The World of Stuff .com

Out and about

On Sunday, my mom drove me to the airport. I can’t remember the last time I had been so nervous. I was about to meet Natasha, my friend whom I’d met online and had known for almost four years. I knew we would get along well, as we always had, but I was still nervous. A good kind of nervous.

I stood around by the baggage claims, expecting to meet her there. But I could see her coming from far away; it was unmistakably her. She had always been an idea to me: words, pictures, the occasional sounds. But here she was: a real live person in 3-D.

When we stepped outside, the first thing she noticed was the heat. She had come from her hometown of Thunder Bay, Ontario, with a layover in Toronto. But once she took off her sweater, the heat was a little more bearable, and the car ride home was cool enough.

One of the first things we did when we got home was walk to the drug store and the grocery store to buy some postcards and stamps. It was a short walk there and back, but we needed to cool down after that, so we went in the pool. Kevin came over, and after we had homemade pizza for dinner, he, my sister, and I played the Beatles Monopoly game that Natasha had given me. Natasha’s not too much of a Monopoly player (Monopolist?) so she just watched. She was also really tired, so she went to bed early.

She was sleeping in my room, so I slept on the futon in my dad’s office. As I stared at the ceiling, I suddenly remembered the last time I had slept there: in 1997, when we had just moved in. Now that we’re about to move out, it brought back memories.

I woke up early on Monday. Natasha and Kristen slept in. My mom had the day off from work, so she could take us around and stuff. After a slow start to the day, Natasha and I went to the ritzy Town Center Mall in Boca Raton. Natasha had made a list of the stores she wanted to visit. She also bought a lot of stuff. I mean a lot. I can hardly stand going shopping with my sister, but I enjoyed the day out with Natasha. It was fun to spend time with her.

After having tacos for dinner at home, Kristen and I went to the beach with Natasha and our friend Nathalie. Natasha had wanted to see the Deerfield Beach pier at night, but we figured we could also go into the water for a bit. It was Natasha’s first time in the ocean, and she was excited. She also had to figure out how to deal with all the salt water getting into her eyes, a skill I take for granted. After that, we moseyed to the pier and stayed there for a little while, enjoying the view.

Next, we went to Mizner Park, a small, fancy shopping area in Boca Raton. It was late, so most everything was closed, but it was nice to hang out there. We went to the frozen yogurt place where Nathalie works, and she was able to score us some discounted frozen yogurt.

On Tuesday, we hung out around the house for a while. My friend Andy had come down from Gainesville, and in the late afternoon, he picked up Kristen, Natasha, and me, and we took Natasha on her inaugural visit to Taco Bell. We all love Taco Bell, so it felt like a rite of initiation or something. She liked it too.

Then we went to the IKEA way out by the Everglades. I had never been there, so I was amazed at how big it was. We took lots of pictures of ourselves with the cool rooms. This IKEA, by the way, had two restaurants. They also sold Swedish Fish, the candy. Pretty sure they’re not actually Swedish, but I’m sure lots of people would expect them to be there.

Next, we went to Fort Lauderdale and checked out Las Olas Boulevard. After checking out this cool fountain whose jets you can control by moving your hands, we had dinner at The Cheesecake Factory, where we all practically exploded from each eating an entree and a piece of cheesecake. Seriously inadvisable. I would only have one or the other next time. We walked around a bit more, checking out the shops, but most of them were closed. It was still nice to walk around, though.

Today, my friend Nick took Natasha and me to Hooters for lunch. Every time I’m here, and only when I’m here, the guys take me there for lunch. Natasha had never been to a Hooters, and she didn’t seem to mind going even though I probably should. Our friend Mike joined us at the restaurant, and after having lunch there, Nick took Natasha and me back home, where we’ve been chillaxing since then. The adventures will continue soon.