1 Down, 1 To Go

Found out last night that Michelle is a lover of all things fireworks. She loves the colors, the brightness, the loudness and the timing of a fireworks display done right. This led me to cashing in some of the favors that are owed to me by various people.

At first I was going to rent a room in NYC but a quick browse of some travel sites, squashed that idea. [I do want to impress but not at the expense of going bankrupt!!] So I did the next best thing - found out which friend of a friend of a friend is in the NYC area and going away this Saturday, and who'd be willing to lend their place to me for a night. I received way more responses than I imagined I would [Thanks everybody!!], and one couple even wanted to pay me to go to their place so I could also walk and feed their dog!! I settled on a place across from NYC in Hoboken NJ, because I actually knew the people who would be lending me their place and have visited them before. I was concerned that we wouldn't get to see much of the display but then I found this:

At approximately 9:20 pm on July 4th, the 26-minute display will be set off from six barges positioned between 24th and 50th Streets on the Hudson River.

So based on Google maps, we should have a very good view of the fireworks show. We're headed down to NYC on Friday to spend the day, Saturday we're going to explore all that Hoboken has to offer and then leave shortly after the fireworks, once the traffic has thinned out. I'm currently researching places to eat even though the townhouse has a kickass kitchen - top of the line appliances, silestone island, and will be fully stocked. I'd love to give it a test drive, but I'm hopeful that there'll be other things that I'll be doing other than cooking.

Now that I've got it all planned out, I think it's time to run it by Michelle and hope that she likes it, and says yes =)

My makeup date for Beth is going to be a bit tougher to plan out. I tried calling her to get a feel of what she's into but she has yet to return my calls/texts. I hope that's not a sign, cause it's a bad one =(

Third Time's A Charm. Or Is It?

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Triple Dipping - Never a Good Idea

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A/S/L? Me Too!! Part IV

I sat in my seat in disbelief. The whole thing was a setup. And she got me.

She got me good.

You are such an asshole.
Hey nice to see you too!!

And then I broke into laughter. She definitely got me good. She started chuckling as the tears of laughter came down my cheeks. But in the back of my mind I was formulating a plot. A plot on how to get even that would rival me "getting pulled over". I did have a chatroom reputation to protect after all.

We got to Lands End with about an hour to spare. Our conversation was strictly shopping related for some reason. You'd think that after all we'd gone through and all our chats, we'd have been more at ease with one another. She picked out some shirts for me but disappointed me when she didn't come into the dressing room with me. Was I reading the situation wrong? Was I expecting too much? Was I not putting enough of myself out there for her?
The ride to her place was a little better. She told me about the area and how long she had been a trooper there. She fumbled with her utility belt the whole time which I thought strange. I finally reached over and took her hand in mine, giving her a reassuring squeeze. I hadn't looked over to see her reaction, but commented, "You sure have soft hands for a State Trooper". She pulled her hand away while in the middle of a laugh and I could see her trying to formulate a response. She could only offer up a coy smile when I finally did turn to her.

The plan was to order in some food, catch a movie and take it from there. I joked that I don't do take out deer or moose - I prefer to hunt, kill and cook my own. She said that could be arranged and I don't think she was kidding. Once we settled into her place, I sent her back out for some groceries. There was no way I was going to let her kitchen go unused. It was several steps up from a regular kitchen and maybe a notch or two below a pro's kitchen. It was one of the major selling points of the house along with the fantastic view, which was the actual reason that she bought the place.

Dinner was quite fantastic and not only because of the meal. Whatever held us back in the car and at Lands End simply disappeared. We chatted non stop, giggling, laughing, joking and making fun of one another constantly. Her demeanor is similar to mine - slightly sarcastic, always looking to make people laugh, basically an all around good mood. I attempted to clear the dishes but she said the cleaning lady would take care of everything and to just leave it all where it was.

She had other plans for us.

A/S/L? Me Too!! Part III

The drive to Maine was a long one. Colorful as well. It was October 2001 and I had just been let go from my tech job in NYC. The company wasn't like most and offered me a nice incentive to stay and train my overseas replacement. They also allowed me to take home my work equipment, which included a 24" SONY CRT. Who cared that it weighed close to 250 pounds, that sucker was mine!!

I knew it was cooler around these parts so I dressed appropriately and had some sweatshirts, flannel shirts and corduroys for good measure. I only had my sneakers on, but was hoping to hit a Lands End outlet for some waterproof boots. I had no idea how the meet would go but if I could do some Holiday shopping and get a new wardrobe, then the 11 hour ride would be worth it. Sort of.

So there I am on a road just off of 295 minding my own business, my cd player cranking out Ice Ice Baby, when I notice the flashing lights behind me. I couldn't tell you how long they were behind me, as I was on cruise control and keeping an eye out for a stray deer looking to cross the road. Though it was only 4 PM, there wasn't another car out on the road. Save for the state trooper.
I pull over, turn my hazards on, roll my window down, shut the engine off and put my keys on top of the car roof. My hands are at the 10-2 position and I'm looking forward, waiting for the inevitable. My thoughts/self ramblings in bold & italicized.

Howdy.
Afternoon, Oficer.
Where you headed so fast there, fella?
Uh, the Lands End outlet off of 15, Sir. And I wasn't going that fast.
What's the matter, they don't have Lands End outlets down in New "Yawk"?
I've only ordered Lands End through their catalogs, Sir. Thought it might be nice to get to an actual store.
Did you now? So you decided to take a 12 hour trip just to go to a Lands End store, is that it?
Sort of, Sir.
Sort of? What do you mean sort of?
I'm also up here to meet a friend. And by friend I mean cyber partner/phone sex partner/webcam partner.
Oh, are you late? Because I had you clocked at 77 in a 55 mph zone.
No Sir, I'm not late. Are you sure about that radar reading because I was on cruise control but nowhere near 77.
Tell you what, let me see your license, registration and insurance, and see if there's something wrong with my radar setup. Yeah, you go do that

I hand over my paperwork and wait. And wait.

And wait some more.

35 minutes later another trooper car, this time with 2 troopers in it, pulls up. At this point, my mind is racing - I'm going to get the crap beat out of me, they're gonna plant drugs/weapons in my car, I am not leaving Maine in one piece. The more absurd the scenario I could come up with, the more likely I thought it was going to happen.

The first trooper gets out of his car and motions to the other driver. They both appear on my side.

You're paperwork appears to be in order today.
Thank you Sir. As I knew it would be.
And you're right, my radar equipment does seem to be off today. You weren't doing 77 afterall. Oh thank goodness. With it recalibrated, you were actually clocked at 87. WTF!!!

At this point, I'm just hoping that the cell I get thrown into, has toilet paper.

Sir, as you can see I'm in a '91 Plymouth Acclaim. I doubt it's seen 87 mph in a very long time. I hope my last ditch effort works.
Yeah, you're probably right about that. Unlock your doors please. What?!! Sir, unlock your doors please. OH SHIT!!
*doors unlocked*
Okay, here's your license, insurance and registration. I'm going to let you off with a warning today, and that warning is, do right by my cousin, for if you do not, I will know about it and I promise you I will pull you over before you cross the state line and it will not be pretty.
Now get out of here before I change my mind. And if you hurry, but do not speed, you should be able to make the Lands End outlet before they close.

He grabs my keys off the roof, hands them to me, and has this big shit eatin grin on his face. That's when I notice the other officer stifling a smile and laugh. I see the third trooper get out of the car, grab a duffel bag from the trunk, walk over to my passenger side, open the door and have a seat next to me.

Hey PhoneFun. It's me. PrincessPhreak.