TL;DR: Ordered #3 combo, got date instead. Can’t go back to that franchise location. Normally I don’t not-kiss and tell, but in this case I’ll make an exception simply because it was so bizarrely awful. Yesterday, our foodstores being low at the apartment, I decided to pick up some good ol’ 'merican fast food. While I'm sometimes pretty awful at picking up on this sort of thing, the young lady taking my order (whom I will refer to as Dalek) seems to be flirting with me. She’s cute, I recognize her as being a student at my school, and I decide that although I'm really not into the stranger dating game, I may as well talk to her. We make plans to meet for coffee. The agreed upon time rolls around this afternoon and she doesn’t show. "Cool, I've been stood up; I'll just get some work done. No biggie," I think to myself. If only. Dalek walks in 15 minutes late and sits down immediately across me. "Are you going to buy me a coffee?" Ah. "Uh... Sure, I was going to offer. What do you want?" I respond, caught a bit off guard. What she wants is not coffee, but a milkshake. Fine. We sit down and start the awkward process of pretending to be interesting, well-adjusted people while nursing our drinks. "What's your major?" I ask. "Nursing. You?" "Computer Science. I work as an IT security consultant--" "That sounds really boring," Dalek offers helpfully, cutting me off. Ah. I learn from Dalek that she enjoys, "having fun," and, "hanging out with friends." This comes as a big surprise to me. "I love drinking," she informs me. Ah. I tell her I enjoy science, technology, art, and sci-fi. "What, like the wrestling?" It takes me a moment to figure out that she’s referring to the SyFy channel. "No, like Asimov, Clark, Stargate and Dr. Who." "Oh, my roommate watches that. It's pretty gay." Ah. Attempting to subtly pick on her choice of adjective, I make a comment about being fairly certain the good Doctor is straight. Perhaps even a kidnapping lady-predator. This leads to Dalek sharing with me her thoughts on homosexual rights. "I think it’s gross. They don’t have to shove it down my throat." Ah. At this point I obviously know I want out. All I can think about as I sip my burnt Starbucks is how incredibly awkward and unpleasant the situation was. However, not wanting to embarrass her at a short, informal coffee meetup, I stick it out hoping to part ways uneventfully, never to speak again. Finally, our conversation draws to a close and we walk outside. Dalek asks me if I want to meet her to hang out after she gets off work. I try to diffuse it subtly, but she’s not backing down. Sensing my resistance, she has the gall to assert that if I don’t indulge her I must be gay. Restless and insulted, I'm ready to be out of there. "I think I'll be busy," I say with finality, "Pretty sure my boyfriend and I are going to cuddle and watch some Dr. Who while I work on some code." Dalek shouts at me as I walk back to my car. I guess she thinks my name is Richard.
You've changed the world.
Today I walked across the river to Fountain Square in Cincinnati and had lunch with a man named Billy. Billy is tall and lanky, in his 50s, and has long hair and facial hair. He speaks softly, but eloquently and intelligently. Billy's originally from coastal Florida, on the Atlantic. He worked as a roofer there before coming to Cincinnati on a bus in 2007. When I asked him why he would move from paradise to Ohio, he said that while the area was beautiful and peaceful most of the time, he was scared of the gun-fire and crime there. He does miss the weather.
Billy loves music, and used to be able to play the guitar. Unfortunately he doesn't have one anymore. Like me, Billy likes BBQ, but hates coleslaw. His favorite neighborhood in the entire city is Mt. Washington. He says the shops are small and friendly, it's quiet, low-traffic, and he likes all the trees there.He sometimes feels boxed-in, downtown. Billy doesn't have any family in the city, or elsewhere for that matter. He has some friends, but he's not close to any of them.
Billy mentioned that he's having housing issues right now after running into "personal issues" with his landlord. I asked how long ago this was. Billy's been on the streets since early 2008.
Billy still has his pride. He told me that this was temporary. It's taken him a while, but he's certain he'll get things together soon. I didn't ask, but he reassured me he's not a drug user. His arms tell a different story.
I thanked Billy for the company, shook his hand, wished him well, and went back to my air-conditioned room to sit in my padded chair and finish my work on my $1,600 computer.
Subway is currently running a promotion which can be exploited to make every other sub you buy cost nothing. I want to note that I don't encourage anyone to exploit this, (stealing is bad, m'kay?) I merely thought it was interesting when I noticed it whilst enjoying my extra-spinachy sandwich today.
Subway's new loyalty cards require no sign-up or identifying information, they're merely unique cards that are handed out to patrons at the point of sale. Since the program is new, you can also earn 50 free points (enough for a 6" sub) by texting your card number to 35562. This only works once per card. But you can get a new card with each valid purchase by simply discarding the old one. End result? Unlimited buy-one-get-one free 6" sub sandwiches.
With the family at Kiawah Island, SC for the week. This is where we always vacationed when Bethany and I were younger, so it's great to visit again. It's beautiful, as always!
My parents and some close family friends of ours spent some time this week exploring Harlan, KY just as the usual Appalachian Autumn weather begins to arrive. They emailed me some pictures, and I've taken the liberty of posting them publicly so that I can gloat to the Internet about how pretty my hometown is.
It's Justified.
Thanks to Susie Auer for the pictures.
This tidbit of information took me a ridiculous amount of time to find. The email form in AT&T's account dashboard is completely non-operational for me, and the phone agents weren't able to resolve my issue. Trying to find a direct support email address was tough, but it does exist. If, for any reason, you ever need to directly email AT&T Customer Care, you can do so at ATTCustomerCare@att.com. You can also try tweeting at them.
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