Love And Pizza-A Modern Love Story

Though it's really not that important,but for the sake of this story,I'll tell you my name. My name is Nathan. I tend to create awkward situations,I've never been on a date,and from what I hear,my voice sounds like that of a 13 year old. I live with my mom in an apartment complex with a local pizza joint at the bottom of it called Uncle Tony's. I eat at the pizza joint everyday for lunch and dinner. I've also been awarded "customer of the month" on multiple occasions. There are two things you need to know about me. The first being I'm a huge fan of alternative and indie rock. The second is that I have a crush on a girl. I don't know what her name is and i've never actually talked to her before. I see her every single day and I'm assuming that she lives in the same apartment complex as me because I don't see why she would choose to eat at Uncle Tony's every day. It's not terrible,but it sure isn't that good. I plan on talking to her this week.

"Honey,your laundry's done," is what I wake up to this morning. I open my eyes to see my mom holding a huge basket of freshly washed clothes.I smile and nod as to say thanks. I'm not a morning person by any means. By the grace of God,I'm on summer break. I do enjoy school in some ways and I like seeing my friends every day,but I don't understand why I have to be there at 8 in the morning. It makes alot more sense to me if it started later. That way,my mind would be alot more fresh and I wouldn't be all cranky. Oh well. After 15 to 20 minutes of lying and trying to avoid getting up,I finally sit up. I rub my eyes and throw a shirt on. I think I might be going to Thomas' house today. Thomas is one of my 4 friends. There's Thomas,Steven,Jake,and Tammy. We're those kids at school that aren't extremely nerdy or extrememly cool either. We're the awkward ones(usually placed somewhere in the Dork Sub-division.) My mom comes in and says something along the lines of,"Better get up before you sleep the day away." I finally look over my shoulder at the clock to find it's only 10:15. Early for me. So I do the usual things one does to get ready in the morning. I eat breakfast,get in the shower,get dressed,brush my teeth,put on my hat and I'm ready to start the day. Thomas lives pretty close so I'll probably just ride my bike.I say bye to mom and I'm out the door

I push the huge double-doors open and head for the sidewalk. I walk over to the bike rack and...my bike got stolen. That's just awesome. I don't feel like going all the way back upstairs and telling mom and then she freaks out and complains about how things aren't like they were when she was my age. She'd probably makes plans A-Z on how to get the bike back or buy a new,and the whole time I'd just be nodding my head up and down even though I'm not really listening. So,I think telling her when I get back would be the smartest thing to do. I guess I'll have to walk today.

I reach Thomas' house and he's sitting on the front porch doing something with his bike. That might bring about interesting conversation. I hear him shouting about how it's not working. "At least you still have one!" I interject
"Did something happen to your bike?" he says,lifting his head up
"Yeah,it got stolen today."
"Ah man,that sucks. When'd that happen?"
"I'm not sure. I just saw it was gone when I was about to head to your house."
"Well,I wanted to ride today,but I guess that's out of the question."
"Yeah,I guess so."
"You wanna borrow Telly's bike?" He's making a joke. Her bike is the siza of a large watermellon and has Barbi or Hannah Montana on it I think. Aren't those two pretty much the same person anyway?
"Nah,I think I'll pass. Thanks for the offer." I say with a sincere laugh.
"You wanna come in then? I think my mom just made lunch.

We walk into his house and find two paper plates with sandwiches cut in the middle and a messy pile of Cool Ranch Doritios. Those are my favorite kind and I wonder if his mom chose those specifically for me. If she did,that would be very kind. I take my hat off and we begin our meal. The sandwich is pretty good. It's turkey,lettuce,and mayonaise. I like mayonaise but I cannot stand the smell of it. I'll eat it if it is on a sandwich,but I won't go out of my way to put it on one. Thomas is telling my humorous stories about the week and I laugh and smile,but I don't reply.I don't like talking when I'm eating. Thomas isn't that good at telling stories.He jumps back to parts where he left something out,or he tends to second guess himself alot. He'll pause in the middle of what he's saying and say,"...wait,is that right? Yeah,that's right." I've become used to it and hardly notice it anymore. The chips are as great as always. He runs to the kitchen and brings back two glasses of sweet tea. This is your perfect summer time lunch. I really quite enjoy it. He goes on telling stories and talking about girls from school that he saw and how awesome it would be if he could talk to them. I just smile and nod. Then,he finally brings up the girl topic and asks if I've talked to her yet.

