Recently, I have found my social calender filled beyond capacity. For me, going out on a Friday and a Saturday is busy. I usually don't go out at all. The last couple of weeks have found me interacting socially more often. I don't know what this means. It makes me think. Instead of enjoying myself for what it is. I start to ponder on things that were said and how they affect me personally. I don't know if it should be an issue. I try not to dwell on anything. I hate that I'm letting this get to me. That being said, I did have a bit of fun this weekend.
Slowly but surely, I'm making Franklin's my hangout spot. It's a neighborhood restaurant and brewery here in Hyattsville. I love the food, especially the onion rings. Their beers are quite good as well. I also love that they display their brewery kettles. You can even reserve a table in the room where the beer is brewed. For me the best part is the fact that the restaurant is in the building that once housed Hyattsville Hardware. They kept a lot of the signs and walls to pay homage to yesteryear. They also have a general store attached that sells gifts, novelties, local beer and wines. It's a true "one stop shop"
My wife, daughter, and a cousin and I headed over for a nice family supper. The place was packed. When we were seated I quickly realized that there was a problem. I barely fit in the booth. I switched sides and had a bit more clearance. I really need to get back to my sporty ways and healthier eating. Once I got settled in, we ordered. I order their peppercorn hanger steak. It was juicy and cooked just right. It was a bit peppery, I would ask them to go light on the pepper next time. I had to have an order of their beer battered onion rings on the side. Some of the rings were larger then the appetizer plate I ate them off. We had a nice time. I tried to keep up with conversation, even though I felt uncomfortable at times. Not sure why I did. I guess I still have unresolved issues I'm dealing with inside.
Afterward we ended up back at home and played Trivial Pursuit Genius III edition. It's amazing the random things the average person knows. I was lucky , because one of my questions was about Nicaraguan politics. One question managed to stump me so bad, and the worst part was I knew who the person was and everything they were in, but could not remember his name. It was a question about who played Jim Malone in The Untouchables. I saw his face, remembered every movie he had been in. I sat there for 20 minutes blank, my cousin even played the 007 theme on his phone. I was mad because he was my favorite James Bond. Sean Connery was the last name that came to mind.
Later in the evening one of my "brothers" came through with a friend. We all had a bunch of laughs. We were supposed to be playing a board game. Instead drank beer and shared anecdotes until 2 in the morning. It was nice to have people over. I think sometimes our home needs laughter and fun in it. You don't realize how much a good laugh does for the health of your soul. I love the people in my life, and it's the impromptu gatherings that make the best memories.
This morning I was determined to get up early and go to the Washington Auto Show. In years past I had the intentions to go to it and never actually did. My brother and his family have gone over past couple of years. We started our journey on the Metro. It's the line I ride to work so it felt like a work day at first, except I was with my ladies. When we arrived I was surprised to see how close the station was to the Convention Center. I knew it was nearby, but we literally walked off the escalator and into the Convention Center. We bought tickets, checked our coats and looked for the entrance. Just across from the entrance they had a display case with genuine antique tin toy cars. Some were from the turn of the century. They also had other automotive themed toys from years ago. I wanted to take all those toys home.
Inside it was a world of automotive wonder. All the lights shining off the metallic hand buffed paint jobs. Tall displays with company logos. You knew which were the concept cars and new releases because they were on huge turntables surrounded by a barrier. They were also flanked by spokes models wearing a headset for presentations. Everyone walking around with reusable bags filled with pamphlets emblazoned with Toyota and Scion logos. My wife was actually shopping. I was impressed by a couple of cars. They were sporty and small. Sort of a dream car for me. Enough room for one, and fast. There first was the new VW Beetle Turbo in red with black accents. It was dynamite. It even had a spoiler and red and black rims. My other pick was a Ford Focus race car. It had a roll cage and one seat. It had a cool white with blue and green accent paint job.
My other dream cars were American Muscle. I checked out the blue Ford Shelby Cobra Mustang. It looked like a beast. The best part for me was the Shelby written across the back with the Cobra medallion in the rear emblem. My other dream car muscle came by way of the Dodge Challenger SRT8 392 Yellow Jacket. It was black yellow and beautiful. Then the thrill level went up 100 notches.
What's better then the new Mustang and Challenger? A vintage Mustang Shelby and a vintage Challenger. The Mustang was black and red. It had the shutter on the rear winddow and chromed everywhere. I was in love. Directly behind it was a black Challenger with two white stripes. I wanted to clone myself and drag race against myself driving both cars at the same time. The crazy part is the vintage cars were also for sale. Some had been sold. The Challenger was stickered at $79,000 reduced from $115,000. Another cool area was the Washington Mustang Car Club collection. They had Mustangs ranging from the 50's up to the 90's. My wife and I loved a sea foam green rag top mustang from 1975. It was like nothing I had ever seen.
The day was full of cool things that I may never see again or ever dream of owning. The best part was spending the day with my two favorite people in the world. I love my wife and daughter more then I can show. If it were up to me I would have bought them any car they like today. I actually saw it as a fantasy shopping trip. Every car I saw, I thought of someone who would love it and how I would buy it for them. My dad would have gotten a Mini Cooper and a Mercedes Benz station wagon. Even though I don't have the means to purchase any of these fancy vehicles I enjoyed seeing, touching and experiencing them with my family.
As we waited for the train. I got that sinking feeling again. That nagging concern that lingers in the back of my mind. I want to shake it and tell myself that it doesn't matter. I have to let go and move on. It will make me sick and make me hard to be around. Nothing is worse then holding on to something that you can't change or control. Take a deep breath and let it go.
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