So, I'm back. Imagine that.

It's been a loooooooooooooooooong two weeks for me. *chuckles* I would imagine it's been a long couple weeks for you too, what with not having my wonderful and amazing words to soothe your savage souls. Or something.

The event was wonderful. Amazing even. Charles was great. Still is, for that matter. NO, I did not kill him off, tho I thought I might. Hell, when I left, we both had colds. *chuckles*

One thing I must say... Texas is very, very, very brown. Dawn told me I just didn't look in the right places... but c'mon... Even the grass was brown. I saw a LOT of Oklahoma in Texas. It was all over Charles' car. *chuckles*

Regardless... For all of you who wondered, Charles is wonderful. He's a man of the utmost integrity, kind, gentle, tender, wise and intelligent. Is it possible, you ask? Yes, it's possible.

We watched a few really good movies. I highly reccomend Ronin with Robert DiNiro (I can't spell for shit this morning, so just pretend I spelled his name correctly). That's an awesome movie. If you're into the whole spy-esque thing. Awesome flick. I caught up on many of the movies I just haven't had the time to watch.

I got there Thursday night, the 8th. Charles met me at the airport and we drove from Dallas/Ft. Worth airport along the freeway to Olive Garden for dinner. Nummy. Charles did NOT turn his back and leave me in the airport baggage claim, for which I was very, very greatful. *grins*

However, there was a bit of a scare when I stepped off the plane and didn't see him. *laughs* I thought for sure that he had seen me and turned tail to run. I figured he took one look and ran screaming from the airport... or something. BUT, he didn't. He found me in Baggage Claim and we went out to the car... and ya know what? He actually carried my bags for me.

Can you imagine that? I was amazed. Absolutely amazed. Woah, a gentleman.

Now, some of you might think that's a stupid statement for me to make... You're looking at the screen, trying to see me through the pixels and whatnot. "Tigre", you're saying, "what makes you think that a man carrying your bags is strange? You ARE female, after all... We men are not ALL louts."

Well, I have found this out... *chuckles* I don't have experience with gentlemen. *shrugs* Well, before Charles, I didn't. Amazing, non? Oui.

Anyway... We got to Olive Garden and I was absolutely amazed by the Dallas Skyline. Ya know... the high-rises and such have colored lights on em. In different shapes. Woohoo, So the country-bumpkin/amazon is amazed by the pretty-lights. *chuckles*

Now... You all know my stand on fish and consuming fish-like products. (for those of you who don't know my personal philosophy on such things, let me quote. "IF you're going to eat fish, do so on the bottom of the ocean, make it fair.")

Charles ordered stuffed mushrooms as an appetizer. *shudders* They were stuffed with crab. That's shellFISH for those of you who might not know. I was almost instantly repulsed. I love mushrooms, but to put FISH in them is just disgusting. BUT, Charles asked if I would try one.

*grumbles* Damn it. They were good. *growls more* Damn the man for making me like something I don't like. Don't get me wrong here, folks. I am NOT going to start eating fish and such... but yeah, the stuffed mushrooms were good. *sighs, resigning herself to having to find something NEW to bitch about*

Anyway... After dinner, we got back in the car..... OH, the flight out? You want to know what the flight out was like? *laughs coldly* You know how huge I am. *smirks* Try putting someone of my size in a Coach seat on an airplane for five hours. *sighs, shuddering slightly* I was stuck in the cattle car. *shrugs* or so it felt. BUT, I made it, obviously. And the skinny guy who sat next to me was very nice. He didn't complain about my squashing him into the size of a pea or anything. *smirks* I'm not sure if he breathed at all until I stood up, but he was comfortable... *grins*

Regardless... Once we got to Charles' place, I looked around. The complex was actually pretty nice. And the apartment design was really cool. In fact, there are aspects I'd use from that in the house I want to have built. Again, Charles carried my bags. Amazed me. I figured the first time was just a fluke... good impression and all. NOPE, Charles is an actual gentleman. Imagine that.