"Talked to who?" i say even though it's desperately obvious who he's refering to
"Oh,don't play that game. You know."
I grin. "Man,I still haven't talked to her."
"Oh,come on now. You still haven't? You've been talking about her for the past three weeks!"
"Yeah I know...I just haven't fou..." He interupts me by saying,
"Dinner,tonight,she's gonna be there. All you have to do is go over and say hi. She sees you every day too. It won't be that awkward!"
"Sure it will be. You know me. I'll probably spill my Dr.Pepper into her lap,or I'll get pizza sauce in my hair,or something stupid like that."
"Or,maybe,just maybe,she might think you're okay."
I laugh.
"I don't know.This sounds too much like a PBS special. Can we talk about something else?"
He grins as to agree. Then,we go on talking about nothing important.

We just sit and watch TV and play super nintendo games the rest of the day. There's something about the SNES for me. I could and have sat for hours playing Super Mario Bros. and Zelda games. I don't care much for the newer games. They all have similar plots and seem like mindless violence to me. Thomas likes them,but we usually just play the classics. I also enjoy playing the 64. We play Mario 64 and Goldeneye every week I think. Goldeneye is my favorite. I've been playing that game since I was probably 6 or 7 and it still isn't old to me. It's timeless. Once you get past Dreamcast is where I get uninterested. Around 5:30,I decide to go home.I tell him bye,tell his mom thanks for lunch,and I'm out the door. I walk home thinking about the girl and the things I might say to her,and I think about what she's doing right now and when she'll show up for dinner. I also wonder what she's wearing. Maybe black,or green,or blue,or maybe even yellow. I go on walking and wondering,just like what seems like every night.

I finally reach the apartments. I reach into my pocket and pull out a huge wad of mangled dollar bills. I count them. 7 one-dollar bills and 1 five-dollar bills. Good,I have enough for a pizza. I go up to the counter and tell Billy I'll have a large supreme pizza. I've lived here so long I know all the employs by name. I also know where most of them are going to school,and what their hopes and dreams are. I wait for probably 15 minutes. Then I hear the bell ding. "Number 17! Number 17,your pie's ready." I walk over and grab it saying,"Keep the change." I sit down just like I do every single night. I take a huge bite of pizza and it tastes just the same. Then,she walks into the door. She's handed a big box of pizza. She must have ordered ahead of time. She sits down

She always sits in that seat. Today,she's wearing a purple dress with jeans on. She has a beaded bracelet on. Her finger nails are painted black and her black hair is fashioned to look messy but controlled at the same time I think. I'm not going to lie,she looks pretty hot. Not in a shallow way,but in a deeper sense. Does that even make sense though? I don't think so. She sits eating the same old pizza,texting her friends. All I'm really waiting for is the day when I grow up a little bit and decide to talk to her. I might do it. Probably not. Maybe. I don't know. Screw it,I'm getting up. I'm gonna go talk to her. I swallow what feels like a rubber ball inside my throat. I stand up. I have stupid butterflies in my stomach. I decide it's a bad idea half way through and try to play it off like I'm getting napkins. I make it awkward by getting pretty close to her before I decide to shift left to the napkins. She probably noticed. I swallow the same rubber ball and decide to go sit down with her. Here,literally,goes nothing. I inch my way over to her table in a course of what seems like 15 minutes(but in the pale reality was 15 seconds.) I sit down and say," I saw you didn't have any napkins." Then,the world stops revolving.

I'm now begining to think this was the worst decision I have made in my entire life. She stares at me as if she has little to no idea what to say. She blinks a couple times and says,
"Well,thank you sir. That was awfully thoughtful."
I don't know how to respond. I never thought I'd actually get to this part. And to make matters worse,she responded in a positive way. I thought she would get creeped out,say thanks with lowered eyebrows,say she had to go,and I'd go on with my miserable existance. Now we're getting to the hard part.
"So,what was wrong earlier? You didn't want to talk to me earlier?"
"What?" I ask,staring at her pizza.
"You were walking over here,then you just walked the other direction."
"Oh,yeah,that was to get the...napkins...remember,the napkins?
"Oh,likely story." She says widening her eyes. She's actually kind of pleasant to be around. It's not really that awkward.
"Are you gonna bring your food over?"
"Huh?" I ask. I wasn't really paying attention because I was so relieved that I'm not as nervous as I thought I would be.
"Your food,aren't you going to bring it over?"
"Oh,yeah,if that's cool with you!"
"Why wouldn't it be?"

