December 9th, 2017

Today started out with a dizzy spell while I was waiting at the bus stop. Fortunately I could sit down and hold on and no one would notice. It didn't last very long, to be honest it's the most normal attack I think I've had since August. Not they're ever normal, but especially with that last one being so bad, it was nice to just be dizzy for a moment and be done with it.

It wasn't as busy at work as it was yesterday, but one could hardly tell. People are excited about the new exhibit, and that's great. Makes me sad that I missed it on Thursday when they walked the employee's through. Makes me look forward to seeing it next Thursday with Candace that much more.

Speaking of Candace, she's been trying out texting. I can't tell though if she's already picked up the internet lingo that quickly, or if she's just a really bad speller. I can make a guess, considering her seeming inability to use technology, but I don't want to be unfair to her. She does want to get out again and has asked to go back to the gym. But she's still a little nervous about using Public Transportation and wants me to be there with her. Which is fine, take her a few more times to get comfortable with it, and then I'll start to insist that she meet me at the gym.

Anyway, after work I met up with Hal and while he drove I made contact with Max so we could make it all to the same restaurant. Max was hoping for pizza, so we hit up Hops & Pie. Hal was more interested in trying some of their beers, but Max and I found some of their offered toppings to be a source of curiosity. Mashed potatoes on pizza? We ended up trying and it was actually pretty good.

First order of business though was to compare notes. Unfortunately since both Max and Hal were working on final projects and studying for finals, they hadn't had time to really pay attention to anything else. Even The Illuminati was giving Hal space to study, but then his schooling was now kinda his job. That left me to fill them in on what I'd found, which wasn't much. I told about the research I'd done on Melia the other day, and about looking into DIA. Hal said Tim was so concerned with the tree that he wasn't sure Tim even remembered the airport.

With so little else to mention, I just moved on to asking Max if she wanted to see Star Wars next week. She was thrilled, even said she'd met a cute guy recently and it'd be perfect to do a double date. That made Hal and I feel better. I at least know what it's like to be the fifth wheel, so I was worried Max wouldn't want to come.

So conversation devolved into talking about Max's new friend, and taking Candace to the gym the other day. Both Max and Hal had to laugh at Candace's crack about Sam lifting a bus, but we all had to agree, he just about looks like he could. I also mentioned bringing Candace to see the new exhibit on Thursday and asked if Max had some free time during the day to join us. She was certainly interested, but she wasn't sure she could swing it. Hal will be there, but he'll also be working. I was hoping if we went mid day Hal might be able to swing lunch with us and Max'd have a lunch break she could use. Hal we can catch, but probably not Max, not with finals going on.

Max had to cut things short, said something about trying to get some studying in with her new friend. With her taking off, it gave Hal and I a chance to chat. So I asked him about seeing the Botanic Gardens sometime in the next month or so. It didn't take much convincing, he's never been anyway, but I did remind him that Melia worked there. Maybe we can bump into her.

December 8th, 2017

Hal kissed me today.

It was really just a quick peck on the cheek, but... he kissed me today.

We've been spending a lot of time together, and having a lot of fun. But we haven't been exploring that side of the relationship. I think we've both been a bit scared of it, worried how it might change things. At least, I have. I don't know about Hal, so I can't speak for him. It was just such a spur of the moment thing, almost thoughtless. Maybe that's why he did it, not thinking, just acting. It's definitely a good thing, and if it was so thoughtless it shows a comfort he feels towards me. That's a good thing, right?

I suppose context helps.

Today was crazy busy. Of course it was the Grand Opening of the full Egypt exhibit, complete with Nephmesu. The staff had had a chance to go through it yesterday after the soft opening with the museum donors. Sadly I missed that, I had thought they might allow us to go through this morning before opening the doors. But there was a line of people outside that looked like it might go all the way around the park. So we had to be ready with everything, all the way down to extra ticket paper and ink pads.

I don't think I've taken so many guests is such a short time. It didn't end either, the managers started realizing that they wouldn't be able to spare any of us for lunch, so they had to step in and let us out one by one.

