(This is continuance after meeting Eric & Dr. J. at JPL):

After the 20 minute power nap, I spoke with Kamala to coordinate our meeting. Kamala was going to be with a friend, Lori, and we were to meet at the Ikea store in Burbank – movie town. Lori’s father had just had major surgery in Kentucky and she was going to fly there the next day to see him – the surgery was successful so that was a good thing. I’m not so sure I would have been emotionally ready to go meet a strange stranger after fretting all day but she did: on the other hand, that was her only chance to visit with Kamala as they live about 250 miles apart.

Across the entrance to the store, I saw a shining, smiling face – grinning from ear to ear and figured out that it must be Kamala. Even though I had seen her picture in one of her avatars, I was surprised because she looked so very cute and so very young – and full of it. After all the ‘formalities’ of meeting and greeting, we went into the store and poked around. Kamala’s friend Lori is trying to lose weight so she bought a scale: I tried to talk her out of it saying that the first week she would lose and be all excited and then the next few weeks she would be stuck and get depressed and then eat. Motherly (and experienced) advice was totally ignored. Kamala came running up to Lori and I, all excited over this bowl she had found. We asked her what the hell she was thinking – the ‘thing’ was awful – about a yard long and 18” wide and so shallow that it couldn’t hold anything, it was woven of reeds and it was ugly. Kamala loved it but Lori has been to Kamala’s home and she asked her where the heck she was going to put it. You would have thought that we were taking candy from a baby – she made such a fuss but did not buy it but managed to grab three huge chocolate bars to take home. Yup, that’s what she did!

After Ikea, we walked across the street to a Mexican restaurant and had dinner and the other two had huge margaritas and I had a beer. As inventors might do, we talked about her project and where she was stuck and, being on the outside, I could see the answer: hope it works for her and her idea.

Kamala, for some reason, paid for my dinner and wouldn’t even let me leave the tip or anything. That gesture was so unexpected but so very sweet: maybe she was having one of those “Be kind to old people” days – or, she was just being herself. We left the restaurant and we went to my car so they could meet Charlie. He was SO excited – strangers! Maybe one of them will save me! Give me a GOOD home, feed me, love me! I told him to get over it. We parted ways but stay in touch.

By this time, I had had a 14 hour day and was looking forward to going to bed – in the parking lot of an Elks Lodge in downtown Glendale. As I stood naked in my shower, I imagined a few Lodge members standing outside and drooling. A girl can dream….
Photo of visit with Kamala and Lori will appear in The Lounge soon.