I take a small trip around the place,grab my food,and head back to my still nameless crush. I should probably ask her what her name is. I sit down right acrossed from her.
"The supreme is really good." I say breaking an awkward silence before it shows up.
"Yeah,it actually is pretty good. I usually go with plain old cheese though. You can't beat classics."
"Amen." I say raising my voice a bit.
"So...I never caught you name,what is it?" I ask,hoping she has a pretty name.
"You have to guess."
"Guess?
"Of course.What,do you think I just go around telling everyone my name?"
"Well I guess now. Let's see..." I begin going through a mental list of pretty names I hope she might have. Maybe Evaliene. Maybe Ruby. Maybe Dot,that would be a cute name. Then,I find these names to be rather uncommon and I shout out the first common name that pops in my head.
"Jessica?" Jessica? Why Jessica? I hate that name. The name rattles in my mind as if I disgraced her with such a tragic name.
"No..." Thank God. I continue thinking.
"Brittany?"
"No..."
"Samantha?"
"Nope..."
"Is it a pretty name?"
"Of course it is! What,did you think my name was Olga?"
"Ruby?"
"...We have a winner! Though,I think you may have cheated somehow."
"It's Ruby?"
"Yes sir,that's my name."
"I like that name."
"Thanks .And what's yours?"
"Can I make you guess?" I ask with a stupid smile.
"No." She replies almost like she was offended.
"Okay,it's Nathan."
"Nathan? Can I call you Nate?"
"Yeah sure,that's fine." I say,hardly believing she has a special name for me that only SHE can call me.
"Well,Nate it was nice talking but I have to go.I gotta go get some stuff done.Then,lights out at 10 like every night.I'll see you tomorrow though.Have a good one." She leaves.

I then continue to sit at the table thinking about all the things that just happened. That was crazy. She talked to me. Actually put thought into what she said. Took time and energy to recognize me as another human being,even a friend maybe. I sit eating my food thinking about the smell of the perfume she was wearing. It smelled tropical. It was there but modest,not easily noticed. She didn't drown herself in it like she was screaming,"Notice me! Pay attention to me!" I think about how her hair was crazy and wild but warm and inviting at the same time. I think about how she wore jeans even though she had a dress on,how rock n' roll that was. I think about her make-up. Bright greens and light blues mixed into perfect harmony. I think about her as I plan on continuing to do for the rest of the week,month,even year. I think about her voice. Deep,but not manly in any sense of the word. She sounded like she used her natural voice and not some plastic cookie-cutter female voice that can be found shouting,"Becky,oh my gosh,these purses are on sale." I think about her name,Ruby. What a perfect name! It makes one think of the sky on fire with waves of red grass flowing together from stong,blistering wind with embers dancing all about it. Well,it makes me think of that. I think about her all the way up the stairs,through the apartment door,and through my bedroom door,and into my bed. I lay down and let out a deep sigh. Dangit,I forgot to tell Mom about my bike. That doesn't even seem important anymore though. I close my eyes,thinking of Runy every single second.

I finally decide to go to bed. I have this weird thing where I have to fall asleep to music. If music isn't playing,I won't fall asleep until 3 or 4 a.m. It's something I think I've always done. I don't know why but it's something I always have to do. It's not like O.C.D. or anything,I just do it. I put in The Smashing Pumpkin's Siamese Dream and I'm quickly asleep. I think I fall asleep when "Hummer" is playing.

