a second chance at first impression...

no, really. it's totally possible to get that. i know because I, Ms. I-Get-A-Good-Feeling-For-Who-You-Are-On-The-Spot, let somebody have a re-do.

remember THIS GUY? Mr. I-Stole-Your-Beer?

well, Susan and I saw him in downtown Raleigh, which is a good, oh, thirty minutes or more from where I saw him before. his friend wanted to use our barrel-space (they function as tables) and we agreed. and then I noticed it was HIM, and I said, "Your name is _____, and you stole my beer." Hoo buddy. The look on his face, let me tell you. yowza.

By the end of the night:
~he or his friend had bought us, oh, I'm going to guess (counting...) five or six drinks, altogether. and they'd paid our cover into another bar.
~we'd all danced. especially to michael jackson songs (billie jean, thriller, maybe something else, not sure. lots of spinning around made it a skosh fuzzy--I was paying too much attention to not spilling my drink or running into anybody). I felt very uma-thurman/john-travolta in pulp fiction.
~susan and beer-guy's friend had made a mess! they were drinking water--LOTS of it--and had begun to do the following: (1) fill shotglass with water from bigger glass, (2) throw water out of shotglass over their shoulder, (3) fill up their shotglass again very quickly, (4) pound the H2O. tres funny. meanwhile, beer-guy and I enjoyed our gin and tonics, thanks.
~we'd laughed a lot.
~and the kicker? beer-guy's friend did a backflip. in the middle of a crowded bar. but only after susan and I agreed to buy a round of shots for the four of us. it was CRAZY funny. made me think of oh-so-long-ago when I broke into who's that spartan in my teepee in Richbrou. 'cause he made a scene and everybody watched and it was funny.

We had a REALLY whole lot of fun, and it was just what I needed. Pity I missed chilling with my Durham friends. :( But I hope to see them soon enough!

lesson learned? go out with Susan more often! And keep an open mind. Because although as soon as I saw that guy I felt inclined to pour my drink on him, by the end of the night that was the farthest idea from my mind. It's a hard thing to accomplish, undoing such a bad first impression...but he managed it!

more about today later. good things, good things, coming to you soonish.