Walk for a cause and a date

Somehow, A talked me into doing the MS walk with her Saturday morning. She had been talked into it by her coworkers and got R and I to go along with her. I meet R and A at their house, and R made us some fresh, home made egg mcmuffins. They always cook for me. I'm basically their adopted second 5 year old.
Now, before I continue, I'll remind you that I was out late driving my designated drive-ees around and the MS walk was early in the morning so I was very, very tired. I was so tired, that when I went pee before we left the house, I noticed that I was wearing my underwear backwards. Tag in front. That's not even the best part. Instead of fixing the issue, I just got up. In my defense, this particular pair is shaped the same in the front and back.
Click through to read about things that don't involve my underwear!

With A all decked out in MS walk specific gear, including a tee shirt she made featuring Reptar from Rugrats, pooping (yes, pooping) on MS with pounds of glitter paint surrounding him, and a green dinosaur felt hat. With teeth. Basically, she looked awesome. Plus, she had a pinwheel that her mom had gotten for her. She used it to abuse R while he's driving.
We made a plan to meet up with A's mom and M at the Lloyd Center max stop and as we park, A realizes she forgot to bring M's custom MS walk tee. M had left it at A's house to dry after they were made and we were supposed to bring it with us to the walk. Damn damn damn! It was an awesome shirt too. She made the sleeves all fringy. There was glitter, and dollar signs and fist pumping. Guess we'll have to do another walk...
Now A feels like a fool because she is the only one wearing a glitterfied custom shirt with a dino on her skull. Though, her mom is wearing a bumble bee hat....and both her and M have pinwheels too.
We get to the square downtown, and as expected, it's packed. We wander around for a minute trying to find the rest of our group while A's mom goes to register. We find the rest of A's coworkers and R and I are introduced to them. We take some group photos, even though we try to stay out of them, before the walk starts and then are told we need to go check in. We follow M and her friend through the crowds to the registration tables and then find out, nope, we don't need to do anything. Sweet. We head back to the opposite side of the square where our group is and then all of a sudden, the drummers are drumming and everyone is moving. We followed M and her friend through the crowd as the walk started. We know the rest of our team had already started heading up to the drum line for the start of the walk so we were heading that way too.
At least, we were trying to. It seemed like for every 2 steps we walked forward, 13 people would walk in front of us. We didn't even make it out of the square block by the time we lost sight of M and her friend. I thought for sure I would be able to spot at least the people wearing funky hats, but I was wrong. I used A's pinwheel as a flag and waved it around in the air for someone in our group to see, but it was no use. A, R and I kept our eyes peeled for the rest of our group as more and more people worked their way in front of us. We were walking at the slowest possible pace because of the sheer number of people.
Out of all those people, one recognized A. She was a client at her work and they talked for a minute before the client went back to her own group. Somehow, we saw her a few times, but we never did find the rest of our group. That fact wasn't helped by us having to leave early due to some medical-ish issues with A. Boy, that sure sounds a lot worse then it is. She's fine. I promise.
After the walk I went home with plans of cleaning and getting ready for a date I was going on later that night. Intentions are great, but they don't always pan out into action. This was one of those times. I only wanted to rest for a moment or two before getting to my self given chores....but before I knew it I was waking up with only an hour to get ready and get to the place I was going. Ummm that's not a lot of time for a girly girl. Especially when a third of that time is allotted for travel. I don't know how it happened, a miracle perhaps, but I managed to shower, get dressed, and do my make up and was only 4 minutes late. Not bad at all!
J and I started talking on that damn website K signed me up for. He seemed like a decent guy and even made actual plans to hang out, so he was way ahead of the other guys I've talked to on there. Our plan was to go on the Shanghai tunnel tours downtown so we met up about an hour before the tour was scheduled to start so that we could be sure neither of us was a creeper. His words, and plan. I approve.
I'm relieved to find out his pictures were an accurate depiction of the way he looks and we have an awkward moment as we try to decide what we should do until the tour starts. We decide to walk and talk, heading nowhere in particular. He asks questions about my family, my work, my hobbies. All the standard dating questions. I respond and ask a few of my own. He tells me about his schooling, his part time job, and the reasons he decided to go car-less. We talk about my authentic sailor mouth because I apparently swear a lot. I can't help that my parents were both seafaring people. Swearing like a sailor is hereditary after all.
When we get back to Hobo's, where the tour starts, the check in guy says they've been worried about us. We were only 8 minutes late. It's nice to know they care about their customers.
We're led to the back, where the rest of the tour group is listening to the before tour spiel. We join a table with one other couple and listen to our guide tell us about the buildings and the reason the tunnels were built. Portland has some seriously sketch history guys.
