YAH!!! I met a Doper last night!

Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share
1

I met Strainger!

A while back Jeff sent me an e-mail telling me that he would be in Utah for a few hours during a layover during his flight to Alaska. We made plans to meet during that time.

I left work, dropped the Explorer off at my brother’s so he can take it to get taxed and licensed for me, got home, left a message on Jeff’s cell (he was still on the plane) got ready, and then got into the car to leave.

The car looks wonderful! Vacuumed, polished - inside and out, even the rag top has been oiled. Thanks kids! I love these nice surprises they do for me. I then turn the key and. . .

CLICK
CLICK

Battery is deader than a doornail. SHIT! I told Jeff I would be there soon.

I called my sister and the three of us (my 10 year old son was helping) attempted to jump the car. This was about the time Jeff calls me back and I tell him “I’ll be right there. I’m just jumping my car.”

It took us for what seemed like forever to get the car jumped. One of the terminals was crusted with white crap and we had to scrape it off before we could finally get a connection. Once it started, it had a hard time staying running. When I started to pull out of the driveway it DIED.

CRAP!

Looks like the battery is totalled.

I grabbed my sister’s car and took off to meet Jeff.

I picked him up at the curb and took him for a quick stroll around Temple Square. The Tabernacle, visitor’s center, and Brigham Young’s house were closed and there wouldn’t have been time to walk through them anyway, but we still had a nice chat walking along the grounds. Hope I didn’t bore him with Mormon/Utah stories.

I wish we would have had more time so we could have cruised up to Park City or maybe the Island. Maybe another time.

Jeff is GREAT!! Very nice, fun to hang out with, and yes ladies, even cuter in person! Hopefully I will catch up with him during his layover comimg back.

2

Strainger’s good at those quickies. The first time I met him he had a 3 hour layover* in Houston so I went and picked him up we went to lunch and I dropped him off.

*[sub]Traveling travails are on my mind at the moment.[/sub]

3

[hijack]
Diane, don’t buy a battery until you’re sure that the terminal corrosion isn’t your basic problem. Pull the terminal leads off and use baking soda and water to flush the gunk off, dry off the leads, and reconnect them. If the battery is still dead, then go buy a new one.
[/hijack]

4

Thanks Tom! I will go out and try it right now.

5

Pssst, Diane…Isn’t Strainger good-looking? I was taken aback myself.

He might be rivaling thinksnow for the title of Dopemeet Whore, though. These traveling guys with time to meet folk! Bah!

6

I will concur, Strainger is very nice and not entirely unattractive. He do get around, though, don’t he?

7

I think it’s really weird that I only know one person (Cykrider). I could actually live next door to any one of these people and I would never know it. Weird.

8

Tom - I tried the baking soda and water, and although it cleaned the battery off really well I still ending having to buy a new one. :frowning:

The good news was that my old battery was only two years off so the sold me a new one for a little less than half price.

Thanks again for the help.

Back to the OP -

Yep, Jeff does get around, doesn’t he?

As with the Dopers I met in Amsterdam, you don’t really expect them to be as cute as they are in person!! :smiley:

9

What the hell is this? Strainger just runs around the country and all us suckers get stuck providing limo service for him? I’m beginning to see how this works, Strainger.

[Edited by UncleBeer on 08-20-2001 at 12:14 PM]

10

Yeah, Uncle, I’m with you. Sheesh! And where’s his thread showing the appreciation for all the room, board and taxi service, I ask you!? [sub]kidding, Jeff, just kidding :D[/sub]

Anyway, congrats on getting there, Diane. El Strainger is a great guy, isn’t he? He was a great visitor when he stayed with hubby and I and we’re looking forward to his next trip up north, (eh). Or our visit to his house when we can eat his food, make him show us the sights and get his pool all grubby.
:smiley:

11

Me no speak the English any good.
I’m thinking we should all show up at his house, all of us, at the same time. :slight_smile:

Seriously, anyone who can put up with my driving and my non-stop talking has got to be a nice person. Hopefully I’ll be able to catch up with him again on his layover coming back from Alaska.

Until then, we can talk all kinds of trash about him. I don’t think he has computer access up there in his igloo.

12

I just hung out with Strainger again during his layover coming back from Alaska.

Gotta say, he is even cuter the second time around. :slight_smile:

13

Oh, that doesn’t count. Strainger is a dopefest whore. :smiley:

14

Hay! Don’t forget me! Me-me-me! I live in Utah, too! :smiley:

We could’ve made a mini-dopefest out of it! I bet there are -tons- of Dopers in Utah! (cough)

15

Hey-ya Ashtar! I have been meaning to ask how the move to Utah has been going. Are you a member of the Church yet? :wink:

16

Nope. :slight_smile: But I still sometimes get lost trying to get down to the store.

I’ve been a lot happier since I moved away from home.
GETTING AWAY FROM FAMILY = GOOD!

17

Glad to hear things are going good for you! Told ya it isn’t a bad place to live. :slight_smile:

Don’t forget my sugestion to visit Bryce Canyon, Moab, and Zions.

We’ll have to have a mini-dopefest soon! There are a few of us around. Let’s see - Ugly, Byz (where’s she been?), and Snark are three that I can think of. Not sure who else is around, but we’ll have to do it!

18

:o

Awww, a big ol’ hug and a kiss to all of ya. Except UncleBeer; he has onion breath.

I really appreciated Diane coming to get me and doing what little touristy things we could fit in during the layover. She’s a great lady. I had a blast hanging out with her.

SLC is a beautiful city–much cleaner air than Phoenix. I had never seen it until a week ago Friday.

Let’s just be quiet about this until I get finish my tours of Europe and Australia. 'Mkay?

So, ya dug the week-long whisker growth, huh? :wink:

I have three trip pictures up from my hostess’ digital camera. The rest are going to have to wait until I get my film developed.

I’ll post more about my Alaska trip later. For now, I think I’ll go home and pass out, after I mow the yard. (Sigh. Mow now, or pay later.)

19

Oh yeaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaah. :wink:

20

I’m up for it! Name a time and place.

Ugly