My Camera

I put my camera on Craig's List, it was a great camera, but just way more than what I had needed and to heavy to carry around for "point & shoot" photos, besides the new P&S cameras do a great job at 1/4 the cost and weight, and everything is automatic, you can go manual if you want.

So I get contacted by a Pro photographer who says he'll come up and buy it, but the next day, Sunday, he calls to say he couldn't get enough money out of his bank machine due to the limits. The next day he calls and said, look, I can get a brand new one for about the same price. I said OK, I would have liked to sell it to you because you were close and could check it out hands on.

 

I figured I lost the sale so I sent a short message around 11 PM saying, I not only stand behind the camera but I also stand in front of it too and included my picture of me in the red outfit. The next day he called me and said, anyone with the courage and honesty to share that I have to meet and do business with. He was up that afternoon with his wife and bought my camera.

My Horseback Riding Outfit

Last Saturday I went to the House & Garden Show at the Atlantic City Convention Center, I really wanted to try out my new outfit in public, something like an Equestrian look.

It seems a shame that the show had really degraded to being non eventful. There were no garden setups at all that I remember and the Home improvement part used to have some interesting demonstrations and new products for DIYers. I think I took the whole show in about an hour.

Before I left I wanted to hit the restroom, I walked by the lady's room where there was a woman with Muslim type head wear who looked at me as I walked by expressing that I was at the right restroom, I said "no, I need the mensroom" and just walked past and into the men's room. As I entered there was a row of about 8-10 stall doors in front of me and a guy coming out of one, he immediately informed me of being in the wrong restroom (it happens all the time), I said in my Lou voice (which is the same as Louise) "I know". I entered a stall and he went to wash his hands and say "I really thought you were a woman", I replied "I take that as a compliment".

Later that night ,my wife and I went out for Karaoke. I went to the microphone to sing my second song (What a Wonderful World) and 4 or 5 couples got up to dance, as I was about halfway through, a person from the rear of the bar comes walking onto the dance floor, navigating between the couples and stands in front of me staring, I didn't look at him because I was concentrating on the words, but knew what was happening. After I was done the Karaoke host (Mike) said, you really had that guy confused. When I sat down everyone including my wife were laughing about the incident.

I don't try to full myself by thinking I'm anywhere near passing, I just like to say I make a nice presentation.

A Tale of Two Dinners

 

Sunday night I went to a group dinner with some of my cycling colleagues (I find it difficult to call them friends even though we've been together close to 30 years). I really should have knowen better and should have declined the invitation.

The first thing I learned, I was told a time that was about an hour late, so everyone had been seated next to whom they wanted to be with, I was at the far end of the table from at least 2 people I could have had a conversation with, instead I was stuck between 2 homophobes.

Since I was contacted late I had already eaten a late lunch so I wasn't really to hungry and only ordered 2 slices of Pizza, the rest ordered full dinners, this place is not a budget restaurant so I know it must have been 30-45 dollars per person, the one person beside me order 2 half bottles of wine too. When he heard my order he said that's going to be the most expensive Pizza you ever ate, meaning they always like to split the bills evenly, I think they over order so that everyone else has to pay for someone else's over indulgence, I really think that's rude. I threw in 15.00 bucks for my pizza and a coke, fuck them (oops, did I say that?).

After we ate I went down to talk with the 2 guys I'm closer with. I was wearing skin tight jeans, women's riding boots a tweed sports jacket and a ferdora hat, so it was a little like an "Indiana Jones" look. I sat down between one friendlier guy and the organizer of the dinner who always needs to break my chops about everything I do, he starts rubbing my leg asking in a loud tone, how the hell did you get into those jeans, he kept rubbing and finally grabbed with both hands my leg. I had to answer in the same tone of the gesture and said, I have to wet them first so they stretch over my body and then shrink up. I called him the next day (no answer) and left a message that I was suing for sexual harassment. While I think about it, we all wear Lycra/spandex when we ride bicyle.

Interestingly, the night before (Saturday) my wife and I went to an anniversary dinner, we've known this group of people about 5 years through Karaoke, they all know me as Louise and occasionally as Lou, Saturday I was Lou because this was a party for this other couple. The invite was 3 weeks before and we have always been included with all their get together's without any discomfort or negativity from anyone. Also, every couple had separate checks and ours was 40,00 dollars with tip and one glass of wine and no insults and I dressed the same way as the night with the cyclist. Go Figure.