It’s been a fun-filled couple of days in the life of Jason.

1. On Tuesday, I had a delightful evening at Kava House that culminated in drinks at Applebees with Jen, Becca, Steph, and Nathan.  They’re a nice group of young people, and the conversation was pleasant.  Steph and Nathan are recently engaged, and they’re about the cutest couple I think I’ve seen in a long time.
2. On Thursday, I met a new fellow named Edmund.  He’s 29, 6’5″, and a swimmer with the build to match.  He works as a substitute teacher and server.  After some enjoyable conversation, we agreed to a little spontaneity — that very afternoon, we had a picnic lunch in Grand Haven, along the channel.  We did a lot of walking, a lot of talking, and I got to watch him spill his ice cream all over himself.  It was a blast. 
3. On Friday, I had lunch with Shannon — always a treat — and got some stuff done in the office.  After work, I dropped Becca off at the airport and then met my mom for her birthday dinner at Beltline Bar; after that, we went to the store to get some cupcakes so we could have a little party for my mom at Brian and Candace’s place, at my little nephew’s behest.  Later, Edmund and I went to see Mirrors, a new horror flick, at Celebration North.  We then went to Monte’s to see one of his friends, then to the Apartment for a nightcap.  I suddenly remembered why I don’t like venues like Monte’s — too busy, too loud, too much unconstrained testosterone being excreted by walking slabs of meat who only think with their smaller heads.
4. On Saturday, I took Edmund to Vermontville (Michigan’s own little throwback to Laramie, a one-stoplight town filled with hicks) to see my dear friend Tony’s lead performance in “A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum.”  It was a blast — the performance was a riot, and well-done to boot.  I was genuinely impressed with the production, and the acting/singing, especially from ol’ T-Bone.  After the show, Tony, Jen, Jon, Emilie, Tracy, Teri, Edmund and I went to a little bar for horrible service but the most delicious homemade pizza I’ve enjoyed in a long time.  

In other news, I learned today that my friend Duane has confirmed that he’s going to Korea to teach.  He wasn’t able to find a job in his field in the United States, so he’s returning to the RoK to provide language instruction.  As always, I wish him the very best.

Oh, and about running — it’s even easier when I bump up my pace to 7.4 mph.  That’s almost an eight-minute mile, sustained.