I wake up just the way I did yesterday except without the laundry basket. Just Mom telling me to get up and that I'm wasting the whole summer away by sleeping so much. The only thing I can seem to think about is Ruby. I think about her eyes,her lips,her nose,and all the little details that make her her. I'm instructed to go take the garbage out. I grab three bags of trash and make way down the stairs. I'm in the lobby and I see Ruby,she just had to be here. I didn't brush my hair or teeth yet,she's lucky I have a t-shirt on. She looks over to me,makes a strange face,and waves hello in some animated fashion. I smile and wave back with the trash bags in my hand,making myself look like a huge dork. She just kind of nods her head and starts walking to approach me. Cue the nervousness.
"Good morning Nate,how are you this morning?" she says with vibrant enthusiam.
"No complaints. I'm just taking out the trash."
"No,really? I thought those were dead bodies you were hauling." I do that weird laugh that doesn't make noise,just sounds like air being forced out.
"No,I'm not much into killing people."
"Yeah,me either. Well,I've never tried it,so I can't say for sure." She's kind of weird.
"That's true,maybe we can try it out together some day." I say hoping I'm not sounding like I'm trying to arrange a date of some kind. Obviously we're not going to kill anyone,but the word "together" didn't feel right as it was coming out.
"I would love that Nate. Make it a date."
"That rhymed." I state,completely over-looking the fact that she included the word "date" in to a conversation including something she and I would do together.
"It did,didn't it?"
"Yeah..Sorry,I notice stupid things like that."
"You don't say? Well,you better get that trash thrown away,don't you think?"
"Oh yeah,that would be a good idea."

I'm now sitting in my room watching re-runs of "Diff'rent Strokes" with a bowl of chocolate ice cream thinking about Ruby. I can't believe she actually enjoys talking to me. I'm in a great mood now. I hear the phone ringing and look at the Caller I.D. It's Tammy."Hello?"
"Hey Nathan,what's up?"
"Oh nothing,just watching T.V."
"Cool,cool. Listen A few of us are hanging out at Jake's house. You wanna come?"
"How long are you going to be there?"
"Not sure,I know that we're staying for dinner." I don't want to go. I want to have dinner here. I want to see Ruby tonight. I can see my friends any other day.I make some lousy excuse about my cat needing to go to the vet and I hang up the phone. I got a date tonight.

I actually spend a good deal of time making myself ready. It's not an official date or anything,but it kind of is to me. I actually put on some cologne and wear jeans that aren't ripped up. I have nothing else to do today but wait for 6:30 when I usually go down to get my pizza. So,I just sit in my room eating ice cream and watching re-runs.

It's finally 6:30. I throw on my nice shirt and grab my wallet and I'm out the door. Mom's at work so better lock up. I come back, grab the key from under a little ceramic bunny that's missing an ear,throw it in my pocket,and I'm out the door again. I walk down the stairs and make small talk with one of our neighbors. I don't know why I said hello because I don't feel like talking to him. I just feel like talking to Ruby. I pretend like I'm in a hurry and jet down the rest of the stairs. I push open the huge door at the end of the stairs and make my way down the hallway. I then walk through the huge opening in the wall that leads to Tony's. I walk in and see that Al is on duty. I scan through the dining area looking to see if Ruby is here yet. I finally find her at one of the tables near the window. My eyes widen and I almost jog to the table. She is wearing a black jacket with green and pinking writing on it,a green shirt,and an average pair of jeans. She's not wearing that much make-up,just some stuff around her eyes. Her long,black hair is down today and not as wild as the first time I spoke with her. She looks nice.

"Well,hey there stranger!" she says with a smile leaning to the right side of her face.
"Hi Ruby,how are you doing?"
"Fan-tastic. And yourself?"
"Couldn't be better."
"Great! Are you hungry?"
"Extremely. I eat alot. Maybe too much."
"It shows..." I don't know what to say. Is she kidding? Does she really think I eat too much?
"Natahan...I'm kidding..." I sigh in relief.
"Ohh,I actually thought you were being serious. I was a bit confused."
"Of course I was kidding. I joke like that all the time. Just don't take me serious most the time."
"Noted. Now I gotta go get a pie,I'm starving."
I walk to the counter and order myself a large pizza. I decide to get a 2 liter of Mt.Dew. I wait a while talking with Ruby,and then *ding ding ding* my pizza is done. I get up and make my way for the counter. Everything is okay...it's all going fine...and I...trip and fall face-first into the ground...awesome. I hear Ruby shouting from the other side of the joint,"MAN DOWN!" She's trying to be funny I guess? It's not so much the pain that's hurting me,as it is the sheer torture of everyone in the room looking at me. I get up,shake it off,and get my food. Al is cracking up. Ruby meets me half-way with her arms open.
"Need a hug?"
"No...I think I'm okay." What am I thinking? I just turned down a hug from the prettiest girl in this apartment complex

The rest of the meal goes fine. We sit making jokes and talking about bizarre scenarios. She pulls out a camera from her purse and tells me she wants a picture with me. I go over to her seat,crouch down,put my head on her shoulder,making a silly face. She tells me to be serious. So,I make my face look as boring as I can. "No," she says making her voice sound like a cartoon,"you have to smile." So I do. I find that I'll basically do anything she wants me to do. She finally pushes the little button on the camera,illuminating what seems the entire dining area. It's a digital camera,so she'll either put it on a computer,or take it to get printed at a store. Either way,I want a copy of it. She presses the review button to look at it. I think I look terrible in it. She looks gorgeous of course,but I dare not tell her. I look at her and say,"Looks great!" I still think I look awful in it.She lifts her upper lip and says,"Sure does."

