Applying Moon Jellies to the Spiral Clockwork: Part 2
OR
The Poor Romantics Guide to Stretching Time
The Meeting, in which outside communications are drowned in cranberry juice,
and I get lost, soon finding myself immersed in twenty hours of conversation.
.
I discovered ladydagger2evil's journal only a few weeks ago and, upon learning that she was planning a trip to Atlantis, I cautiously offered to meet up with her for a meal, some conversation and urban exploration if she was so inclined. She was an we made tentative plans.
I insist again that our intentions were innocent, if only because neither one of us knew the other well enough to be comfortable. Admittedly though there was an unspoken mutual attraction -which we only later confessed to- and that attraction was further fueled by a series of strange events which by their very nature must be called into scrutiny or at least recognized as atypical contributors to our successful coupling.
Early in the day I learned via The Lady's journal, that her cellphone had perished in a glass of cranberry juice, thus severing our primary line of communication. Compounding matters, Her access to the internet while traveling was unstable and I had no other number through which to reach her. Initially I saw this as a bad omen, dooming our plans for dinner and urban exploration and suggesting that it "wasn't meant to be." As it would turn out however, this was just one contribution or blessing which allowed me to monopolize her time.
(We didn't realize how strangely our phones were behaving until late Wednesday night when all our phones began echoing our own voices....but that's for a later entry)
ASIFA-Atlanta was hosting its Holiday Party at the 5 Spot in Little Five Points and I figured The Lady, being an artist herself, might like to meet some of the local artists and animators. Knowing that the event would be loud, I made one stipulation to reserve the rights for a second outing in which She and I could have a chance to chat in quieter environment. Little did we know such a request would be unnecessary.
Initially I got lost looking for the correct entrance to sylkweb's apartment, assuming that this was yet another strain of bad omens. When I finally found the right place, and had helped The Lady into my Mecha-bee, I was alarmed to note she was even prettier in person than she was in her photos. There was -and is- something familiar in her face. She was dressed mostly in black, jingling with rings and chains (a pair of leather wrist cuffs and a black belt adorned with a dozen similar silver rings). Her cranberry colored hair pulled up under a knit black "Fievel" cap. Suddenly I wished I had dressed in black to match her, and worried that she'd feel odd being around such a modest dresser as me.
With an hour to kill before the ASIFA party I suggested we grab a bite to eat at Doc Chey's. During dinner, noting that we could hardly make eye contact, I admitted that I was extremely nervous about our meeting. To my surprise, she claimed the same... and from there I think the evening went much more smoothly.
At the 5 Spot, we shared a table with the extremely talented Joanna Davidovich and her boyfriend Nate (who is, I'm sure just as talented at what he does, though I have no proof of it)....we all talked about artwork and what not. I attempted to introduce The Lady to everybody I knew, most notably the enigmatic "Chickenhead" Brett and Detag from the Birdcage.
The 5 Spot scene proved too loud for conversation so I asked if The Lady would like to meet some of my friends at the Corner Tavern up the street. Every Monday for the past few weeks, one_woman_army has been hosting Margarita Mondays and I thought this would be an excellent chance for The Lady to see me in one of my quasi-natural environments. She agreed and we ventured up to the Corner.
I was glad to see that not only was OWA in attendance, but vidicon, beachsomewhere, and ladykinbote were there as well. The Lady has provided some photographic evidence in her Kaotic Visions. Together we closed down the Corner.
Pressing my luck, and therein starting to stretch time, I asked if The Lady would like to get a bite to eat at The Majestic. Now that we were a bit more comfortable with each other, this was our first chance to really have a one on one conversation. I wish I had a record of all the topics we covered... beyond the typical biographies, there were so many shared subjects and interests. I gave her a tour of the Tattered Isles and hinted around about the SWO. She swirled out a sketch of orbs with sweeping strokes and allowed me to turn it into a portrait of a mecha-monkey. We drank carafes of coffee and had a small meal... and talked and talked....
By 8:00 am the sun was up, the diner staff had changed and we were stiff and java-jittery, so I suggested we take a walk in Piedmont Park. The Lady agreed again requesting only that we find some juice before entering the park, and thus we shared a pair of Odwalas and cherry pastries at Whole Foods.
I'm not sure if was the holiday proximity or the chill morning but Piedmont Park was virtually empty of its usual joggers and homeless. We wandered around, our conversations continuing, past the Condom Tree and down along the edge of the manmade lake where we stalked ducks and what not. I found a shiny, silvery blue fishing lure abandoned in the water and claimed it as a sacred trinket of the day. On the other side of the lake we found a fort for children. The Lady slipped down the slide and soaked her backside' I took the stairs. Further North we discovered a vacant Gnome home in a the bulbous gnarls of an old oak. By the time we had reached the closed playground at the Northwest end of the park, my eyes were sun salted and sleep deprivation was setting in.
On the way back to the Mecha-bee, my friend Wes called to see what I was up to. I told him about my evening and that we were currently only a block from his house. He invited us over for (more) coffee and I took this as a sign I should introduce her to another good friend.
I can't recall a damn thing that was discussed at Wes' house... the only thing I can be sure of is that by now I was completely smitten by the woman seated next to me. I inwardly acknowledged that each time I looked at her a small voice would chirp "I want her" and that its meaning was much deeper than a crush or lust. Her flushed cheeks, though they did nothing to diminish her beauty, were the only hint that she was at least as tired as me. With Wes' help we finally conceded defeat and a need for sleep.
I delivered The Lady to the Sylkweb nest and departed after a couple of awkward half hugs. On the way to my car, sylkweb called to ask if The Lady was alright and I coyly told her that we had just parted.
