Canadian Tuxedo Optional (![[info]](http://p-stat.livejournal.com/img/userinfo.gif){kind=small} michaelpop) wrote,@ 2007-12-14 12:30:00 |
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The good life, let's go on a living spree.
I've never done any traveling around the holidays, so when I booked my ticket for Jacksonville a few weeks ago that included two connections, it never occurred to me that my plans might get stymied due to inclement weather. I also live in LA, and "inclement weather" just isn't part of the vernacular. My original itinerary was to go from LA to San Francisco to Dallas to Jacksonville, with a three-hour layover in SF and a 40-minute layover in Dallas. A 40-minute layover was cutting it a little closer than I would have preferred, but because it was the cheapest way to get out there, I rolled the dice and hoped for the best. Right off the bat my flight out of LA was delayed nearly three hours because our plane was somewhere running hopelessly behind schedule. If I hadn't happened to notice out of the corner of my eye that the next flight out from our gate was going to Dallas, I would've missed both of my connections, which would've meant getting into Jacksonville six hours later than scheduled. Luckily I was able to get on that flight, bypassing San Francisco altogether, and make my connection on time. I was sweating it pretty heavily for a while, but it all worked out.
I'm still unable to get much sleep on planes, so by the time I got to Jacksonville at 9:30am local time, I was ready for a nap. This was the day before Lindsey's mom's memorial service and Lindsey still had a few things she needed to finish up before her godparents (her mom's best friend for 43 years, her husband and their son) arrived to help decorate her Christmas tree, but we wound up oversleeping and being pressed for time, so the afternoon was a little rushed and Lindsey was a little frazzled, but it all worked out and the tree wound up looking beautiful. Since I never grew up with any Christmas traditions of my own, I really enjoy taking a back seat and observing how other families celebrate theirs; all the different little rituals fascinate me. Lindsey's family has a tradition of exchanging ornaments each year. They have so many ornaments, each with a story behind it, and Lindsey can recite them all. I love that. I really can't wait to establish our own traditions, incorporating some of the past along with some new twists. I am terribly excited for our first Christmas together.
Lindsey's roommate/BFF Taya had a friend in town and they wanted to go dancing, so even though I might've been a little tired, I found my second wind. I really love the club they go to (the Pearl) and wish there was a place like it in LA. There's a red telephone booth inside! There are trees in the middle of the club! It has a huge outdoor patio even though you can smoke inside! It's really a cute place, maybe a little bigger than Underground when it was at Tempest, and the DJ plays a good mix of indie and pop. I can't remember the last time I went dancing in LA, but I've gone to the Pearl twice in the past month! I love watching Lindsey and Taya do their routines to songs I don't even know. They're a little like me and Daniel, except way hotter. Dudes actually stop and openly gawk at them. (Well, come to think of it, dudes gawk at us too. Or maybe just me. Anyway.) At one point Dylan, Taya's friend, and I were off to the side while the girls were dancing, and he asked me, "as a straight guy", what I thought about guys leering at my girlfriend. I said I didn't mind. It wasn't making her uncomfortable, so they can look all they want because I'm the one she's going home with. Besides, she's hot! Some random guy actually came up to me a little later while Lindsey and I were dancing and mumbled something and gave me a pat on the back and a thumbs-up. We couldn't figure out what that was all about, but it was definitely a compliment of some sort. But was he saying "I love your sweet moves" or "hey bro, your girlfriend's hot, way to go!" Who knows.
Sunday was the day of the memorial service. We made our way out to the Comfort Inn near the beach and started setting up about an hour before it started. Lindsey had worked so hard planning everything. Among the many things she did, she made a slideshow of her mom culled from old family photos; she made cds of songs her mom loved; she made cards for everyone to take home so they could have time to reflect on a specific memory of her mom and then send them back, which I thought was a great idea; she put together the program; and she wrote out a speech on why her mom was the best mom ever.