It meant that a few of us got lunch early, but most of us got lunch late. Including me. And Hal was super busy as well, I think he had aimed his lunch for when I normally go. It meant that when I sat down for lunch, it was alone. Well, almost, the cafeteria was so full I had to ask a family if I could sit with them. A couple and their kid, who was just so cute. He left to use the bathroom with his dad for a bit there, which gave me a chance to talk to the mother. She was thrilled to be there, very excited to see the Mummy. She had wanted to go the last time we'd had Tutankhamen but got sick and missed it. So this was a treat for her as much as anything.

Anyway, when the father and son came back, the father had wrapped his kid up in toilet paper so the kid could be a mummy, just like "Neff Me Soup." He was adorable.

So while I was enjoying lunch, Hal showed up quickly and bent over my shoulder to say sorry that he'd missed me. He was super busy and wouldn't be able to stay, but he was hoping we could met up after work. I accepted, and then he gave me a peck on the cheek before leaving.

After work we made our way to Annie's just to be able to sit and talk. Hal was looking forward to the The Last Jedi since it'll be released next week and was wondering if I wanted to see it. Stupid question, of course I do! His thought was to go on Saturday when normally we'd have dinner, like we had last time. Which is fine by me, but I reminded him that Max was probably looking forward to our usual dinner conversation. He was happy to extend an invite for her to join us, even with my offered "are you sure?"  So we'll talk to her tomorrow when we do get together.

The awkward silence crept up on us though, and I think we were both thinking the same thing. Hal finally asked if he'd made things weird. I said no, it was just unexpected. He wanted to make sure I was okay with it, which I was, I am. So he asks if it'd be okay if he did it again? I said not without a proper kiss to establish that we are now kissing. He responded saying he'll try to surprise me at the appropriate time. And I thanked him.

December 7th, 2017

I think all in all, I'd have to say today was successful. Especially since I didn't get anywhere near as much blow back from Sam as I thought I might.

This morning as I was getting around, I got to thinking about how Candace is stuck at home. I knew I wanted to invite her to go to the museum with me, but I kinda felt she needed more freedom to be about to get around when she wants. With my dizzy spells, I can easily get into the position she's in, not being able to go anywhere. I can't drive, and not having people around who know me can make it even more stressful when I have a dizzy spell. Public transportation is something of a life saver for me. The trick is for me to get to know the drivers and people around me, especially on routs that I take often. I'm not an outgoing person, and so that last bit is the hardest part for me. But I've learned a lot putting myself out there, and I've met some neat and kind people. Some of them I see often, and I can trust that if I have a dizzy spell I'll be fine with them around.

So when Sam called this morning to apologize that he was running late, I told him I'd just hop on the bus and not to worry about it. It sounded like he was feeling bad about that, and I practically had to remind him that this is how I normally get around. But it did set in my mind that I needed to get Candace to know how to do this.

Before I set out, I called Candace to let her know what was going on. Sam must have just called her as well, 'cause she said she'd just got off the phone with him saying the same thing. She seems to really have taken to the phone, she doesn't hesitate like she used to and sounds more natural answering. The other nice thing about public transportation is that it gives me time to think, and on my way to her place I was thinking it was time to reintroduce her to cell phones.

When I got to her place, she had her hot chocolate waiting for me as she had last time. Her coco is the perfect thing on a cold winter day. While I sipped the coco and warmed up, I bounced my thoughts off her. Candace was hesitant, and I won't say it didn't frustrate me but it is still her decision and I have to respect that. But mostly it sounded like she just wanted Sam's permission, as much as anything so that he knew what was going on. I can understand that, so I didn't try to fight it or be subversive about it. Instead I used it as a learning chance and offered her to use my cell to call Sam.

I think Candace appreciated that, and it showed when we finally called Sam. Knowing that we'd be taking his time, I texted him first to say we wanted to talk and that when he has a moment he should text us and let us know. He immediately responded by asking if everything was okay, so I let him know that I was showing Candace how to use my cell and that we didn't want to bother him if he was still busy. He thanked me and asked me to give him a bit, and after a moment he texted back saying he was good.

It took Candace a few tries, but she finally got him dialed and called. Sam answered and then waited patiently while I showed Candace how to put him on speaker. I made sure to apologize for how long this was all taking. Sam said he had just finished with his client and would only now have been able to come get me anyway, so he had time now. I let Candace ask, and she explained that I was offering to take her to the gym and then to go get her a cell of her own. Sam said he could come pick us up, but he'd only have time to go shopping for a phone. Candace explained that she wanted to learn how to use public transportation like I do, and that she wanted to go to the gym.