It certainly doesn't feel like it has been,but it's been 2 hours since I sat down. Ruby notices the clock and shouts,"Oh my! I gotta get upstairs. I'm sorry Nate,I gotta go. See you tomorrow night?" I nod my head and say,"Of course." She's gone in a flash. I already miss her evenly though she hasn't left yet. I want to ask her out,but if she says no,I'll die. She picks up her things,waves goodbye,and is gone. I sit finishing my pizza,wishing she was here. I decide to get home and go to bed. Nothing's gonna beat spending time with her,so I might as well just go to bed. I don't think I've told Mom about the bike yet. I don't think it really matters anymore. I make way for my apartment,then to my room,then to my bed. I don't brush my teeth because I'm lazy. I put on Beck's Odelay!. I'm quickly asleep.

I wake up with a crazy idea in my head. I think I'm going to ask her out today. Why not? It's pretty obvious we like each other. Well,I think she likes me. I'm not entirely sure,but she does act like it. I think I'll go to Wal-Mart or Kroger,get some decent flowers,and see what happens. Maybe ditch the flowers,maybe just ask. I don't want to seem too romantic,it could be a turn-off. Well,she might like the flowers. Or,maybe I'll do something else. No,flowers seems right. I guess I'll do the flowers. But,I don't wanna make it too obvious. Maybe,if she says yes,I'll pull the flowers out and give them to her. I don't want to just show up with flowers,get rejected,and then have to throw them away. That would suck. I guess I'll hide them or something. Maybe in my jacket. I know one thing for certain,I'm gonna ask her out today.

I would go into detail and explain what all happened today,but that hardly feels necessary. I'll tell you where I'm at now though. I'm sitting across from Ruby,it's our usual 6:30,and I have some nice smelling flowers in the inside of my jacket. I hope she doesn't smell them. Right now we're talking about robots taking over the world,or something silly like that. The question keeps jumping through my mind,but I don't know how to word it. "Will you go out with me?" Will you be my girlfriend?" Do you want to take this relationship further?" "Do you like like me?" Like like,we used to say that in the 3rd grade. The thought makes me smile. She asks me what I'm smiling about and I just say,"nothing..." I finally decide to just do it. I take a deep breath in to calm my nerves. "Hey,Ruby...I've been wanting to talk to you about something..." My pulse increases by 1,000 B.P.M.
"Yes,Nathan."
"Look,I gotta be honest with you,you're awesome,and I was wondering if we could start...dating..."
Silence echoes throughout the enitre apartment complex. I actually believe the world stops revolving on it axis. She isn't saying anything. No facial expression. Nothing. I pray to God she doesn't say no. I pray to God she says yes,we get married,and we never fight or argue or anything.
"...Of course Nathan. My goodness,I've been waiting for you to ask me. 'Bout time Nate."
"Yes? That's a yes? Yes? For real?" I say,almost shouting like a small child does when they get a new toy.
"Yes it's a yes. I'm not gonna call you honey,I hate those pet names."
"So,you actually want to be my girlfriend."
"That's what I was hoping for. I certainly don't want to be your boyfriend."
I start cracking up and reach across the table and give her a big hug. I whisper in her ear," Ruby,you're so pretty. So,so pretty."
"Thank you Nate,your not that bad looking yourself."
I'm now on top of the world. I give her the flowers and she gives the biggest smile I've ever seen from her,from anyone really. I'm dating Ruby,wow...

