Wednesday, Jul. 21, 2004
Wednesday, the day off, posted at 5:35 p.m.
Epiphany in Baltimore has moved to epiphanyinbaltimore.blogspot.com Eating sushi last night with Tuesdays coming, Seadragon, Eebmore, Curious Lee and family, and Textureslut was fun. I did my best to toe the observer/participant line, never the center of attention, but every time I felt like I wanted to contribute to the conversation, I was able to. The Baltimore Bloggers are a nice, laid-back group filled with genuinely nice and interesting people. After the sushi dinner, Eebmore, Seadragon, and I went to Dougherty's Pub, which I enjoyed for its cheap beer prices (although I didn't actually pay for anything... I'll owe a round next time out) and eclectic crowd.About the sushi... I loved it. I'm still a little ignorant about it all, but we tried this crab and cucumber roll that was incredible. I will say that, not being a purist, I still like it a little colder than it is when served at a restaurant, but that's because I like things that mix coldness and spiciness.
I tell you what, though, it's just nice to get out in the city in different ways than I'm used to. Every time I do something like this, I realize how little I know about Baltimore. There are still throngs of restaurants I've never been to, still whole areas of the city that I haven't explored. I like doing adventurous things, but often I find myself lapsing into being a creature of habit and just doing my usual routine. There are some positive aspects of that, yes, but part of me is also pained that I know the White Marsh Business District, which is cool but could be in Grand Rapids or Columbia or Pensacola or anywhere else in the country, better than, say, Mt. Vernon or Mt. Washington here in B-more.
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Speaking of busting out of my creature of habit mode, I did two things today that I've never done before.
1. I bought a plane ticket for myself. Unbelievably, Northwest has an $85 deal from Reagan National to Lansing Airport. It's brand new. I just have to figure out how to get to Reagan National using the Marc Train and the metro system from Baltimore. I hope it'll be as easy as I think it is. The plane doesn't take off until 5:30pm, so I've left myself plenty of time to screw up if necessary.
2. I bought a new suit. My first ever suit. It was so cool walking into Men's Warehouse - in what effectively was an impulse decision - and being waited on hand and foot. I got a good deal on the suit, and then was totally upsold on all the accessories. I decided that this was okay, as I knew it was happening. I'm a salesperson's dream come true; I go for almost everything hook, line, and sinker, and am often too polite to refuse things. Still, I don't regret buying the suit. Or the new shirt, tie, belt, handkerchief, or shoes. All guys my age need a suit. I have two weddings to go to on Saturday, so it was time.