In the real world- Meeting Mark

(Mark's Face has been concealed for privacy reasons)

"hey Gabe-o"

"(insert witty reply here)"

And that is how it begins.

The MSN messenger screen fills with our playful banter, jokes, seriousness and then more jokes. There's some "work sucks" talk, music discussions and the occasional DREAM shop talk. The chemistry between people connected via electronic signals is interesting analyze. Mark and I get along well online and there are certainly shared interests, but can this connection be translated in to the real world?

I decided to find out.

Mark agreed to meet up in Gilroy and get some amazing-ness in the form of BBQ ribs. Plans were made a week in advance, and the build up to it was in and of itself, hilarious and intense. "will it be awkward? nothing but silence?"

The day arrived, June 18th 2009. Waiting in the parking lot of the restaurant, i stood there thinking "how insane is it that i am meeting in person with some dood i met online...?" and then Mark showed up.

I can't emphasize the ease with which we both clicked. It was like there had been no transition at all, rather just an extension of our friendship that had already for the most part been established. There was the occasional silence, but in any other circumstance that silence would have been eternal, here it was mostly cause we were eating.

We related stories about our situations, both current and past, and while we learned more about how we both came to be at that restaurant in that particular instance in time. Both of us having been brought from two different sides of the world (Mark hails from the Philippines) only to sit at an American BBQ rib joint, fully Americanized and assimilated, yet not allowed to fully exist .

I realized how interesting it would have been to have met Mark in other circumstance.

After grubbing Mark and I decided to hang out in Monterey. We Talked some more, took some pics and even had a hilarious moment at "lovers Point". Driving back to Mark's house, all doubt about the transition from digital to flesh was erased, and any uneasiness that might have existed before had been dissolved. Mark is a friend for life.

"I say Sir I am Appalled!
How dare you imply i have commited such acts of Illegallity
I say where is your supervisor?"