Toby and I became close friends senior year at Roosevelt High School, way back in 1999. We had a physics class together with Mike Wong. Everyday in class, the three of us would sit in the back corner and play cards. Specifically a game called 13. If you aren't familiar, read up our how to play HERE. There are ways it can be played by only three opponents, I think we dealt out hands of 17 and left out a card. Anyhow, for some reason we would play using a Presidential deck, which had United States Presidents on the faces of cards. And THE card in the game is the 2 of Hearts, which happened to be Ike Eisenhower. Whenever Ike was dropped, and a major turn occurred in play, we would explode in screams of shock and awe, at least one of us yelling "THE IKE!" way too loud for a discrete card game during class. Needless to say, our teacher was very curious about who "Ike" was. Somehow we all passed that course.
For as many positive deviant memories Toby has provided, an extremely meaningful one is there to match. Toby is one of the brightest and most open minded people I know. His views on perspective are very revealing in his diction. His sentences are well-thought out and executed with expert timing. And he is fucking hilarious.
The best example of this, other than personal inside jokes that would make no sense to those not immersed in the circumstances, occurred while I was cooking the food for the date. The four of us stood in the kitchen, in my decorated house, with my lovely wife and my adorable dog, as I cooked a meal at 6:15pm on a Sunday afternoon, drinking water... very mature, very adult, very separate from our younger year experiences together... and Toby said (not verbatim, so I will spare the quotations) that since we had last spent time together, so long ago, those moments of us together were frozen in time in his mind. And thus, his idea of who I am today, prior to being here with me now, was similar to the wild party animal with no bounds or morals I once was. What kind of house would Jeff Tune live in? 17 year-old Jeff Tune? 21 year-old Jeff Tune? Jeff Tune of the shit hole households with Aaron living in his living room in a tent. After all, Aaron was set to move in later that week. Have we evolved? Were we different?
The thought was both insightful and humorous. It is very true. We hold onto memories and cherish the people we love for the moments we remember them. Think about those awkward conversations you have with people you haven't seen a in awhile. Those, how ya been, what ya up to, like you didn't see it on Facebook already conversations. Those revolve around the differences between the person now in front of you and the person they once were who is frozen in your head. We change, but the memories of each other don't, so when we don't stay in real touch, actually speaking together, we grow apart.
Fortunately, Toby and I were rekindling over some BLT's. I was excited for the suggestion. Cause I am a sandwich man. How could I mess this one up? I've been in the sandwich industry for three years now. I've climbed to the top. From sandwich line, to sandwich shop assistant, to store manager. This was the big stage: a double date... with a sandwich.
Spoiler alert: I fucked up the sandwiches. Not only was it a sandwich that I fucked up, which is embarrassing for a sandwich man, but it was a BLT... which is, by nature, excluding the bread and despite its three letter abbreviation, only a four ingredient sammy. I chose to not deviate from the traditional recipe. I went to PCC and picked up some nitrate-free natural uncured pork bacon, organic romaine, large slicalbe tomatoes, and garlic aioli (swapped in for mayo). On sourdough bread, of course.
My first misstep was not cooking the bacon before Toby and Erin arrived. We have a small skillet, and could only cook 4-5 pieces at a time, each batch took about 5-8 minutes. Per sammy that is up to 32 minutes of prepping the meat, leaving the first batch with 24 minutes of cooling time. What I should have done is pre-cooked the bacon then reheated it.
My second fatal error was the toasting of the bread. Henry Browne would be so ashamed. I decided to broil the pieces of sourdough in the oven, but badly mistimed it in the midst of conversation, thus making the slices of bread far too crispy for a delicious BLT. What I should have done is grilled the sandwich as a whole on the skillet as the final step, making it firm on the outside and doughy soft on the inside where the B, L and T combine.
My only success came with successfully acquiring the proper side dishes for a BLT. I chose a macaroni salad and fresh fruit medley. It was just the right amount of food to justify serving a sandwich as a dinner entree. Toby and Erin came through in the clutch with one of the best desserts 52 DD has seen: a chocolate mousse encased in a white chocolate/dark chocolate shell, topped with whipped cream, a chocolate wafer and a chocolate-covered strawberry. That much chocolate never equals fail. Good dessert.
The meal took us to the picture, and the picture lead us to the basement. The basement with the mancave television setup freshly moved into the hallway, as to create a basement bedroom for future roommate Aaron. We had an extended talk in the basement after the photoshoot. Toby pointed out the difference of now and then, as far as us as a pair, was the number of women present (two, versus zero), the number of men present (two, versus seven), the activity (speaking intelligently versus playing video games stoned or drunk) and what we were looking forward to (antibiotics and rest versus substances and partying). I recalled Henry's open mic comedy trial and suggested that Toby and I aim to do the same. We agreed it was destined to be.
We moved the dinner party upstairs, to what I thought, after a few nice hours, was the exit. But I offered up a game of Blokus, and it was accepted. We played twice, and talked longer, about Weddings (they are to be married in November) and life (we are all alive) and challenges and changes. And it was a beautiful moment. We like Toby and Erin and connect with them on a personal level. They are wonderful company.
The dinner party wrapped up, and Erica and I were on our way to a destination Wedding in Puerto Rico. The Wedding was beautiful, the beach was amazing and I had the must wonderful conversation with my mother, father and sister over dinner. It was a memory I hope remains frozen. And we have another 31 dinner dates to live up to the first 21.
Next week welcomes one of my two musical "ex-girlfriends" from The Let Go, the producer who introduced to the wonderful Steph (Week 19), Joe also known as Captain Midnite. Joe will be accompanied by one of my favorite personalities, the wildly individualistic Christina also know as Cheeks. We have big plans for an old fashion dinner and a movie date. Rest assured, it will be well documented and might be possibly be... frozen.
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