We are busy preparing here for my parents’ visit next week, mostly getting the guest bedroom up to snuff, because if you know Dick and Marcie they are five-star all-the-way kinda people who won’t settle for us just throwing a rug on the carpet for them to sleep on. So we’re fancying the room up with a bed with a frame, shelves, electricity, the whole nine yards.

Amidst our cleaning out of the guest room, we listed some bar stools and an old IKEA table on Craigslist. I was waiting after work yesterday for a fellow named Luis to show up and pick up the stools, when I got a call from him saying he was having trouble finding our building. I went downstairs with the dog and waited in the parking lot for him so I could flag him down, when I saw a car very slowly putz around the lot, stopping awkwardly occasionally. Surely that must be the guy, slowing down to look at the building numbers. He passed by our unit and stopped at the mail room for a few seconds when I received a phone call from Luis. Again, I figured this car at the mail room had to be the guy, so rather than even acknowledge the phone call, I just hung up and tapped on the car window and asked the Hispanic fellow in the drivers seat if he, Luis, had just tried calling me. “Did I just try calling you?” he asked, very perplexed. “No, I don’t know you” he said. He then proceeded to get his mail and drive off.  Needless to say I made a fool of myself in front of some guy who lives at our complex (which is not the first time that’s happened recently, as Lauren can attest to). But Luis eventually came by and bought the stools.

The other time was a few weeks ago when I was in the fitness room. A portly African-American fellow barged in out of breath, asking to use my phone as his friend had just driven off with his phone sitting on top of his car. I obliged, and the guy thanked me and introduced himself as Ray. Several days later, while out for a walk with Lauren and Baxter, I saw a familiar face in the parking lot, unloading some groceries. “Hey, Ray!” I shouted. No response. “Ray, how’s it going! It’s me!” Naturally that guy was not Ray.

Nevertheless, we are excited to have our first true guests visit us. Dan Jaker also visited last summer, but was in town primarily for another reason so I can’t really count that.