Ashley and I have a few mutual friends, and have lived a block apart from each other for two years, so it's odd we'd never met. Or, perhaps we'd met in the past and never noticed each other. Perhaps if I were in the habit of introducing myself to strangers, I would have met her long ago.

Thankfully, when Liz, Ryan, and I went to see Sahara, Liz decided to invite Ashley as well. In talking with Ashley later, I guess I made more or less the exact first impression that I imagine I leave with people: I was the nerdy guy who sat in the back seat and played with his iPod to play bizarre music over Ryan's stereo. That doesn't really bother me; I am who I am, and I'm not much good at putting on airs. What throws me is that she stayed interested beyond that point.

She's goofy, smart, very cute, athletic, and bowls like no one's business. She plays my PS2 as much as I do, can roundly kick your butt in Magic, writes killer ambient techno, and likes to clean. I feel like the people in the first iteration of The Matrix; it's so beyond amazing that I feel like my head's going to explode.

So, anyway, that's why I've been shirking my responsibilities. As time progresses, I'll find time in my schedule for something other than work, sleep, food, and Ashley, but the way it's been going lately, I'll simply offer my apologies in advance.