Another group of latecomers join us and the story telling continues. The guide asks us which kind of tour we would like. Apparently, there are 3 different types of tours offered and we get to choose. One of the latecomers clarifies what we are supposed to be choosing. I speak up and say we should take all 3, since it's an option. I look at the girl who clarified and say "we should do all 3 if we can right?" She smiles and says we should do the paranormal tour for sure. I agree. No one else in the group seems to have an opinion so other latecomer girl and I declare we should do all 3, but with a focus on the paranormal aspect. That's the reason we're all really here after all, isn't it?
After a decision is made, we're led down an ally and head to the front of the restaurant where the entrance to the underground is located. We gather around a now open hidden staircase leading directly under Hobo's. I announce my fear of falling down the staircase to the group as I head into the dark below. They laugh. At the bottom of the staircase is a crate filled with flashlights. They said it was light enough down there that we wouldn't need them, but I grab one anyway. I am afraid of the dark after all.
We go through the tour, learning about Portland's not so innocent history, seeing artifacts found from the past, hearing ghost stories from previous tours and I might have possibly maybe screamed when there was a loud noise. I really enjoyed the tour and definitely plan on making some friends go with me sometime.
After the tour J and I decided to do some more walking. He asked more questions, and made me tell him stories about weird men that I've met. I told him about creepy waiter, bedwetter, and the online dud. We decide to get some ice cream and go to Ben & Jerry's. I only got one scoop, since I'm still trying to make better decisions even though the Biggest Loser competition is over (I'll do a separate small post about this later). As we walk out of the store he tells me he never accepts paper waste and looks at my napkin disapprovingly. I laugh and tell him I'm messy, and need napkins so I always accept them.
We start to cross the street and a car drives in front of us. The driver, a girl, sticks her head out and says "Hey, can we see your boobs?" as they drive past us. I think for a second and say sure. No, I don't flash them. We just laugh and keep walking.
As we wait for another street light to change, someone walks up to the corner and stands right next to me. Just as close to me as my date is standing. I look at the guy and say what's up. He does the head nod thing and says sup. He introduces himself, N, and shakes our hands. He asks if we've ever tried the mini toothbrush things he has in his mouth and tells us of all the wonders they posses. He asks if I want one. Sure! Why not?
He pulls out a brand new package and opens it right in front of me, careful not to touch the actual brush. He lets me take it out of the package myself. So sanitary, this fella. He is right. Those things are awesome. They pack a mighty powerful punch of minty goodness for how small they are.
N tells us he's going to hang out with the street kids and wishes us goodnight as we walk away. My date says he can see now that I really do attract weirdos without having to try. Weirdos? N is cool. I don't know what he's talking about.
After some more awkwardness of deciding what we should do, we make a plan to play some mariokart at his place. We're already nearby since he lives downtown so we don't have to walk far. The minty feeling of the mini toothbrush lasts the whole way there. He warns me about his not so friendly roommate, who we don't even see since she has locked herself in her bedroom. He apologizes for the mess as he frantically tries to clean and then sets up the Nintendo64. Kickin it old school yall.
He makes me play first, and I have trouble working the controls since I'm now used to the Wii...and I don't even own one of those so how does that make sense? That is just how often I go to A's house I guess.
I play a couple of levels and he helps me get past the spots I have trouble with. He laughs at the sound effects I make and, that was it. After a couple of levels I decided it was time for me to call it a night. I thanked him for a fun night, and didn't take him up on his offer of walking me to my car. Even though his apartment was a little over a mile away from where I parked.
As I'm walking back to my car I play back through the night in my mind. I definitely had a good time and I'm surprised at myself for how much less shy I am today compared to only a couple of years ago. I am continually impressed with myself, as cocky as that may sound. Not that long ago, I wouldn't have had such an easy time sharing my stories with others. I certainly wouldn't have accepted a tiny toothbrush from a stranger. I woudln't have talked to strangers at all willingly. Now, I don't even think about it. I used to be terrified of talking to people I didn't know for fear of coming off like an idiot. I used to be terrified of being late, because I was scared that everyone would stare at me as I walked in. It seems like now, the only fear I have, is fear of not having fun. And I am so ok with that.
Other things that happened on my walk back to my car: I see one man carrying another, clearly drunk, man cradle style and trying to maneuver him into a car. I can see the driver laughing hysterical as I walk past and then the drunk man falls out of the car, onto the sidewalk.
Two blocks away, as I walk past what looks like spilled water on the sidewalk, I hear a bum start to yell about it. "ALRIGHT! WHAT THE HELL HAPPENED HERE? WHOEVER DID THIS BETTER DIE OF PROSTATE CANCER!!" Sounds like someone needs a chill pill to me.