Two weeks ago, my Ex wrote me:
"I'm not responsible for your reputation. It speaks for itself. You have turned into a bitter bitchy queen. You used to be fun and charming. You have let this competitive edge rule your life and it has damaged your relationships."
I would be lying if I said it didn't profoundly affect me. There have been similar whispers about my attitude from other quarters. Chirps here and there. My stubborn male pride bristles at any suggestion that I'm a douche.
An inner voice seethes and hisses, "master... they are jealous (and squishy!)... don't heed their warnings!" Then there is my heart still heavily guarded and under house arrest. It's the only sane part of me. It pleads, "It's not too late to turn away from the Dark Side! There is still time to heal the hole in your soul!"
The Louisville Trip would provide a perfect test of... Can I get along well with others in a non-competitive environment? On the surface, it was a risky trip filled with potential for great disappointment. Most of the people I was meeting were strictly Facebook friends whom I had never met.
THE TRIP:
I checked into my hotel at the Museum 21 C. It is a posh downtown hotel worthy of a Queen. My room was large with a great view, king sized bed, and a nice bathroom. The turn down service every day was appreciated, because I never had to worry about running out of fresh towels. Everybody knows or should know that I take frequent showers.
On the first day, I met up with owned bud Chad. He has a wonderful sense of humor in both the Facebook world and real world. We ate at a Qdoba Mexican Grill in Bardstown and had good conversation. From there, Chad took me around to see the gorgeous Cherokee Park and Cave Hill Cemetary.
I was passed off to the friendly couple of Chris and Chris (not pictured) where they introduced me to the wonderful chrisandwich. It was quite delicious! We eventually reconnected with Chad and his Daddy Bill, where we ate at the Irish Rover and had drinks at the Q (home bar of the delightful Casey Leek and singing cartwheel legend J.Buttons).On Friday, Casey and I dueled on the tennis courts. I was whipping his ass in each set, before he would stage amazing comebacks. We ended up splitting our sets 7-6,6-7 and called it a "tie" so neither one of us would pout on the drive back. See... I can sometimes put the greater good ahead of my own blood lust for winning!
It was on Saturday that I would meet SUPER NERD Brian again after a fateful Southern Decadence meeting with his partner Donald a few years ago. Brian has a penchant for embarrassing you with really witty illustrations on your Facebook page:
I was dragged and forced to GEEK OUT with Chad and Brian at a Star Trek Exhibit:
On Saturday night, I went to a fabulous party with Bill, Chad, and Brian where I met some very friendly Kentucky boys and a WOOFY West Virginian named Alex:
After socializing, drinking, and making mischief, we ended the night at Tryangles and The Connection where I lost track of how many people I slobbered over. Bill and Chad must think I am super slutty when drinking. LOL.
By Sunday, I was totally exhausted and flew back home to Louisiana. Thank you, Louisville for renewing my spirit and teaching me that happiness can exist outside of a tennis court. I look forward to seeing you guys soon... at IML in Chicago. :)