And this was where I was expecting Sam to blow up at us. To be honest, he did resist, and I think he was trying very carefully to response thoughtfully. It was nice to see him try, and I appreciated that even as I didn't appreciate him shooting us down. What I wasn't expecting was for Candace to put her foot down. I figured once he said no, she'd accept it without argument. Candace countered him saying she'd be with me, and with my phone we could call him if needed. In no uncertain terms, she said "I want to do this." If I thought Sam was going to blow up before, you can imagine what I thought he'd do now. But no, he actually paused, and I don't think he was happy about it, but he relented. He didn't push the issue, and my jaw just about hit the floor.

He said, "Okay," and then asked what our plans were, where we'd go first. I said we'd probably hit the gym first just to get out and get our blood flowing. And then make our way to the mall where we could shop around for a cell phone. He said alright, and that he'd meet us at the gym so he could give us his card so we could buy a phone and to pay for any expenses along the way. The interesting thing was, he said he'd gone and put Candace's name on his credit account. That way she could use his card to pay for things and her signature would be accepted. He told us to be careful, and to avoid down town. He didn't say it, but obviously he was still adamant that Candace should go nowhere near the tree. I wasn't planning that at all anyway, so it was good he didn't say it out right. With that understanding, he told us to take care and asked us to think about what we wanted for dinner and to let him know.

After we hung up, both Candace and I looked at each other for a moment. I think we were both wondering if we were dreaming or something. Finally she smiled that mischievous smile of her's and we both cheered. I congratulated her on standing up to him, and made sure to recognize that I knew she felt protected by him. She thanked me and then we set about getting ready to leave.

We had gone shopping for her back in late summer. It hadn't really started to get cold yet so we hadn't thought about getting her winter clothing. She had practical clothing, she just didn't have a coat or anything like that. So we raided Eli's stuff and found something that'd work. It was still much too large, but it didn't look bad on her. Just made her look a little homeless. Knowing that we'd be going tubing in a few weeks though, this was a good chance to get her some winter clothing. So it worked out.

On the way to the gym I explained how I visited there regularly. It gave me a safe place to go where the staff knew me in case I had any dizzy spells. That during the summer, when Max was free we'd go to the park and jog every so often. The gym was still a good place to go, not just for the track, but to get in some weight lifting every now and then. I did make sure to text Sam to let him know which gym, where it was, and then again to let him know we were getting close. I was able to get Candace in on a visitor pass, so we didn't need his card then. And when Sam did show up, Candace happily greeted him and thanked him. Sam for his part didn't show any resentment or displeasure, in fact he made sure to be supportive and thanked me for helping Candace.

By this point I had already been texting Hal, and he had suggested that we meet up after he gets out of work and we could go to dinner. So while Sam was there I mentioned that, saying he and Hal could meet us and we could all get dinner. Then afterward he could take Candace home and I'd go with Hal. Sam said it sounded good, so after he left I hashed out details between him and Hal through texts.

Candace really seemed to like the gym, and with as cooped up as she'd been she seemed to need the exercise. She's fast, and she's got some stamina. I was winded after my normal laps, she could just keep going. Of course, being a professional dancer, she should be. After the track we did some lifting. She lifted as much as I do. We didn't push to see how much she could lift, but she was happy with what she did. As we were cleaning up I wondered aloud how much Sam could lift. She joked that as big as he was, he could probably pick up the bus we'd rode down here.

While we were there, we did get her some work out clothes, and a bag. Since she was only visiting and we weren't going straight home, we put her stuff in my locker and would decide what to do with it later. Though it sounds like she might start joining me, in which case we'll need to get her her own locker.

After that we went to the mall. We needed to get her some winter clothes as mentioned, and a proper coat. We even found a few things for me, which she insisted that she pay for. I figured I'd just talk to Sam and pay him back later. That took longer than expected, and Hal was joining us before we even got Candace a cell. It was a good thing though, while he took our bags back to his jeep we got Candace a phone.

