f(r)iends

Along with visiting Mike and seeing my buddy Dave last weekend, I also had the chance to meet up with Tam Gu Ja and his wife and little squidlings on Monday. Very cool group of people, very cute kiddies. We wandered down the street from Embassy Suites at King Street Station and had a rib-sticking, chili-themed meal at the Hard Times Cafe. I got my traditional order: the nasty-ass Frito pie-- essentially a taco salad heavy on Fritos chips and chili, with cheese, sour cream, and jalapenos as something of an afterthought. The mixture kept me gassy for the rest of the day, which was cool.

On Wednesday I took a plane down to Florida to visit the marauding Arn, with whom I've corresponded since 1997, and whom I finally met in person. Arn's the real deal: in person, he's exactly what you'd expect if you'd been reading his writing for years. We stuffed ourselves at the local seafood joint and talked everything from Zen to martial arts to giving women foot massages. Arn took a few digital pics, so I'll be slapping those on the blog once he emails them to me. Check Arn's blog periodically for his own updates and insights.

Florida was enjoying fantastic weather: sun, wind, and 60-degree temps. Here in northern Virginia, it's so cold you can see your breasts. Not pretty. All things being equal, I'd rather be in Florida about now.

Thanks, Arn and TGJ, for your hospitality. It was great to see both of you.


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