Summah-time And The Lunching Is Groovy

Yesterday I got the chance to meet Groovy Vic and her family as they visited Your Nation's Capital for the first (and, from what I understand from them, possibly the last time).

In accordance with Vic's son's consuming desire to see the dinosaurs, we agreed to meet outside the Smithsonian's Museum of Natural History. As I predicted earlier in the week when commenting about the relatively pleasant weather we've been having, Heat Miser had thrown his machinery into high gear, producing a mind-numbing combination of heat n' humidity. I was quite concerned that the weather, coupled with the fact that the Natural History Museum is Touron Central, would bring out the worst of my misanthropic streak and cause me to make a rayther bad first impression. Thus, when I spoke to Vic to arrange our meet, I tried to assure her that although I would look like I was scowling, in fact I was just squinting because I'm near-sighted. I'm not sure that she believed me.

Because it was convenient, we grabbed a table at the museum's food court and had a nice chin-wag. As has been my almost uniform experience of other bloggers that I've met in real life, Vic is really no different in person than she is on the inter-tubes: a fiery but no-nonsense red-head. (Sooper-sekret note to ex-Swooner Dreamboat Ewan McGregor: Dude, you're out. And you're never getting back in. No, not even if you dress up as Col. Strong Vincent.) Vic's husband Dan is a nice guy who also has that air I've seen of other blogger's spouses of tolerantly smiling and shaking his head at this whole realm of imaginary friends we seem to inhabit. Boy Child and Girl Child were remarkably well behaved and polite, particularly given the circumstances. (When I asked Vic what her secret to success was, she said regular beatings and military discipline.) Indeed, I felt a bit bad because Girl Child in particular kept piping up to tell me about things. However, she was so soft-spoken and the room was so noisy that I couldn't understand about 85% of what she was saying, and found myself responding with nothing more than a nod and what I hope was an encouraging smile. Either she was gratified or else she came to the conclusion that I was a moron.

In short, however, I believe a good time was had by all.