So, we get inside and I'm about to collapse... but I'm not tired enough to sleep. We talked for a little bit, but to be completely honest, I can't remember what about. I was kinda running on autopilot by then.

Hey, I'd gotten up at 6am my time, driven two and a half hours to the airport in Portland, waited for the plane for four hours, was on the plane for five drove to dinner then to his place. Hell, I was rummy and cramped and tired. AND, Charles was nice to me. Really. Can you believe that???

So, He set up the air mattress out in the living room. I figured I'd be sleeping there. Hell, the last thing I want is to shove a gentleman from his own room. I was disrupting his life enough as it was. But, no, he was quite adamant about him taking the livingroom. *shrugs* I was just.... I don't know. So totally out of my element.

Oh, and by the way, all of you looking for tawdry details of torid passion and suck-face-stories... look elsewhere. The closest Charles and I got to being "intimate" was during the drive back from Mississippi when we were both using the armrest in the car. AS far as I'm concerned, brushing elbows is not the stuff for a sultry sexual encounter.

Neither Charles nor I were interested in such things. So, get your minds out of the gutter. Charles is a gentleman and a highly, highly valued and honored friend. IF, and that's a big, major if there, IF there is to be a relationship between us which goes beyond friendship, it would entail his moving up here, or my moving down there. Neither option is viable for at least a year.

Therefore, no sexual stuff. No sexual conversation, no flirtation. He is a gentleman of the highest calibre. If anyone says otherwise, be prepaired to fight. A more honest, courageous and noble man you will not find. I have the uttmost respect for him. Do NOT slander Charles in any way, shape or form. He is of the highest honor!!!

Okay, beratement over.

Friday morning, we went to check out supplies for our trip and to get the car worked over. Ya know what happens when you take the car in for a tune up and oil change? You also have to get the break pads replaced and new calipers and other such things. When you plan to spend a specific amount on such minimal repairs as maintanance and find out that the price has been upped by 300 percent, you get a little irritated.

However, we got the repairs done on the car and had lunch and got a few little supplies. Woohoo. I did NOT get the groceries necessary to make any of my specialties for Charles. ( I so love to cook and it's one of the things I'm actually pretty good at. IF I have the stuff, ya know...) So, I didn't get to impress him with my cullinary skills. IN fact, the few things I did cook were highly dissapointing to me.

BUT, I made rice. *smirks* Okay, so that might be something all of you can do with your eyes closed. BUT, I don't ever make rice. I think I've only done so once or twice in my life before this time. Not counting Rice-a-roni stuff. I made the rice. ANd it wasn't hard OR burnt. So I'm thrilled. *smirks*

ANYWAY, I figured that since there was a shoe store right there, I'd check out the goods and see if they had anything worthwhile for the SCA event. No such luck. Why is it that all the styles now are big, huge, clunky, ugly-ass heels and shit? I hate those. The crap that's "in style" is so damned ugly no one should be required to wear the stuff.

OF course, I've probably just insulted half the female population. Those of you who like current styles... more power to ya. Just don't make me wear those gawedaweful creations. THey're disgusting and ugly as sin.

So, no shoes. BUT, I did get a pair of sunglasses.

Oh, and another thing about Texas... it's very, very, very, very brown!!!

*smirks*

There was a problem tho... As we were going through stores and such, each time we passed people or were in the way or something, I would excuse myself. That's just me. Charles told me not to. *pouts* Charles told me not to talk to people unless I was addressed personally. *rolls her eyes* Cmon... I know it's a city and all... but really. I don't like being in the way. I want to be as little of an inconvenience as possible. And that's to strangers as well as people I know.

Eventually, I just shut up. I figured Charles knew what he was talking about. Hell, it's the town he's lived in for more than a year, what the hell do I know about it? Exactly... Nuthin. So, I stopped excusing myself. I also stopped going into most of the stores. I'd go in for a few moments, but then I"d beg off and go outside.

