Saratoga Thomas and Patricia Cooper

So after our first date,  Saratoga Thomas and I continued to spend more time getting to know and learn about each other, as well as trying to find a good time for us fit another date into our respective hectic schedules.  I was still on Cloud Nine from our date, and Saratoga was on Cloud Nine from me blogging about our first date (although she did point out a key detail which I had omitted,  which I quickly added in, much to her further appreciation), and things seemed to me to be heading in the right direction,  much to my delight.

Then one evening we were talking, Saratoga told me she needed to get another car to replace her  car of ten years. She had already done some shopping around, and had her choices narrowed down to a 2011 Honda Accord and a 2011 Mini Cooper (she had also briefly considered a Toyota Prius before deciding it was way too ugly for her to ever be seen in). She asked me which car I thought she should get, and I said the Accord, as I thought it was more reliable and would be a more practical a choice for her and her daughter. "But I WANT a Cooper", Saratoga said. "I know the Honda has a better reputation,  and my head knows it's a better choice,  but my HEART wants the Cooper. It's what I can see myself in." I could practically see the pouting through the phone.  "Well ok then, if the Cooper is really what you see yourself in", I said, "then follow your heart."

"No no no no no!" Saratoga exclaimed. "Don't be a pushover.  Tell me what you really think." So I grabbed my tablet,  googled as much as I could on the 2011 Honda Accords and Mini Coopers, and gave her my report, which was essentially that while devotees of the Mini absolutely loved it,  there were others who had experienced some not so trivial mechanical issues. Likewise, while most expert reviews were positive about the Mini, there were a few who had some questions about the car's performance. Overall,  the Mini Cooper was generally well thought of, but not universally so. On the other hand, as expected,  there was nothing that I read about the Accord that wasn't overwhelmingly positive.  The Mini was mostly well liked, and loved by its devotees;  the Accord was universally well thought of. I had what I needed to know, and stuck with my choice of the Honda as a better option for Saratoga Thomas.  She thanked me for giving such a "compelling argument with a simple presentation. "

And then she bought the Mini Cooper...

She named her new Mini "Patricia" - and, naturally,  she calls it "Patty". "Patricia Cooper:", I remarked, "a appropriately British sounding name for a British car". "I had to get it", Saratoga said.  "I couldn't see myself in the Honda;  this was the one I saw myself in, so I followed my heart." Hmmm, funny, I seemed to remember offering that advice before I was told not to be a pushover...

It's all good, though. I was flattered that I was asked my opinion on the car choice, particularly so soon after we started talking and seeing each other. And if Saratoga Thomas is happy about the car, then the Angry Nerd is happy for Saratoga Thomas.  Besides which,  she looks pretty damned good next to Patty...

Ch-ch-ch-ch-changes...

It's almost halfway through 2014 (GEEEZZZZZ) and I've posted, what, twice? For those that have asked, I don't have a real good explanation. I've been doing plenty of writing, actually, but I've had some combination of ADD and OCD going on: I've had a ton of good ideas and assorted characters to write about, but instead of working on one story at a time, I always end up starting like a half dozen or so new posts, and then bouncing back and forth from one to the other as I juggled different sentences around in my noggin (it's a wonder I didn't get a few concussions). All that back forth accomplished nothing more than a shitload of drafts of varying degrees of being finished, which wasn't helped by my constant worrying about whether every word, phrase, sentence was exactly the way it should be to keep anyone who would (attempt to) read this stuff (assuming, of course, I ever FINISHED any of it) from feeling like they lost time out of the life they would never get back trying to slog through the work of an untalented hack...

So, anyway, after months of this neurotic behavior, I finally had to ask myself, "Are you going to post something or not? Time to shit or get off the pot!" And since I wasn't ready to just let this thing die a slow death, I decided I would go aheadnand take a shit. But then, just as I was about to dazzle y'all with my literary brilliance, some spawn-of-devil created algorithm somehow decided I was engaged in some sort of "suspicious activity" (angry nerd terrorism!) and suspended my account. Eventually, they decided I was a threat to no one or nothing (except maybe good taste) and gave me back my blog - and all my drafts - which was a moment of joy and relief that lasted right up until I discovered that there gigantic minus signs everywhere I had attached pictures in all my posts. Aye yi yi... Oh well. In any case, I'm baaaaaack, and expect to see a bunch of my shit over the next several days. And expect the shit to appear in different forms, as I have turned one blog into three:

• "BALTIMORONS!" will be where I write about all the assorted characters and quirks of my beloved hometown of Baltimore, MD;
• In "The Pop-Pop Chronicles" I will regale you with tales about the "joys" of having two grandsons and their mother taking over my humble home; and
• The rest of my demented thoughts will (for now) continue to be posted under "The Angry Nerd"

So if you're ready to read about crackheads,  jerks, bad ass kids, (crazy) women, food, sports, politics, race, language,  culture, stupid people, music, bad manners, bad breath, Jeopardy!, and whatever other random craziness I experience, think about or imagine, STAY TUNED! But remember: some of y'all asked for this shit!