------------------

It's been 3 months now and I guess things are going okay. We got in our first argument last week. It started out as a joke about how she is one of the weirdest people i know,then it turned into an actual argument. I guess she got pretty offended by that. I got my temps so me and Mom are driving to the apartments from the doctor. I'm gonna visit Ruby. My mom is quite the backseat driver,but she's actually in shotgun,so I guess a passanger driver. I usally just ignore her and keep focus on the road. We finnally get to the parking lot and are in front of her door before I know it. My mom just wants to say hi and she'll probably leave after that. We ring the door bell...waiting. Ruby swings open the door with a goofy look on her face. It's kind of this signature look that she does. She sort of looks confused,or suprised. I don't know. I like it though.
"Nathan and Mrs.Nathan's Mom,how are you two this fine evening.?"
"Oh Ruby,we're just fantastic!" my mom announces loudly.
"Great,are you going to stay?"
"No,I just wanted to say hello."
"Oh,well hello then."
"Alright,I'll see you Ruby,and I'll see you Nathan later tonight. Bye!" They like each other too much I think.

We walk into the apartment and it's pretty trashed. I bet she didn't clean today. She's one of those people who is crazy about cleaning. Some people...I wonder if something has got her down(and it might just as well be me.) I don't want to ask her why she hasn't cleaned because that might make for awkward conversation. She'll probably think I'm calling her messy or lazy. So I just ignore it. We head over to a little table outside the kitchen. I'm not really here for any particular reason,so I don't really know what to say.

"How was the doctor?" she asks,breaking the silence.
"Oh,it went fine. Just a check-up. So,everything is okay."
"Good. Any specific reason you came over,or was it just be-"
"I just wanted to see you. Oh,I was wondering if you wanted to do some mini-golf sometime this weekend."
"Yeah...I'm pretty sure we could do that. That would be fun."
"Awesome. I'll take you to the finest mini-golf course in this whole city!" I say,just being silly.
"Alright,pal,I better be impressed. Remember that one time we went and you almost fell in one of the water hazzards?"
"How could I forget that? I'm glad I didn't!"
"Really? It would have been most entertaining if you would have."
"For you maybe!"
"Of course. Why would that be entertaining for you?"
"Good point."
"That was a fun date. I miss those dates."
"What do you mean?"
"You know,the first 2 or 3 weeks when everything is simple and all that gooey romance crap i still there. I miss that..."
"Rubes,it's only been 3 months."
"I know,but we get into arguments now. And we get annoyed by each other...why can't love be easy...?"
"I don't know. It's gotta be tough I guess. But hey,it's still good. We're still good."
"I know we are NOW,but what about in a year or two,what then?"
"You got to take it day by day."
"I just wish this love stuff would be easier. I miss all those feelings. I miss all that 'falling in love' stuff."
"We'll be fine Ruby. We'll make it."
"I guess we will just have to see." I say I better get some summer school stuff done and I'm out the door

I think about that talk all the way up the steps,through the aprtment door,and into my bedroom door. I decide I'll probably just homework off for another day. I think about Ruby 3 months ago. I think about how much I've gotten to know her. I know her favorite movie,her favorite music,her favorite shirt,her least favorite fast-food restraunt. I know what colors she likes. I know all these things now. Yet,I seemed more interested in her 3 months ago. I would think about her non-stop. I would sometimes write her first name down on blank sheets of paper. But,now that I've grown to appreciate everything she thinks,feels,likes,and believes,I seem to be less interested in her. She's still my girlfriend and I still love her,but all those gooey romance feeling have come and gone. I think about her question,"Why can't love be easy...?" Why can't it be? It's one of the simplest and most beautiful things there is,but it's not easy at all. It's a challenge. It's difficult. No one really understands it. Maybe there's more to it than just feelings. Maybe it should be unconditional. Maybe it should always be kind. Maybe it should always be peaceful. Maybe is should never be self-centered. Maybe it should conquer all fear. Maybe it should conquer all pain and agony. Maybe it should always be patient. Maybe should defy all understanding. Maybe it should be insane. Maybe it should be crazy. Maybe it should always come from a true heart. Maybe it should never be for self-gain. Maybe it should always be for others,and not ourselves. Feelings and emotions are great,but that's just not love. Love is something more. It has texture. It has depth. Maybe it can last forever. Maybe it never dies. Maybe it's what keeps us sane,or insane,or both. Maybe it doesn't have an expiration date. Maybe it will live on after we die. Maybe it motivates all that is good...maybe it liberates and sets us free.

I fall asleep to Weezer's Green Album.

"Love solves everything."-The Smashing Pumpkins.

Hatred stirs up dissension, but love covers over all wrongs.-Provers 10:12