Make Mine Mike

Had dinner w/AJ last night, at the same place we met last August, when he was on his annual So Cal visit. Good Italian food -- I think I had the same dish as last year, too. But they were out of chianti, so we had our fra diablo liver and fava beans with some white wine.

Don't have much new to report on the guy, he's still the same lovable goofball as always... Leaner, maybe wiser, definitely less paranoid.

No, wait, that last one was me.

When AJ said he wanted to meet me last year, I started having concerns about insane internet stalkers. So left word with the authorities as to his ISP, filled out my donor card and kept a heavy-duty staple gun in my pocket.

I didn't get into this to make friends, but in this full year -- bookended by the goateed guy with the Tennessee twang -- I've hung out with, if I counted right, 17 bloggers. Granted, i got together with over a half-dozen locals two weeks ago, but several I've met several times... I'll post pics of another half dozen from last week soon.

Look what you started, AJ.

Yeah, you.