Another get-together

You'll recall that back in March I met a couple of bloggers[^] who live here in Phoenix. If you think about it it's really hard to imagine why bloggers want to get together if the only things we know we have in common are that we blog and we live in the same city. I suppose it's our gregarious natures! Whatever. It's working; nice guys.

Last month I got to within about 28 hours of remaining in Phoenix for the second meeting (we meet on the third Wednesday of the month). But, alas, I was sent to The Philippines instead. So this month I was crossing my fingers and laying low in the hopes I'd make it to the aforesaid third Wednesday of the month. Wonders will never cease! I made it.

Thus it was that Lamont, Vern and myself converged on the sports bar in Bell Road. A beer or so and a young lady walks in. Not the same young lady we encountered last time but still blonde! As it happens we were hoping for a fourth member, one Michelle, another Phoenix blogger, to join us so Vern, never one to be abashed, asked her if she was indeed Michelle. Nope. 'Ah,' says Vern, 'come and join us anyway!' She did.

At about this point Lamont visited the mens room. (I noticed that this time he and Vern were most careful not to go together :-) ). So she asks what we're doing and Vern announces that we're three gay men hitting on each other. She took that in her stride so we improved on the story; 'well, we're not gay but Lamont is. He's just broken up with his boyfriend.'. Uh huh she nods. So we kept the joke running throughout the evening.

Conversation wandered this way and that and I'm glad to report that she didn't immediately ring a friend living in outer woop woop on the strength of my accent, though she did correctly pick me as Australian. This was after both Vern and Lamont told her I was a Filipino!

So then we got the story of how she rode a tree! Which, we being bloggers and all, led to us urging her to start her own blog. Remains to be seen if she does but some of the stories she was telling were great blog material. One or two were so convoluted though that I'm not sure I picked up the more subtle nuances.

Then the night turned into a disaster. Not one of 'those' disasters. No sirree bob, it turned into a Karaoke night. Using Johnny Cash songs what's more. Sung by people who don't know the songs. Or the rhythms. Or have the voice. I have an early start tomorrow so that was a convenient excuse to escape before someone dragooned me into singing. Believe me, the world ain't ready for me on Karaoke!

I dunno. The atmosphere of the place is good and this time of year is perfect for sitting outside with a cold beer in hand but the threat of more Karaoke gives me pause...