Spontaneous Socialization

I spontaneously went out for drinks last night. I know, on a work night! The first time I met Mark was at the DFWblogs happy hour a couple weeks ago though we didn't talk much at the time. We ended up emailing yesterday evening and just went out.

So tonight, I met Mark at the Elbow Room which ends up being this delicious little out of the way pub. It was his choice and a mighty fine one! I arrived late which is no surprise to me but quite possibly an annoyance to him. We didn't talk formally about my tardiness so I'm not sure how he feels. Some people don't mind, whereas others get completely infuriated. It's not something that bothers me personally, but I'm always at least 10-15 minutes late when going to social functions. (Work is a different story so I always arrive on time.) I guess I was a bit concerned on the drive over that Mark would be yet another person that I sortof enjoyed (I guess "sortof enjoyed" should be defined someday) but didn't really connect with on anything. Yeah, he's got a blog...yeah, he does computer work...blah, blah...but that's not enough for me to really like someone and want to spend time with them again. Maybe I'm too picky. But Mark ended up being on a level much higher than "sortof enjoyed."

We talked about life histories and jobs and family and art. Mark is thoughtful. Mark is able to have a serious conversation. (Which is such a relief after hanging out with so many constantly sarcastic folks.) Mark is honest. We talked about growing up and college and relationships and travel. We talked a lot about travel. It was so enjoyable a conversation that I ignored my watch and ended up staying an hour later than intended. Which is going to make today a long day.

I wish I could have written down the way Mark talked about his experience at an art Museum yesterday. He was so passionate about what he saw and what he felt and what he thought. It's been way too long since I've interacted with someone who is thoughtful and can vocalize it. Our conversation about St. Peter's and the Vatican was much the same way. Especially when talking about our experiences in those places. It was really a surprisingly fulfilling conversation...with a perfect stranger. The whole evening was perfect for my mood - the bar, the conversation, the drinks, the music - right down to the rain that urged us quickly into our cars.