Candace was very excited about her new phone, and she wanted one just like mine. Given her difficulties with technology, it's way more than she needs. But with time we might be able to teach her how to use some of the other features. For now, I made sure to program in my number and Sams, my parents just in case, and then Max and Hal's since she knows them. I had her program in a few of the numbers so she'd know how, and then recommended that she get her in-laws numbers on her own. She didn't want to, and I understand, but I told her that firstly it'd be good practice for anyone whose number she might want in the future. But secondly, and more importantly, even if they don't want to talk, this way they can and that's always important. Thirdly though, especially if they are being abusive, having their number means you can block it. That point she liked.

Sam meet us at the restaurant as we were finishing up getting numbers in the phone, and that gave Candace someone to show off to. We had a great time, Hal told us about everything going on with Nephmesu and getting him settled permanently. That actually reminded me to ask Candace if she wanted to see the new exhibit with me next week, which she was thrilled to do. Sam asked if he could come too, a little too bashfully than he needed to I think. We assured him he'd be more than welcome, though I did make sure to mention that I wanted Candace to get more familiar with public transportation. So next week Sam will meet us at the Museum, we'll go later in the day so that we can meet up with Hal as he's getting off work. And then after that we can get something to eat again. Sam is insisting on cooking next week. I do think he enjoys that.

Like I said, it was a successful day. Before we split up from the restaurant, Sam made sure to take me aside. He seemed like there was a lot he wanted to say, and it made me a little nervous to be honest. I don't know if he decided not to say, or if he couldn't find the words. Either way, he finally simply thanked me. I took the chance then to explain that Candace had insisted on paying for the things we bought me, and promised to pay Sam back. Sam shook his head and asked me to let him pay, that it was the least he could do. After the hard time I'd given him over our tickets and everything for the vacation, I still feel uncomfortable letting him spend that much money on me. But I know he does want to do something nice, and apparently he can afford it. So this time I relented and thanked him.

As always though, the weekend comes to an end and work starts anew. I'm not looking forward to tomorrow. Hal said everything with the exhibit is in order, so I'm not worried about that. What I'm worried about is the mass of people who are going to be there for the grand opening. I'm sure most will be good and patient, but all it takes is one who lets their impatience run away with them and it'll ruin the rest of the day. With that many people, there'll be someone who can't handle themselves.

December 6th, 2017

It's strange, today was the first day in a long while I've felt like nothing was happening. I spent the day doing chores, so it's not like I had nothing to do. It's more like, everything with the tree, and at work getting ready for Nephmesu, there's just been so much going on in the world around me. But today, at least for me, it was just a nice calm day.

That said, Nephmesu was supposed to arrive today. But since it was my day off, that really didn't affect me. If I were at work, I'm sure I'd have been stressed and sick. If stress were a trigger for my attacks, I'd probably have had one today. As for the tree, the standoff continues. It's an unease peace, but peace nonetheless.

I actually spent some time doing some searches on Melia to see if there'd been any more news about her or her attempts to save the tree. There's been some more video's of her meeting with various people. I get the feeling she's acting more like a politician than anything else, but maybe that's what she needs to do. She is trying to influence public opinion and policy, so maybe that'st he route she needs to take. Her own site goes into more detail about either creating a roundabout around the tree, or to extend the park to include the tree and move the intersection all together. Even the site admits that the later option is unlikely. They seem like reasonable options, I don't know why people are so adamant to kill the tree. They don't just want it moved even though the city did entertain that option, they want it destroyed.

I did go looking into the progress at DIA, out of curiosity about what had happened there. Progress reports seem uneventful, things are generally in order and on time. I was just hoping that there might be more investigation into what had happened in the first place. But it seems now that there's an explanation, even if it doesn't actually fit the video's that we had seen, people are happy to accept it. I'm going to have to ask Hal if The Illuminati has said anything more about it to him. It's a long shot, Tim doesn't seem to tell Hal anything unless he's complaining about what's going on. The rest of the time it's all study this, and read that, and research Melia.

Speaking of which, maybe I can use Hal's assignment to my advantage and we could go visit the gardens sometime. I usually go during the summer, but I hear that visiting in the winter can be pretty spectacular too. I'm kinda curious myself about Melia, but I'm also remembering what I had seen the last time I was there. I know we've got the tubing trip coming up, so I might have to hold off on visiting the gardens till next month. I'll have to suggest that to Hal next time we get together. That may be too late for Tim's liking though. I don't know, but I can ask.

