Tear drops....

Today I'm feeling a little melancholy since it's my last day in my section. The year has past so fast I'm looking back and finding that there were a lot more memories of laughter then I thought. I guess that's how everything is when it's time to say goodbye though. It's the happiest sad that I can remember in a long time. Luckily, I don't keep a lot of crap at my desk(photos, plants, knick-knacks) so it was a pretty short clean up of my cube. But when it came time to throw away random junk I'd hidden in my desk, it hit, I'm leaving. These supervisors saved me, literally, from a life that I didn't deserve and clawed to break free of. And, not to get to mushy but.... there's an ice cream sundae social downstairs at 2 and I'm pretty wet about that. (God, did he just say he was wet? Ugh) But, I was thinking about this last night so today's blog will be one of remembering. If it makes you think of someone that you miss but can't say anything to, then I'm glad I could remind you.

I'd like to take you back to June 2001, a group of friends and I were at Kings Dominion the day after our prom, cause that's what the cool kids did. It was Nelson, my friend Mike, my date Katie Southard and me. As soon as we got to the park Mike shouts "Permanent riding buddies!" and grabs me. What could I do, but look Katie in the eyes and explain "Well, he did call it, sorry Katie". One of the first stops we made was to get advance tickets to the Volcano, since for some reason a decade after it's up it STILL has the longest line in the park. We hit up every ride in the park before our tickets were ready to be used. It was pretty funny to watch as Katie rode with Nelson all day, since she really(REALLY) didn't want to ride with him... and I was her date. Just to knock this out, no I'm not gay, but I was still emotionally fixated on another girl that wasn't really giving me my due. So the time comes to go to the Volcano and redeem those tix... or so we thought. Nelson, bless his Asian heart, lost his ticket somehow. Which leaves three people and we all know someone is riding alone. All day I rode with Mike and Katie was not about to ride alone on this one. So, we wait for our turn... no one is speaking cause we don't know what we're gonna do about riding buddies at the moment. A man makes his way through the crowd of people waiting and says there is room for two on the ride before our tickets were due. He looks straight into my eyes and says "You, who you with? Him or her?" I look at Katie(dramatic pause) "It's me and him" the only thing I could hear Katie yell out as Mike and I laughed our way through the crowd of people to get on the ride was "Deaven you Asshole!" and I yelled back "Sorry Katie" Then we laughed the entire length of the ride. We kicked our feet like excited children and coined it "The Southard Shuffle" since she was unable to actually ride the Volcano that day. She did not want to ride after we were done. She was pretty pissed at me. I didn't see Katie again for another 8 months or so, but when she did run into Mike and I, her words were "what's up Asshole" sarcastically but she still clearly had not forgotten about the Southard shuffle. Neither did I, it's still funny to me looking back on that day. In 2004, Kathryn Southard was in a car accident that claimed her life. She was one of the most beautiful people I've ever met, and one of those women that you take home to mom. I never really got to apologize and mean it, but I'm sure that if I ran into her again it wouldn't have mattered... she was good people. I think about her, as well as a few other close friends that I had that have past away. Chances are when you die, you probably could care less if the people you knew are still thinking of you. But, in case they ever get bored and take a look, I'd like them to know that when the day slows down I'm still grateful to have known them.

I hope to see some familiar faces at the Arlington Cinema N' Drafthouse and the Hyatt on Saturday night, and then on Sunday it's TNA's Destination X pay-per-view!!!! And good luck to all the participants in the Clash of the Comics next Tuesday at the Richmond Funnybone(I'm hosting)

Have a great, safe, and definitely hazy weekend everybody!!!

Laters