As friends and family started filing in, I became a pretty popular guy. Almost everyone had heard of me (Lindsey's mom was like my publicist; everyone I spoke with told me how fond of me she was) and was curious to finally put a face to all the stories. It got a little overwhelming, though. I met so many people in such a short period of time and got so flustered that I actually said to someone, "nice to meet you Michael, I'm Paul. I mean, you're Paul, I'm Michael. Wait, yeah, that's right." Whew, it was rough! I really wanted to make a good impression on everyone but I wasn't sure I was doing a very good job, though Lindsey reassured me later that everyone had nothing but nice things to say. I think words like "dreamy" and "hunky" were bandied about, but can you imagine, me being called hunky? Someone also thought I was Italian! Someone else said I had a "touch of Oriental", hahah.
I'll be honest. At first I felt a little awkward and self-conscious, unsure of exactly what I was supposed to be doing. I totally felt like "the new guy". I was there to give Lindsey support, but I wasn't exactly sure how I was going to do that. I'd never been in that position before and I wasn't sure how I was going to perform. I wanted to be a good boyfriend but I didn't know what that entailed! When she got up in front of everyone and started reading and getting choked up -- it broke my heart to see her cry like that -- I knew that it was okay and that she had to let it out. She regained her composure pretty quickly, and this is cheesy to say, but it felt like her mom was with her giving her the strength to get through it. And when she finished I wanted to give her a standing ovation, but I wasn't sure if that was appropriate. After a few seconds people started clapping so I joined in. She did SUCH a great job and I was so incredibly proud of her. When she sat down next to me I put my hand on her thigh, just to let her know I was there. I didn't feel like I had to do much, because she's such an amazingly strong girl. I joked later that she would've been fine even if I hadn't been there, but she said that my presence was incredibly comforting. So, I guess I did a good job after all, even though I had no idea what I was doing.
The whole service was only a couple of hours long. So many people showed up that we had to haul in extra chairs from the empty conference room next door. It was all very thoughtful and tastefully done. Everyone who spoke said really beautiful things. Her mom wouldn't have wanted a depressingly somber affair, so even though there were a ton of tears and not enough tissue boxes to go around, the mood for the most part was one of fond remembrance. I didn't cry, though my eyes welled up a few times. All in all, it was perfect.
Lindsey had the great idea of booking a room at the hotel so we could stay and decompress afterwards. I'd planned on using that opportunity to shower her with affection and make sure she felt pampered and loved. When we got to our room we talked for a while and then I gave her a really thorough foot and hand massage while watching the Steelers game and trying to explain the differences between a kickoff and a punt. Once the game got out of hand, we got, uh, distracted, and the next thing we knew it was time for dinner. After we got back from dinner we fired up the water and took a really relaxing bubble bath. I hadn't taken a bath since I was probably 5 years old, but man, I've been missing out! Of course, it wouldn't have been nearly as much fun if Lindsey wasn't in there too.
Lindsey had set the alarm the next morning for 9am so we could take advantage of the hotel's free breakfast -- they had a waffle-maker! It was so cute how excited about waffles she was, so we went down and ate and then came back up to the room to watch some daytime television. After a hilarious episode of Maury in which they revisited some of this year's most crazy teens, we had fun sexytimes. Except, I don't know proper hotel-etiquette and didn't put the "do not disturb" sign on the door OR lock the deadbolt, so our maid waltzed in and caught an eyeful of my pale ass. Lindsey and I laughed about it for a while, but the maid's probably scarred for life now. I hope the $5 I left on the nightstand with a thank you note eased her pain and suffering a little.
And then just as soon as I got there, it was time to go home. Fortunately, Lindsey will be here in 5 days and staying for 17! She'll be here for my birthday, our five-month anniversary, Christmas and New Year's, and I have to say, I have never been happier. I can't wait to turn the page and start '08 fresh. Next year's going to have its share of cross-country adventures, I'm sure, but we'll worry about all of that later. I can't wait until she's out here so we can just relax for once.
