It's been an interesting week, folks

Wednesday marked a first for me: I met someone in real life that I have only met through blogs.

I won't use her real name and I don't know if I can use her whole blog name, so I'll just call her Soj and those of you who know her will be all, "Ah!" and those of you who don't, it doesn't make a smidge o' difference. I met her through the blogosphere perhaps a year and a half ago, and we have visited each other's blogs and commented back and forth.

She was coming through our area on business and so we emailed each other and set up a time to meet. To tell the truth, I was a little nervous. I've never met anyone that I've only had contact with online. I just didn't know how it would be. Honestly, I felt a little shy. Yes, me, shy. I got up and vacuumed my house that morning, Soj, just for you. Okay not the whole house. And I have to say, I think our vacuum cleaner is on its last legs. Or wheels. Or whatever. Or maybe I just need to change the bag. ANYWAY...

Poor Brad has come down with a nasty cold. I feel guilty b/c I think it might be from me- I came home from England with an all consuming head-cold and he was fine for a week and a half, so I'm not sure if it's really from me or from a co-worker of his...but anyway...He was sort of in a fog that morning and did not feel his best. But he met Soj and was able to be here for about half an hour or so before he had to leave for work.

She brought me a gift- a bouquet of lollipops! It was all so charming...I was going to take a picture of it, and then I absentmindedly let Stan play with the ribbon that tied it all together, and that was a mistake. Stretched out and shredded. Wah.

She brought a friend with her, Becca, and we all had a marvelous time talking and getting to know one another. We went out for lunch and coffee, and came back home, to be mauled by an extremely hyper Stan. That cat actually DREW BLOOD from me. I think he was super excited by the visitors.

Anyway, it was so interesting and fun to meet her. She was taller than I thought she'd be! I was taller than she thought I'd be! It was strange because I don't do terribly well making new friends - because I have known most of my friends most of my life and so my skills in that department aren't super strong. But it wasn't exactly like making a new friend...because I sort of already knew her a little bit. Very cool.

We took some pictures but at this point, I won't be posting any as there were some problems with them...I think Brad would be apalled if I posted a picture with red-eye... I know he can correct some of the problems, but he is terribly busy and awfully sickly right now, and I don't want to wait until he fiddles with the pictures to blog about this...because if I put off posting any longer, this week will fade into the murky past. SO perhaps at some future point, a picture may appear - either on the blog or on Flickr.

And then the next day, Thursday, Grendpeppy moved in. Okay- Grandpa. That is: Pass. As in: Charlie. Of Charli-doll fame. ( I just like saying "Grendpeppy" because it's an Andrew-Deep Thoughts thing and it makes me smile.) Grendpep is now inhabiting our downstairs apartment. ( I would say "basement" but that would give the impression that he's living amongst gray cement walls lit by a naked lightbulb with spiders and cobwebs. But it's actually a finished basement and quite nice and aside from the fact that it doesn't have a kitchen, I might not mind living down there myself.) So far so good. It's been a while since I've lived with an octegenarian.

The adventure has begun.