame. Lamer than usual.

For anyone finding me via the Randomizer… Hello! Please leave me a comment and let me know you were here. In fact, everyone leave me a comment. I’m tired of only finding spam comments waiting for me. I feel so sad and unloved. I get enough of that at home, thankyouverymuch.

L from work, who needs a new nickname, has been very disappointed that I haven’t been posting lately. I have good reason for that, though. I was busy with school, the grand opening of our new Information Commons and then just yesterday I spent the day with my good friend Michael.

I haven’t seen Michael in six years. He’s from California, which is very far from Ohio. We met on the Internet, sort of. Once upon a time, I decided that I was tired of only seeing other members of the Toad the Wet Sprocket listserv for fleeting moments at Toad shows. I wanted time to hang out and chat with these wonderful people whose emails I enjoyed so much. So, as Michael puts it, I invited the Internet over to my house for a weekend long party. The first one was such a success, we did it again a few months later, and then started making it a regular event in June. Michael couldn’t make the first two, but he was at the third one. The funny thing is, I wasn’t even sure who the heck he was on the Toad list. I’m pretty sure I’d never corresponded with him before he sent me a message saying he’d be attending. It was ok, though, since Toad fans strangely seem to be a unique breed of people who are all very cool. (There is ONE exception to that rule and those who came to my “Acoustic Slumber Party” will know exactly who I’m referring to, but I’m not mentioning any names since I know this person is still all over the Internet.)

But I digress….

Michael showed up driving a white Budget van that contained all of his worldly possessions, having just finished earning his master’s degree at UIC (I think I’m right on that; he’ll surely correct me if I’m wrong). A talented musician, he had multiple instruments along with him. My personal favorite was his 11-string guitar.

Over the past several years, he’s become a very good friend. We’ve shared some unforgettable experiences, including seeing animal pictures in the ceiling paint of one of our favorite musicians. Ok, he’s one of MY favorite musicians. But I’m pretty sure he ranks highly with Michael as well. And I’m pretty sure the ceiling paint wasn’t our imagination. (Then again, I was on a lot of cold medication at the time…) We traveled across the country together in far too short a period of time - and amazingly we still speak to each other.

Right now, L from work who needs a new nickname is thinking, “What the….?” That’s really not nice of her, either, considering it’s after 2:30 in the morning and I’m posting so she’ll have something new to read when she wakes up later on.

I will have more on Michael (and his girlfriend, Virginia) in later posts. Because a visit with Michael is never ordinary. Something unexpected always manages to occur. This time was certainly no exception.

So, stay tuned… it’s November 1st, and there is more to come as the month progresses….

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