And that was how we turned Monday into Tuesday.
The Poor Romantics Guide to Stretching Time
The Meeting, in which outside communications are drowned in cranberry juice,
and I get lost, soon finding myself immersed in twenty hours of conversation.
.
I discovered ladydagger2evil's journal only a few weeks ago and, upon learning that she was planning a trip to Atlantis, I cautiously offered to meet up with her for a meal, some conversation and urban exploration if she was so inclined. She was an we made tentative plans.
I insist again that our intentions were innocent, if only because neither one of us knew the other well enough to be comfortable. Admittedly though there was an unspoken mutual attraction -which we only later confessed to- and that attraction was further fueled by a series of strange events which by their very nature must be called into scrutiny or at least recognized as atypical contributors to our successful coupling.
Early in the day I learned via The Lady's journal, that her cellphone had perished in a glass of cranberry juice, thus severing our primary line of communication. Compounding matters, Her access to the internet while traveling was unstable and I had no other number through which to reach her. Initially I saw this as a bad omen, dooming our plans for dinner and urban exploration and suggesting that it "wasn't meant to be." As it would turn out however, this was just one contribution or blessing which allowed me to monopolize her time.
(We didn't realize how strangely our phones were behaving until late Wednesday night when all our phones began echoing our own voices....but that's for a later entry)
ASIFA-Atlanta was hosting its Holiday Party at the 5 Spot in Little Five Points and I figured The Lady, being an artist herself, might like to meet some of the local artists and animators. Knowing that the event would be loud, I made one stipulation to reserve the rights for a second outing in which She and I could have a chance to chat in quieter environment. Little did we know such a request would be unnecessary.
Initially I got lost looking for the correct entrance to sylkweb's apartment, assuming that this was yet another strain of bad omens. When I finally found the right place, and had helped The Lady into my Mecha-bee, I was alarmed to note she was even prettier in person than she was in her photos. There was -and is- something familiar in her face. She was dressed mostly in black, jingling with rings and chains (a pair of leather wrist cuffs and a black belt adorned with a dozen similar silver rings). Her cranberry colored hair pulled up under a knit black "Fievel" cap. Suddenly I wished I had dressed in black to match her, and worried that she'd feel odd being around such a modest dresser as me.
With an hour to kill before the ASIFA party I suggested we grab a bite to eat at Doc Chey's. During dinner, noting that we could hardly make eye contact, I admitted that I was extremely nervous about our meeting. To my surprise, she claimed the same... and from there I think the evening went much more smoothly.
At the 5 Spot, we shared a table with the extremely talented Joanna Davidovich and her boyfriend Nate (who is, I'm sure just as talented at what he does, though I have no proof of it)....we all talked about artwork and what not. I attempted to introduce The Lady to everybody I knew, most notably the enigmatic "Chickenhead" Brett and Detag from the Birdcage.
The 5 Spot scene proved too loud for conversation so I asked if The Lady would like to meet some of my friends at the Corner Tavern up the street. Every Monday for the past few weeks, one_woman_army has been hosting Margarita Mondays and I thought this would be an excellent chance for The Lady to see me in one of my quasi-natural environments. She agreed and we ventured up to the Corner.
I was glad to see that not only was OWA in attendance, but vidicon, beachsomewhere, and ladykinbote were there as well. The Lady has provided some photographic evidence in her Kaotic Visions. Together we closed down the Corner.
Pressing my luck, and therein starting to stretch time, I asked if The Lady would like to get a bite to eat at The Majestic. Now that we were a bit more comfortable with each other, this was our first chance to really have a one on one conversation. I wish I had a record of all the topics we covered... beyond the typical biographies, there were so many shared subjects and interests. I gave her a tour of the Tattered Isles and hinted around about the SWO. She swirled out a sketch of orbs with sweeping strokes and allowed me to turn it into a portrait of a mecha-monkey. We drank carafes of coffee and had a small meal... and talked and talked....
By 8:00 am the sun was up, the diner staff had changed and we were stiff and java-jittery, so I suggested we take a walk in Piedmont Park. The Lady agreed again requesting only that we find some juice before entering the park, and thus we shared a pair of Odwalas and cherry pastries at Whole Foods.
I'm not sure if was the holiday proximity or the chill morning but Piedmont Park was virtually empty of its usual joggers and homeless. We wandered around, our conversations continuing, past the Condom Tree and down along the edge of the manmade lake where we stalked ducks and what not. I found a shiny, silvery blue fishing lure abandoned in the water and claimed it as a sacred trinket of the day. On the other side of the lake we found a fort for children. The Lady slipped down the slide and soaked her backside' I took the stairs. Further North we discovered a vacant Gnome home in a the bulbous gnarls of an old oak. By the time we had reached the closed playground at the Northwest end of the park, my eyes were sun salted and sleep deprivation was setting in.
On the way back to the Mecha-bee, my friend Wes called to see what I was up to. I told him about my evening and that we were currently only a block from his house. He invited us over for (more) coffee and I took this as a sign I should introduce her to another good friend.
I can't recall a damn thing that was discussed at Wes' house... the only thing I can be sure of is that by now I was completely smitten by the woman seated next to me. I inwardly acknowledged that each time I looked at her a small voice would chirp "I want her" and that its meaning was much deeper than a crush or lust. Her flushed cheeks, though they did nothing to diminish her beauty, were the only hint that she was at least as tired as me. With Wes' help we finally conceded defeat and a need for sleep.
I delivered The Lady to the Sylkweb nest and departed after a couple of awkward half hugs. On the way to my car, sylkweb called to ask if The Lady was alright and I coyly told her that we had just parted.
And that was how we turned Monday into Tuesday.