I've never done any traveling around the holidays, so when I booked my ticket for Jacksonville a few weeks ago that included two connections, it never occurred to me that my plans might get stymied due to inclement weather. I also live in LA, and "inclement weather" just isn't part of the vernacular. My original itinerary was to go from LA to San Francisco to Dallas to Jacksonville, with a three-hour layover in SF and a 40-minute layover in Dallas. A 40-minute layover was cutting it a little closer than I would have preferred, but because it was the cheapest way to get out there, I rolled the dice and hoped for the best. Right off the bat my flight out of LA was delayed nearly three hours because our plane was somewhere running hopelessly behind schedule. If I hadn't happened to notice out of the corner of my eye that the next flight out from our gate was going to Dallas, I would've missed both of my connections, which would've meant getting into Jacksonville six hours later than scheduled. Luckily I was able to get on that flight, bypassing San Francisco altogether, and make my connection on time. I was sweating it pretty heavily for a while, but it all worked out.
I'm still unable to get much sleep on planes, so by the time I got to Jacksonville at 9:30am local time, I was ready for a nap. This was the day before Lindsey's mom's memorial service and Lindsey still had a few things she needed to finish up before her godparents (her mom's best friend for 43 years, her husband and their son) arrived to help decorate her Christmas tree, but we wound up oversleeping and being pressed for time, so the afternoon was a little rushed and Lindsey was a little frazzled, but it all worked out and the tree wound up looking beautiful. Since I never grew up with any Christmas traditions of my own, I really enjoy taking a back seat and observing how other families celebrate theirs; all the different little rituals fascinate me. Lindsey's family has a tradition of exchanging ornaments each year. They have so many ornaments, each with a story behind it, and Lindsey can recite them all. I love that. I really can't wait to establish our own traditions, incorporating some of the past along with some new twists. I am terribly excited for our first Christmas together.Lindsey's roommate/BFF Taya had a friend in town and they wanted to go dancing, so even though I might've been a little tired, I found my second wind. I really love the club they go to (the Pearl) and wish there was a place like it in LA. There's a red telephone booth inside! There are trees in the middle of the club! It has a huge outdoor patio even though you can smoke inside! It's really a cute place, maybe a little bigger than Underground when it was at Tempest, and the DJ plays a good mix of indie and pop. I can't remember the last time I went dancing in LA, but I've gone to the Pearl twice in the past month! I love watching Lindsey and Taya do their routines to songs I don't even know. They're a little like me and Daniel, except way hotter. Dudes actually stop and openly gawk at them. (Well, come to think of it, dudes gawk at us too. Or maybe just me. Anyway.) At one point Dylan, Taya's friend, and I were off to the side while the girls were dancing, and he asked me, "as a straight guy", what I thought about guys leering at my girlfriend. I said I didn't mind. It wasn't making her uncomfortable, so they can look all they want because I'm the one she's going home with. Besides, she's hot! Some random guy actually came up to me a little later while Lindsey and I were dancing and mumbled something and gave me a pat on the back and a thumbs-up. We couldn't figure out what that was all about, but it was definitely a compliment of some sort. But was he saying "I love your sweet moves" or "hey bro, your girlfriend's hot, way to go!" Who knows.
