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Sunday, January 20, 2013

Good food, old friends and good memories.

     Back in my insane days at Troy State University in Troy, Alabama I had several very good friends who shared some pretty amazing adventures with me.  You have heard me talk about one of them before (Wave at everyone Benjy) but another one was a madman I call TC.  We attended SCA (Society for Creative Anachronism) events together and just generally hung out together.  (He is one of the few people who has seen me running around in full Tartan in freezing weather and not been driven catatonic from the sight of my extremely hairy legs.)  Like most of that circle of friends, after we graduated we drifted apart. 
     Fast forward 20+ years and the magic of Facebook and the Interwebz.  I reconnect with a dozen or so friends from that time and friendships are renewed.  (Wave folks I am talking about you.)  Now except for the aforementioned Benjy (See above), I hadn't managed to physically reconnect with any of them.  We decide to go on Vacation to our condo in Orlando (Yes I own a condo and a nice one too) and I mention it on FB.  Turn out TC lives just minutes away from the restaurant that my wife wants to visit.   So we make arrangements to meet there, eat and get to know each other.  What followed was an amazing two hours. 
     First of all, if you have not tried BD's Mongolian Grill then you really need too.  The food is fantastic, the prizes are reasonable and the service is excellent!  We ate there with me going back for a second bowl plus drinks soups and salads for about $25.00.  The people bend over backwards to be entertaining too.  It is worth the visit.
     Second, I got to spend two hours introducing my wife to an old friend.  We regaled her with stories from our college days that ranged from computer pranks to a man running up someone's door shield.  During that time, I realized that despite 20+ years, I still knew this man as well as I did back when.
     By the time we were done, I was about as happy as a guy could get.  I felt 25 all over again for at least a short time and I knew that a friendship I forged decades ago was still strong.  If that is not an excellent vacation event, then I don't know what is.  I sit here later in the evening drinking coffee from my awesome new Disney mug with a big grin on my face.  Thanks TC.