(no subject)

[deckardcanine]

Last week, in my quest for a group home, I replied to a Craig's List ad and got some suggested times to visit. Only after some days did I start to wonder at the fact that those times were expressed as "1600 hours" and the like. I finally asked the correspondent (who happens to share my first name) if he was in the military or just liked that kind of talk. He identified himself as an "xmarine." This had to be the same guy who used to start his ever-repeating ads with "self-employed xmarine," which must have kept turning people off, including me. Either that, or his standards for a roommate are hard to fulfill. I decided that the politest way to cancel the visit without lying was to say that I had just learned something and thought it best to call the deal off, adding, "Best luck to both of us in our searches, OK?" His response: "10-4."

I'm very glad I asked in time.

But there's also some good news regarding my search. One advertiser got back to me saying that her deal with the landlady fell through, but she'd be interested in looking for an apartment together with me. I must be getting better at these emails, because she said I sounded "really cool." (Has anyone said that of me before?) My parents noted that she might have sent the same message to all applicants, but further correspondence indicates that I stand apart from any others. When I asked for more information about her, the many details she gave all sounded good to me. We've arranged to meet at Mark's Kitchen for dinner tonight. According to Google, that's an all-vegetarian restaurant. A plus she neglected to mention!

EDIT: I was mistaken about Mark's Kitchen. The menu is about half vegetarian, as is the woman with whom I dined.