I was in a funk the other day, so I decided to get out and do something different. Otherwise … I might not have gone. Ha … that thought has been replaying in my mind.
The event itself was fantastic. For months I have been reading about the coming of a new dog boutique and lounge in Fort Worth — Wag. I love their idea … their logo … and their tagline: “Come. Sit. Stay.” (I might add “Speak,” for the true coffee shop experience … just saying.) There were free drinks, a tent full of fun Fort Worth types, the TCU Cheerleaders, SUPERFROG!, and a special live performance by American Idol finalist, Fort Worth’s Tim Halperin. That part was so cool.
So I was checking out the merchandise — everything under the sun for what many consider to be the most important member of the family … fresh dog cookies, high tech leashes, dental-friendly flying discs and of course even dog beer. … Pretty sure I saw one Irish Wolfhound who needed to be shut off … anyway … I asked Hannah, the owner and the person owned by Sage … if she could get me a motorcycle helmet for a dog. (This turned out to be foreshadowing …)
Like a true entrepreneur and retail pro, Hannah replied that she did not have one, but that she would find it for me … Save that thought. I no longer have a four-legged live in.
So, what’s in Wag for me? I’ll tell you … YES! Wireless Internet … perhaps Woof-Fi … or maybe Wi-Fido … As I have been trained and rewarded to do, I pinged their network … sent out a few tweets, got retreated … I mean retweeted, marked my territory on Facebook and all that.
Wag gets 6 purebred pings, for all of the above. Had Ping not been P.I., who’s to say … (pet impaired)
But, the evening began quite bizarre and sorry to say, ended worse.
For beginners, I got there a bit early by choice. Even though I was riding the Triumph Speedmaster, I thought parking might be an issue for the big event. I rode the cruiser behind the stores and found a good spot, protected by a curb behind a nondescript office space. I parked the bike, walked toward the building – helmet in hand – and saw lots of people through the windows. Wow … the Wag space must be longer than I thought. (Errantly, I thought I saw the party, from the back door.)
I approached the glass. It was NOT the Wag party. But, people inside seemed to recognize me … or they were messing with me and yelling at me … as they enjoyed a little office par-TAY of they own. Ha … I even saw some familiar faces. OMG … I had walked up to the backdoor of my ex-wife’s ex-company and the people yelling at me were a combination of her ex-employees and some ex-friends. I turned, smiling, embarrassed and exited with my tail between my legs … LOL. (I had no idea that company had relocated from Fort Worth’s Stockyards to the West 7th area …)
Pretty bizarre!
Still chuckling, I walked around the building and about a half block down, I saw the outdoor tent for the Wag thang.
As mentioned … great party. I downed a few bottles of cold water on the hot evening, and had some lemonade … which I think was intended for human consumption. I almost sampled some cake, when I heard it was for the pets with appropriate ingredients.
After talking to Super Frog and shooting photos of some new friends with the TCU Cheerleaders … I was ready to ride home. BUT … I was a good sport and waited through the announcements and all of the many, many door prizes (for which I was not entered) … and patiently waited for the entertainment.
Meanwhile, this was cool … I stood at a table with my osteopath for a while … the guy who has jabbed acupuncture needles in my back during several recent treatments … I wondered if he was eyeing my motorcycle helmet on the table … We didn’t discuss that, but talked about my upcoming appointment. I digress …
Back to the entertainment. I am very proud of the fact I have never seen, nor will I ever see an episode of “American Idol,” but I am aware that a guy from my church was a finalist. I was determined to see him play. As everyone has told me, Tim Halperin is quite good … talented … funny … has great stage presence. But, I only stayed for one song.
Tim Halperin
So … everything that happened later depended on Tim Halperin. Ha! You could say that was the day “American Idol” almost changed my life … totally.
Had I decided to blow off his show, things would be different. Had I decided to stay for two songs, this blog would rave even more about Wag, I am sure.
As fate would have it, one song and I was back on the motorcycle. That exact moment of departure was quite significant. I rode by the party, turned West toward the heart of the West 7th district … And then turned south to exit the area that is known for swank apartments, restaurants and nightlife. It was a Thursday night … traditionally a party night … so pinging responsibly these days, I was headed straight home and parking the bike before the revelers hit the street.
One block away, a young gentleman — perhaps anxious to enter a nearby eatery — had parked his truck in a no parking zone on the side of the intersection. (Parking in the area is a problem, as my doctor and I also had discussed at the party.) Well … no offense intended toward the young driver, he pulled back on to the street hastily, even though he was sitting at a stop sign.
Oh … I saw him and thought I had anticipated his next move. Like anyone who is about to enter a street from a stop sign, wth oncoming traffic … he was about to pause, look through his driver’s side window … at which point he would see me approaching (with no stop sign on my road).
Well you got me dude! I didn’t see that coming. He just charged into the intersection without ever looking – to do a U-Turn. I was going to do a T-Bone. He never knew I was coming until he heard me hit the pavement right beside his driver’s side door. I was not going fast, thank goodness. But, he turned too quickly into the intersection in front of me. There was very little I could do. I hit the breaks but was going to hit him broadside. Thirty m.p.h isn’t that big of a deal, unless you are staring at a solid object and about to come to an abrupt, complete stop. I chose option B and locked the breaks down and laid the bike down.
That smarted … and yes, it’s gonna leave a mark!
Ha … I was bloody, but I was up on my feet before the guy knew what happened. (I had visions of whoever was behind me running me over in the street to finish the job.) … And I am sure I was in a little bit of shock. I think the girlfriend or significant other was in another car on the side street. She came over to see what happened.
Ha … I looked like a discarded chew toy. My clothes were torn and bloodied. The side of my left calf was raw, with a second-degree road rash burn about 8 in. X 2 in. My left elbow and forearm had the same. (Probably pretty minor compared to stories I have heard …) It could have been so much worse!
Well … the silver lining. The guy was pretty decent and moved my motorcycle for me — which was still running — from the street as I assessed my own damage. Several people stopped to ask me if I was okay. I assured them I was more mad about the bike than hurt. The bike will need a lot of repair … but … like I said … it could have been worse.
At the police officer’s suggestion, I let them call an ambulance, just to check me out. Ha … one of the EMT’s was a biker … he complimented me on my helmet decision, and they cleaned me up. I opted not to “ride bitch” in the ambulance to the hospital … Called a friend to follow me and rode the bike home.
Final thought — the helmet. Yes, I was wearing it, even though the Wag party was only a couple of miles from my place. It now has a deep little scratch on one side, where my head was introduced to concrete. I think the 3-inch bloody bald spot I avoided would have been the least of my worries, without the helmet.
So … anywho … a dangerous day of blogging … with a somewhat happy ending, a surprise twist, a bizarre beginning and a great party in between.
Mental note: Never, never leave a concert again, after only one song.
Know what I sayin?