Speaking of Hal. I was hoping that after he got off work, he'd be able to catch up with me and we could do something and I could get a ride home from him. Forgot he had class after work today... So I was out later than usual and wasn't able to catch my usual bus home.

That said, when I did finally get home, Dad was watching the news as usual. There was an interesting story about a Kids MMA event going on this weekend. I know they've got a lot of kids martial arts groups and the like, but mixed martial arts? How does that work? I would've thought it'd take years to master one martial art much less multiple. That doesn't strike me as something kids would have had the time to do. It does look like it'd be fun though. I had always wanted to try martial arts and at least learn some self defense.

Now that I'm thinking about it though, I think the gym offers self defense classes. Good for a workout as well. I'll have to look into when they offer classes next time I'm down there. Won't be tomorrow though, I get to check in on Candace then. Maybe I could mention it to her, it'd be another good excuse to get out. Especially now with Winter on, she doesn't even have her garden to work in. I wonder how Sam would react to that idea?

I guess tomorrow we find out.

December 5th, 2017

Tomorrow's the big day, and we're all feeling it at the museum. We're not sure exactly when Nephmesu will arrive, but when he does everything is going to be put on high alert. The Egypt exhibit will have to be closed off for the rest of the evening. While we haven't publicized Nephmesu's arrival as much as when his exhibit will be opened, we've been getting a lot of people hoping to catch a glimpse of his arrival. Even today they were loitering around the Egypt display and making the guards nervous. In one of John's better ideas, he invited some of the scientists out to give talks and educate those that seemed interested. It worked out great, the loiterers either left or joined in on the lesson.

Hal was looking pretty stressed at lunch today. He said finals were rearing their ugly heads, and with the stress here at work and with Tim, he's feeling the pressure. I asked what was up with Tim, and Hal explained that mostly he was being inconsiderate with the responsibilities he already had. Tim was really pushing him to look into Melia Floros, and seemed all too interested in the growth on the side of the tree. He even wanted Hal to go to the Botanic Gardens and do some snooping there. I echo'd Hal's exasperation by asking when he had the time?

Hal apologized for being a downer, and then again that he'd be distracted over the next few weeks. Between studying for finals, getting projects completed, and staying on top of his work here he's not going to have a lot of spare time. Though it does sound like once Nephmesu gets here some of Hal's workload will be relived.

I offered the wistful thought that if only I had a weekend off, we could take a break for a day and let him rest and recover. He asked what we would do, and I brought up that I still hadn't seen the last season of Supernatural. I couldn't believe Hal had never seen Supernatural. He was at least aware of it, but between school and work, he doesn't have a lot of time. And when he does, he likes being outside. So I asked about his interests in fiction and books and shows. He's a fan of Tolkien, in fact he said when he's out hiking he likes to pretend he's in Middle-Earth. I don't think anything has ever encouraged me to get out and hike more!

Of course, we couldn't talk for much longer since our lunch break was quickly coming to an end. And for all his reasons I didn't see him after work. So I haven't been able to follow up on what he enjoys. I know he likes comics, he'd grown up with them. He enjoys all the movies that have been made and are planned 'cause he loves seeing the comics brought to life on the big screen. But outside the comics, I now only know that he likes The Lord of the Rings. I think he'd like Supernatural, and I did suggest we find time to watch it. I had made a similar suggestion to Candace too. I wonder if we're going to have to do a binge group. I know Max'd be up for it. It might have to wait till the summer though when they're out of school.

With everything that's going on, I have to admit that I'm glad I'll be off tomorrow. But when I get back on Friday, Grand Opening! I'm excited, and terrified.

I need to remember on Thursday when I see Candace, to ask her about coming to the museum. Probably not this week, but maybe next. I know I'd like to be able to see the new exhibit as a guest for a change, and she's been very curious about the museum and what we do.

Speaking of what to remember, I made sure to check the calendar just to look ahead. I hadn't added our tubing trip, so it's on there now. And besides the holidays the only thing I have this month is my dentist appointment next week. I also noticed it's been a week since my last dizzy spell, which means on average I should be having another attack soon. I'll have to take things carefully tomorrow while I'm out running chores.

