the 15th week

Current time: 6:53 P.M.

Current music: Mumford & Sons, "I Gave You All"

Current SoE: the very thought of talking to someone very special tonight

Monday. I ate WAY too much this weekend (sadly a recurring theme). Woke up with a splitting headache around 8:00, and at 9:00 I hit up The Anchor. Cottage cheese, toast, crackers, coffee, orange juice: in short, a feast. Work went well. We're hiring a 7:30-11:00 shift because mornings are getting crazier. Blake and Ams came in for coffee, so I took my break and hung out with them. When Amos and I got home, we hung out with Brandy, Blake and Ams in Blake's room for a solid couple hours. Isaac came over and joined in the fun. We retired to the front porch all bundled up in the cold and smoked pipes, and then I called Mandy K. and we talked for a while. It was definitely good and definitely interesting.

Tuesday. Early morning: met up with Isaac at The Anchor at 6:30. We had breakfast and coffee and talked about the tension between orthodoxy and orthopraxy, and we talked about the murky realm of "essentials vs. non-essentials" and we agreed that the best hermeneutic of all is that of humility. Did some writing at home and worked 11-6:00, and Amos and I had training with Stephanie and Rob afterwards. Pat D. and I met up at The Anchor for dinner and to play "catch-up." Back home Rob, Amos and I hung out on the front porch, and Rob became quite happy over Rock Bottom beer. We won't be able to finish it all--we're not drunkards, despite what you might think--so Rob passed the growlers out like candy to our neighbors. Sarah came over for a bit, and Mandy made cocoa-puff rice krispies FTW. Amos and I shot some zombies, and we ended the night by rifling through Mandy's shoe-box of photos. 

Wednesday. I worked 7:30-3:30 and forgot my phone at work, so I had to double back and didn't get home till about 4:30. Mandy and I went to Roh's Street to do some writing. Mandy had a blended dirty chai and wrote on her computer, just journaling about her life. She let me read it. In part of it she talks about how we met, how she loves me dearly, how I'm a good and crazy guy who's writing and on the way to becoming famous. Heh, okay. I finished my iced coffee and we went to the U.C.C. bible study in the next room. Ended the night shooting zombies with Amos. 

Thursday. Woke up early to go to The Anchor and to get a jump on my writing. Work went well, a swift and clean close. Spent the evening hanging out with Amos, Rob and Hartman. During work Mandy K. and I talked a lot over texting, and it was interesting. I showed it to Mandy, who said, "She's definitely interested in you." I gave Mandy K. a call on Skype. It was good, like we were actually hanging out, and the conversation was interesting to say the least.

Friday. 80 degrees in October? That's Ohio for you. Worked 7:30-3:30, a pretty crazy day with lots of catering order mishaps. But it's Friday :). After work I hung out with Blake and Amos, and Andy had us over for an amazing dinner with white wine and bow-tie pasta, topped off with chocolate brownies and Direct Trade Guatemalan. We smoked hookah in the living room. He lives in some rich part of Delhi. S.U.V.s and Jeep Wranglers in the driveways, tarp-covered boats, Halloween ornaments in the front yards. I felt like I was back in Centerville with Jessica and Carly at the house Cars sat for a while. A stark difference from my hometown, where Elder & Seton had a tailgate party, and all the white soccer moms were gripping their children in frenzied terror. But I digress... I spent the rest of the night talking to Mandy K. 

Saturday. I laid in bed for an hour last night listening to Mumford & Sons. Phe:nomenal. Hit up The Anchor for coffee and writing, and spent the next ten hours buying a dresser and a desk and then assembling them in my room. It took WAY longer than expected, but it turned out well. Rob said, "After four months, you're finally moving in." Mandy's in knots over the desk. "It's a trestle writing desk," I told her, "with an espresso finish." Once I got it all set up, we got pizza from Little Caesar's on Glenway. After dinner I spent the rest of the night talking to Mandy K., about things going on in her life and how we've both changed since 2009. Quite surprisingly, the past two years have been similar for both of us, in that we've had our fair share of badlands and hard times, and, I think, we're better off for it. She hinted at me coming to visit; what she doesn't know (until now) is that I've been saving up for it now for a while.

Sunday. Went to The Anchor for writing, coffee, and orange juice. Are you seeing the trend? Rituals define my life. Matt Jobst and I went to the Indian buffet for lunch, and we talked about him moving to Mariemont, then about me and things with Mandy K. Three plates of Indian food, a warm car drive home, and an Al Capone cigar: "Sandman is coming!" I crashed for a while, then spent the evening writing and chilling with the housemates. My typical Sunday night. We had a bonfire, and Rob bought gourmet chocolate and graham crackers for s'mores. Mandy K. and I skyped for a little while; I got to meet Krystal and her beautiful daughter Lily. We're planning on me going up there in December. It's weird to think that in 2009 I watched her go without any hope of ever even seeing her again (okay, that's a bit of a stretch, but still), and it's crazy and weird and wonderful to think that I'm in Cincinnati, she's in Wisconsin, and we're not just picking up where we left off but  are moving forward.