An interesting evening

a couple of weeks ago someone responded to one of my posts inviting me to a get-together with other Phoenix bloggers. Conditional upon my actually being present in Phoenix on the night (tonight) I agreed to go.

Thus I fronted up at some sports bar not very far from home to meet Vern and Lamont (sp?). Vern's blog is[^] and Lamont's is[^]. You don't want to believe everything Lamont says. The girl he mentions wasn't just taken with me; she was taken with everyone in our group. (Though I can understand where he's coming from; she has an Australian friend living in Sydney and, once she'd heard me speak, nothing would do but she had to call her friend and hand me the mobile phone. I found myself talking to someone I've never heard of in a city I've never lived in...)

'Tis sad to admit but Vern and Lamont are the first people I've met in Phoenix outside of work. Well that's not quite true but I don't count the people I meet as a result of Andrew and Morgan. How fortunate that they turned out to be harmless! We spent 3 hours yakking; I understood perhaps one quarter of whatever it was they were talking about! They were speaking English words in an accent I'm familiar with; but as for what it was they were actually talking about, I have no idea. Something to do with NASCAR maybe? At one point I was requested to genuflect to some god of the NASCAR religion; as an understanding foreigner I aquiesced in much the same way that, whenever I'm present at a ceremony where Americans take the oath of allegiance, I stand respectfully, arms at my sides while they take the oath.

I reckon Lamont and Vern won't take that amiss. I enjoyed the evening.

Oh and that girl again? At one point both Vern and Lamont disappeared to the dunny, leaving me alone. We won't dwell on the happenstance of two men going to the dunny simultaneously; let's assume it was serendipity! . She continued talking and, this being a sports bar, I could barely hear her above the noise. So I moved one chair to the right; one doesn't want to be rude. When they returned Vern resumed his chair and Lamont took mine. A minute later and I'm begging him to swap chairs. He was most reluctant! Same reason; neither of us wanted to be dragged into further conversation.

Will I go to another meetup? If I'm in Phoenix on the night yes.