December 4th, 2017

I should have texted Mom, and I didn't. That's my fault, and I understand. I always get home around a certain time, and when I'm not they start to worry. On Saturdays it's different, but they also know before hand that I'll be out with Hal for dinner. But Hal was being spontaneous and charming, and I just didn't think to text Mom and let her know I'd be out late.

I apologized, and I am sorry.

Hal invited me over to his place, he wanted to cook dinner for me for a change. And he's been here a few times now, but I've never been to his place. He's staying in off campus apartments with some roommates who were kind enough to give us some space. I kinda felt like we were intruding, but I guess that's the way it goes with roommates.

Hal admitted he wasn't the greatest cook, but he knows how to spice up some ramen noodles pretty well. I'll admit, it's not as thrilling as it might be, but I also know how it is to be living on very little. Makes me a bit self conscious about us going out to eat every week. We do go dutch, so he's not paying for me. And like he said, he's not much of a cook. I wish he'd have planned with me ahead of time, we could have made dinner together. I did suggest it though, gently, I didn't want him thinking I was being insulting. I tried to make it sound like it'd be a fun thing we could do together. Which it would, so it's not like I'm lying. Oh God, I'm over-analyzing aren't I? Moving on!

Work was good, it was about as busy as a Monday normally is. It seemed like everyone that came in wanted to see Nephmesu, and if they didn't ask to find out, they complained afterward. It's not like we don't have it posted everywhere that his exhibit will be complete and open on Friday.

Hal joined me for lunch while I was confirming plans with Sam. He's got us tickets for the twenty eighth, which will give us that Wednesday to pack and get ready to go. He did also confirm his parents SUV, but he said he needs to get the oil changed and have some winter tires put on. With that, it sounds like we've got ourselves a little vacation planned. With Hal there to find out as I did, all I had left was to let Max know.

Tomorrow will be my Friday at work. Nephmesu will arrive on Wednesday while I'm off, and they'll be setting that all up so they can do the soft opening on Thursday. So when I come back on Friday for my week, it'll be the complete grand opening. I'm excited, but also kind of dreading it.

I can't say Candace has never been here, but I can say she won't remember if she had. I wonder if she'd like to see the new exhibit with me some time. It'd be nice to show her around and to be here as a guest for a change. Maybe not this week, too busy. But next week? I'll have to remember to ask on Thursday.

December 3rd, 2017

Today was weirdly quiet at work. Sunday's are usually pretty busy, but we didn't have many guests at all. It meant that we spent time cleaning, going over again things that had recently been cleaned. I think with Nephmesu on his way, people are waiting for his arrival before coming to visit.

I wasn't sure if Max was going to join me for lunch today or not. Our lunches recently have mostly been her chance to catch up on what I've been talking about with Hal. Since she joined us last night, she wouldn't need to catch up. It was a pleasant surprise then when she did join me at lunch. And we finally got to do the girl talk, talking about Hal and me, rather than just talking about Hal's secret society. Max is happy for me, and she thinks we're cute together. She mentioned that she'll have to take advantage of our tubing party to try and hook up with Sam. Then all we have to do is find Candace a boyfriend and no one will be left out.

Before she left though, she pulled out an article she had found. She said she ran across it while doing some research for a class and wasn't sure if it meant anything. But she had remembered that Hal and I went to visit Westhouse books, and that's what caught her attention. The gist of the article was that Westhouse books had taken on a silent partner. Not much information, and I'm not sure if it means anything. The article was dated Nov. 25th, two weeks after Hal and I had visited. I'm not sure if it means anything, but with all we know about Westhouse, it is curious.

Hal surprised me by picking me up after work. I guess he felt the need to make up for last night, and he took me out to Bonnie Brae. Then we went over to Washington Park, and found a bench overlooking Smith Lake and just sat and enjoyed each other's company. It was cold, but really sweet. I found out that he's into rock and punk, he's got almost everything by The Offspring. But he's also into Irish/Celtic and loves Dropkick Murphys. Hal was surprised to find that I knew them as well as I did, so I gave him a taste of how eclectic my musical interests were. I suggested he look up Seven Nations, Heather Dale, Apocalyptica, and Lacuna Coil. Just for starters. Maybe I can open his eyes to a wider world of musical appreciation.