Sunday was the day of the memorial service. We made our way out to the Comfort Inn near the beach and started setting up about an hour before it started. Lindsey had worked so hard planning everything. Among the many things she did, she made a slideshow of her mom culled from old family photos; she made cds of songs her mom loved; she made cards for everyone to take home so they could have time to reflect on a specific memory of her mom and then send them back, which I thought was a great idea; she put together the program; and she wrote out a speech on why her mom was the best mom ever. As friends and family started filing in, I became a pretty popular guy. Almost everyone had heard of me (Lindsey's mom was like my publicist; everyone I spoke with told me how fond of me she was) and was curious to finally put a face to all the stories. It got a little overwhelming, though. I met so many people in such a short period of time and got so flustered that I actually said to someone, "nice to meet you Michael, I'm Paul. I mean, you're Paul, I'm Michael. Wait, yeah, that's right." Whew, it was rough! I really wanted to make a good impression on everyone but I wasn't sure I was doing a very good job, though Lindsey reassured me later that everyone had nothing but nice things to say. I think words like "dreamy" and "hunky" were bandied about, but can you imagine, me being called hunky? Someone also thought I was Italian! Someone else said I had a "touch of Oriental", hahah.
I'll be honest. At first I felt a little awkward and self-conscious, unsure of exactly what I was supposed to be doing. I totally felt like "the new guy". I was there to give Lindsey support, but I wasn't exactly sure how I was going to do that. I'd never been in that position before and I wasn't sure how I was going to perform. I wanted to be a good boyfriend but I didn't know what that entailed! When she got up in front of everyone and started reading and getting choked up -- it broke my heart to see her cry like that -- I knew that it was okay and that she had to let it out. She regained her composure pretty quickly, and this is cheesy to say, but it felt like her mom was with her giving her the strength to get through it. And when she finished I wanted to give her a standing ovation, but I wasn't sure if that was appropriate. After a few seconds people started clapping so I joined in. She did SUCH a great job and I was so incredibly proud of her. When she sat down next to me I put my hand on her thigh, just to let her know I was there. I didn't feel like I had to do much, because she's such an amazingly strong girl. I joked later that she would've been fine even if I hadn't been there, but she said that my presence was incredibly comforting. So, I guess I did a good job after all, even though I had no idea what I was doing.
The whole service was only a couple of hours long. So many people showed up that we had to haul in extra chairs from the empty conference room next door. It was all very thoughtful and tastefully done. Everyone who spoke said really beautiful things. Her mom wouldn't have wanted a depressingly somber affair, so even though there were a ton of tears and not enough tissue boxes to go around, the mood for the most part was one of fond remembrance. I didn't cry, though my eyes welled up a few times. All in all, it was perfect.
Lindsey had the great idea of booking a room at the hotel so we could stay and decompress afterwards. I'd planned on using that opportunity to shower her with affection and make sure she felt pampered and loved. When we got to our room we talked for a while and then I gave her a really thorough foot and hand massage while watching the Steelers game and trying to explain the differences between a kickoff and a punt. Once the game got out of hand, we got, uh, distracted, and the next thing we knew it was time for dinner. After we got back from dinner we fired up the water and took a really relaxing bubble bath. I hadn't taken a bath since I was probably 5 years old, but man, I've been missing out! Of course, it wouldn't have been nearly as much fun if Lindsey wasn't in there too.
Lindsey had set the alarm the next morning for 9am so we could take advantage of the hotel's free breakfast -- they had a waffle-maker! It was so cute how excited about waffles she was, so we went down and ate and then came back up to the room to watch some daytime television. After a hilarious episode of Maury in which they revisited some of this year's most crazy teens, we had fun sexytimes. Except, I don't know proper hotel-etiquette and didn't put the "do not disturb" sign on the door OR lock the deadbolt, so our maid waltzed in and caught an eyeful of my pale ass. Lindsey and I laughed about it for a while, but the maid's probably scarred for life now. I hope the $5 I left on the nightstand with a thank you note eased her pain and suffering a little.
And then just as soon as I got there, it was time to go home. Fortunately, Lindsey will be here in 5 days and staying for 17! She'll be here for my birthday, our five-month anniversary, Christmas and New Year's, and I have to say, I have never been happier. I can't wait to turn the page and start '08 fresh. Next year's going to have its share of cross-country adventures, I'm sure, but we'll worry about all of that later. I can't wait until she's out here so we can just relax for once.
