Karaoke. CHECK.

In a special place called Ocean City, MD, my longest lasting Saving Grace yet took me to the boardwalk and to a nearly deserted bar with (you guessed it!) karaoke.

A lovely duo, we serenaded the 5 bartenders TWICE in *perfectly* executed duets.
Before He Cheats- Carrie Underwood.
Absolutely(Story of a Girl)- Nine Days.

I'd like to thank the bartender who gave me two drinks when I thought I only ordered one. I'd also like to thank the other bartender for making me a Coke'n'rum so strong that I asked for him to throw a lillll more Coke in there.
But seriously, more thanks to my saving grace for sharing her tab with me and singing some songs with me, even though we cleared the bar after our first song. So enjoyed meeting some new people this week and look forward to possibly seeing them again this summer. Love you girl!

(Sorry to the girl reading this and fuming at the fact that I was not easily enough persuaded to sing karaoke with you-- this snuck up on me. It wasn't my plan, I swear!! It just happened!)

Ya'll Can Have This Town

People do some weird things to cope with reality. Am I right?

I'm writing a good-bye letter as if I were actually preparing to leave. You may find this peculiar, no doubt, but don't we all need to get away sometimes, whether in spirit or in space?

Good bye, Hockessin. Eat my leftover Wawa. Tear up all the soccer fields I ever played on. Make more money. Become more enviable than Greenville, go ahead and try. The smell of mushroom farms' steaming cow manure will always remind me of you. Some days I will remember you sweetly as "Hockers," other days I will mock you and call you "The Village" or the unincorporated census-designated place (thanks wikipedia). Look at you now, you've got a "state of the art" athletic club. I worked there when it opened, ya know. Go to their website, you'll still find a picture of me working in the cafe window. Darling, wasn't I? Well, forget that. I'm done with you. Your young money is old news. I may never be able to afford real estate in 19707. I don't care. I wouldn't want to anyway. I won't get fake boobs and my children will never wear Ralph Lauren bathing suits. And I'm not sure you knew this, but Swift Park still sucks and low-lifes do drugs in there before and after dark. Oh well, at least it has got a set of old-fashioned swings. A date kissed me there once. I've eaten thousands of meals from you, Hockessin. Wawa, Two Cousins, Pat's, Cap's, Pulla's, Five Guys, Friendly's, Kim's Kafe -remember that time I threw up in that parking lot?,...oh and remember that time we had a McDonald's for a hot minute? I remember. Somehow such a forgettable place has given me so many memories. Oh by the way, I'm one of the ones who kept putting the cone on top of the dugout. Bye.

"Ya'll can have this town and what I don't grab on my way out."
(Luke Bryan lyrics)

A Gentleman

I have a handful of readers. My audience is primarily female. (Men: do not stop reading now.) I'm not the only one here walking this earth with something to say.

[In fact, there is someone out there who can probably speak my thoughts with greater humor, more wit, higher intellect, etc. As it turns out, authors of published books have stories to tell, too. This is what I have recognized on my way to becoming a reader. Now, I read books... Well, I read a book and now I have three more books stacked on the table in my room.]

Back to the part where I'm not the only one with lips to speak (or hands to type) my mind. Somehow you have made it here to read what I am writing to you. Yes, to YOU, my reader, my friend. So continue ladies, continue men, hear what I am saying. I dare you to argue with me.

Who is a gentleman? (Ladies- look for him, you won't find him everywhere you look. Men- become him if you can.)

• As defined by me: a decent man, mannerly and respectful, keen and aware of others and how he may suit their needs. A gentleman is honest and humble, acts with integrity. Integrity-this means doing what is right ALL the time, not just in the company of a female. This is a gentleman. A gentleman stands out among other men because he is always a gentleman. He is a gentle man. Being a gentleman is not an attitude, not a set of first date rules (ex: open the door, pull out her chair, etc.), not a performance. It is a class to which very few men belong.
• As defined by Ralph Waldo Emerson: "Whoever is open, loyal, true; of humane and affable demeanour; honourable himself, and in his judgement of others; faithful to his word as to law, and faithful alike to God and man....such a man is a true gentleman."

Read a book. CHECK

The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Nighttime.

I read it in two days. Thanks to a sunny Thursday afternoon on my parents' deck and a long Friday bus ride from Philadelphia to Boston.

What should I read next? I've decided I like reading. Suggest a book for me.

Go camping. CHECK

I had an amazing anti-weekend (Tuesday-Thursday). It was like a weekend, but in the middle of the week. If you're not jealous yet, keep reading, you will be.

One of my saving graces and I camped two nights in southern Delaware in a campground on a pond in the site called "Island Site 1."
We assembled tents, built fires, cooked on a camp stove, made smores, told secrets, and enjoyed the outdoors and each others company.

For those of you looking for a good story, I think the moment has passed because I began this post over 2 weeks ago and the good stories have worn off. Ask me though!

By the way, I make a mean fire.