I'm sure that CHarles thought I was a psycho or something. I'd beg off with the excuse that I couldn't handle the people, or that I needed to sit or something. *shakes her head* And that wasn't a lie either. I really don't do well with lots of people around me. I don't do well at all. I don't like large crowds. People seem to be more unfriendly and more self-centered/absorbed when they're in big crowds.

It's like having millions of people ignoring everyone else. *shakes her head* It's a very, very unfriendly feeling. And, with my specific type of perception, I pick up on that emotional negativity. It grows and spreads within me and I don't like that. I want to be nice and gentle with people. I want to be respectful and sweet tempered. I don't like being in the way.

BUt damn it... when there are a million people running through a store, all hell bent for leather and stopping in the middle of the aisles for no aparant reason... I start getting pissy. I tend to get loud, brash and unforgiving. *grins wickedly*

For instance. We were in Wal Mart (YES!!!, I have finally been to a Wal Mart, I can put that on my resume) and were walking toward the camping gear and all... There was this group of people simply standing, gabbing, in the middle of the walk way. Charles and I were side by side and I looked at this crowd. We stopped for a moment and I was irritated cause... well.. ya know... the world belongs to me and must conform to my whims.

Well, they wouldn't move so I just did my typical routine. I stated, in a rather loud and commanding voice, "Excuse me! Please!" And just started moving through them. *chuckles* Extremely impolite, I know, but really. This group of people was just standing there. THey weren't doing anything productive. THey weren't actually accomplishing anything. They were just standing in MY way, damn it. ANd I wanted to get through them quickly.

Charles DID get a first-hand view of my distaste for shopping. *chuckles, blushing a bit* I really hate shopping. I hate it. I don't want to browse. I don't want to wait around in the store, thinking about all the things I might have forgotten. I want to go in, get what I want, and get out. No questions asked, no comments, no sight seeing. It's a fuckin store. Get in, get out, get away from the damned, slow-assed people who feel it necessary to stop in the middle of the aisle to gaze longingly at the lastest Bastard-Barney promotion.

Or something.

But, no, Charles is just too much of a gentleman to actually react to my pettiness. *chuckles* He was infinitely more patient than I was. He was polite and gentle and soft-spoken. He was willing to wait a moment or two, or find another way to get around the blockade. I was NOT interested in spending even one second more than I had to. *laughs*

SO, I just sounded my fog-horn voice, telling everyone to get-the-fuck-out-of-my-way-now-or-die and moved on through the crowd. Okay, so I wasn't that rude, but I was tired and irritable, so I just excused myself rather loudly and pushed through the crowd.

That happened with me throughout my life. *smirks* I've never been interested in waiting around for someone else to finish dawdling. In Church, stores, fairs, whatever... if there was a crowd in front of me, blocking the way, I would simply put on my "big voice" and excuse myself then start plowing through. I've never actually had to push anyone aside. I kinda think that as soon as someone hears my voice then turns to see this 6'1", 400 lb. red-headed amazon lumbering toward them like a pissed off rhino, they just tend to get out of my way.

*bats her eyelashes*

But, true to form, Charles didn't complain about my pissy attitude or rudeness. He just allowed me to be all rude and indignant. Ya know... if I had started some kind of fight... I think he might actually have defended me, even tho I had been stupid enough to cause the ruckus. *shrugs* Didn't happen, so I don't know. ANd, I'm glad that I don't know. I would have really, really hated to have started a fight.

Okay, so I'm tired. I think I'm going to stop here. I have another 12 days to write about and I'm already reaching novella length with this specific post. *smirks*

Don'tcha just love me? *grins*

If you don't? Lie to me, baby.

*smirks*

Love and all to you and yours. I"ll be posting again tonight, but I need to grab a nap before I head out for lunch. Peace unto thy hearts, dear ones.

J