I Am Not Charlie Brown*

One of my favorite passages from the Hitchhiker's Trilogy is the one from So Long And Thanks... where Douglas Adams steps aside to comment on all the fan mail he's received, and how, inevitably, they all seem to ask the same question about Arthur Dent: "Does he, you know, do it?"

I was reminded of that bit the other day, as I was talking with co-worker and good friend K about some recent misadventures. "TBO, I never would have thought this about you...Why don't you talk about this stuff more often?"

I dunno...without getting all pop psychology on this, I have never really talked all that much about dating and women, etc. I just...I haven't. Sometimes there isn't anything to tell, other times there's too much.

I mean, okay, if I were to tell you that within the last two weeks I had a woman ask me if I wanted to go skinny-dipping in Lake Washington with her and her FTM tranny buddy; or that I drunkenly made out with another woman who was extremely homesick at the time; or that I inadvertently caused a woman to become so jealous of someone I wasn't even seeing she still won't talk to me...Look, I feel self-conscious just mentioning that here, where there is some modicum of anonymity. Why would I want to talk about it with more than a few close friends?

And besides, what impact does that have on your life?

"But, TBO it's not about the impact...Women like hearing about these things because it lets them know that you're not a robot, that you have a history, and that you're...a bit dirty."

Oh...okay.

Also within the last two weeks: Most every morning, on my way to the shuttle, I've been walking past this stunning redhead on her way to work. It's a nice vibey thing, it started out quietly enough, and then one day we caught each other checking the other out. Since then, it's been furtive smiles, good mornings and how dos. I don't know her marital status, her sexual leanings, age, name, anything; just the smiles and the vibe.

As much as I want to know more about her, I like having those question marks there. Keeps it simple, and, no matter how everything else in my life is going, there's always that smile...

It starts the day nicely, if nothing else.

*Crush on random redheaded girl notwithstanding, asshole.