Woodat.com

So I went on a date with this girl I met on the match.coms during a freak potato peeling accident last Friday.  Standard fare, dinner and drinks.  Being one who doesn’t eat I usually encourage them to choose a restaurant where possible (though I’m still happy to pay).  Well, after picking her up in a very sexy black dress (that she was wearing, not me.  It occurs to me that sentence may be ambiguous) we headed out to a place called “The Vig.”  Some sort of nice looking uptown affair with music, nightlife, good food, valet parking, etc.

Well we get there and there was a 45 minute wait, so we high-tailed it to some other Applebees-like restaurant.  And it was there that the most amazing thing happened.  Looking over the menu, the girl I was with looked up  to me and said “There’s something I need to tell you.  I’m afraid I don’t really eat that much.”  I asked her to explain, she told me about how she feels the need to eat things a very specific way, that she only really enjoys bland flavours, and that she has a bit of an issue with textures.  And in this moment I got the biggest smile on my face and couldn’t help but think to myself “My gods, I think we may have a winner here!”

We then proceeded to talk and laugh and enjoy the rest of the night together sharing how much else we had in common.   I couldn’t stop smiling the entire time as I listened to her talk about our similar work environments, love of various esoteric tv programmes, opinions of arizona, style of driving, shared taste in food (French toast seems to be a common favourite for both of us),  outlook on stupid people, etc, etc.  I had to keep pinching myself to ensure that it was all real, as every time she would say something to me her face would just light up.  A massive spark of intelligence would appear in her eyes, a huge and wonderful smile would spread across her face as the words passed her lips, and I would just be left dazed and clinging on to each sentence she said.

And so I spent the entire weekend with her.  Neither of us seemed to want things to end, that we could just hold one another and smile and share just a little bit more of ourselves with each other.  And all I can describe it is like remembering back to the first time one ever fell in love.  I’m sure you all remember that experience, of finding someone for the first time as a teenager and naively giving your whole heart to them.  Sharing your thoughts and feelings freely without realising that they’re just going to leave you two weeks later for the high school football quarterback after receiving a wedgie from him so bad you can literally taste your underwear then watching as they walk off together crushing your very soul and making you never want to love again.  Well it feels a lot like the first part of that, where we just became one, where we could just share open and intimately caring emotions with one another despite only just having met.  Thankfully neither of us are in high school anymore so I doubt there’ll be any more wedgies :)  Or rather, at least we’ve both been through that before, so it feels even more free knowing that if there is an eventual collapse of the relationship that I will survive to see the other side.

Not that I want to give up now.  Not by a long shot.   I feel we’re only just getting started

So I recently had someone over at my house for the first time last month and they couldn’t help but decry “My gods Woody!  Your room is so small and cluttered!  What the hell is all this stuff?!?”  Or something like that.  But since then I’ve been meaning to compile a list of all the things that I am keeping in my 10 by 12 foot living space.  Well, all the interesting things anyway.  So, in no particular order, here’s the list of all that I can see as I sit here writing in the centre of the room:

-2 telescopes.  One small one made from scratch by me, another I mean to disassemble for parts to build a better one

-several strange metal cases under the table containing: one paintball pistol, a collection of telescope lenses, one tool set, and a tiny metal treasure chest with no treasure in it.

-shelf next to the door containing all manner of random film equipment and some of my undergarments (clean and waiting to be used).

-my bed, which is actually a futon folded out.  I like the extra stiff mattress that was on it plus it’s double the width of my old bed.

-my old bed, which is currently stood upright in the far corner

-a bookshelf posessing a random collection of manuals, books, and pencils

-a bag containing my firearms (out of reach of any child)

-and finally, a table, atop which one can see a small collection of lego (yes I’m a kid sometimes ), a silver metal carton with my 1920’s mad scientist goggles, several containers of random craft materials (electronic components, sawdust, paints, glues, etc), a dead 1986 macintosh computer shell, and a box of wood pieces left over from when I built my nephew’s toy train set.

I think that’s all rather reasonable isn’t it?

Finally got word that my holiday photos are all up on the internets.  Here’s a link to them now (just don’t go past page 8… things aren’t very pretty from page 9 onwards)

http://www.flickr.com/photos/49188904@N02/?find=rroth1000%40yahoo.com

Somehow the table has come out looking far smaller than it is in real life.  The legs are actually quite thick and it looks really good from a sideways angle.  Just can’t get that where it’s currently standing I suppose, nor does the camera seem to give a sense of proportion.  At least one can see how nice the top of it came out.  Not to mention the gazebo I did last year looks great, especially with the flower baskets I got up on it whilst there this last time.  Happy birthday mom btw, those are for you

Been getting comments that my blog feels strangely strange (yes, *that* strange) without having some sort of time/date stamp system on it.  It’s probably the case, I just didn’t much care about it given time seems mostly an illusion to me anyway. 

Frankly it’s a mystery that I have such a great grasp of immediate time (I’m usually never late and can read my internal clock no problem) yet my perception of long periods of time is hazy and blurry.  Things just tend to disappear in the background, and I swear nothing drops to be more than 3 weeks away in the past.  People I know I haven’t spoken to in years (or decades) it feels like I’ve just spoken to a few weeks ago, and I just haven’t bumped into them lately.  Guess it goes hand in hand with my absent-mindedness.  I’ll make a great mad scientist (Professor Farnsworth style) when I’m old I bet.

Anyway, I’ll see what I can do

I’m happy to report I’m back on my toes again, quite literally.  As a kid I loved walking barefoot and on my toes more than anything.  Decades of shoes though have caused my calf muscles to deteriorate and atrophy from lack of use.  Thankfully though by steadily wearing my Vibram KSOs day in and day out for the last few months, I find myself back on my toes and walking like a satyr once more :)  For those curious about what I’m talking about, it’s basically a pair of these:

http://www.vibramfivefingers.com

I don’t usually do product placement but I do feel these shoes are absolutely wonderful.  Well, for most things anyway.  My legs and feet ached for the first few weeks as I used muscles I’d not been using in years.  Plus they offer no insulation so I can feel the parking lot heat really well down here.  Beyond that though I play paintball in them, run, walk, hike, etc.  They are so nice