the fruitcake enterprises social review -- summer 2018

In the summer of 2018, I engaged in in-person social interaction with the following people on the indicated number of days: 1. Shobhit -- 27
2. Laney -- 8
3. Gabriel -- 6
4. Karen -- 6
5. Ivan -- 5
6. Alicia -- 5
7. Jennifer -- 3
8. Jamie -- 3
9. Gina -- 2
10. Mandy -- 2
11. Tess -- 2
12. Dad -- 1
13. Danielle -- 1
14. Beth -- 1
15. Jennifer -- 1
16. Lynn -- 1
17. Zephyr -- 1
18. Morgan -- 1
19. Eric -- 1
20. Melissa -- 1
21. Alexia -- 1
22. David -- 1
23. Hope -- 1
24. Chase -- 1
25. Ian -- 1
26. Jordan -- 1
27. Jess -- 1
28. Alan -- 1
29. Arvin -- 1
30. Edmond -- 1
31. Sam -- 1
32. Andrea -- 1
33. Liz -- 1 Total days in the summer with in-person social interaction: 50 (54.3%, a -2.2 percentage point change from spring)
. . . Wha-hoa! I guess things have officially gotten pretty back to normal with Gabriel, and then some: this quarter he ranks #3 on the Social Review, with six points, neither having been achieved in exactly two years -- it last happened (both the ranking and the number of points) with summer 2016. That was before his separation from Kornelija (who I have not seen or spoken to since New Year's Day, 2017), and before I guess what I'll call the Spring 2017 Rift. Hell, even all that was before Shell came and went. (That's a gas station. They went out of business.*) I was thinking maybe this was a record-high ranking for him, but . . . no. He's been #3 several times before, it turns out. I mean, he's had since I started posting these in 2002 to claim that spot every once in a while. I still needed to look at my archives to see it. That's how fucked up my memory is. Has Gabriel ever ranked #2, I wonder? [spends way too much time checking 16 years of Social Review archives] Yes! His record dates back pretty far, it turns out -- spring 2004, #2 with ten points. He and I turned 28 and 27 that year, respectively. That was also before I met Shobhit, which makes a truly huge difference -- in fact I met Shobhit in the spring of that very year. And although Gabriel has managed six points several times since, the last time he got to 7 was in fall 2004. One more aside: looking through those archives, I can narrow down the point at which I finally stopped calling him Gabe (which he'd been openly fine with for the previous 16 years) and started calling him Gabriel: summer 2011. He had been going by Gabriel since . . . I think, maybe 2002? I know that was how he introduced himself to Stephanie, and they met in 2003. So basically, for 9 years I rationalized it like this: I was introduced to him as Gabe and always called him that; his mother still calls him that; why shouldn't I? Well, now even Janine calls him Gabriel. I mean, it is the name she gave him, right? (I just had to correct a typo. I first wrote, "It is the name she gabe him.") I finally switched when he told me it was actually annoying him. Had he told me that earlier, I would have switched earlier, but whatever! I have friends now who still keep calling him Gabe, and at this point it annoys me. I guess I was asking for it, in a way. Anyway, enough about Gabriel! (Cut to Gabriel, addressing the camera, Danny DeVito-as-Penguin voice: "I was his #1 friend. And he treated me like #2.") I need to address some of the other numbers. Such as -- a total of 33 names ranked, down from 62 (-47%!) from spring. As I said last time, that's just how it goes: the numbers spike in fall and spring. But! The number of days with socializing in summer versus spring? That only went down from 52 to 50 (-3.8%)! So it's mostly just a matter of numbers of people at large social gatherings, really. Just because there are nearly half the people this time doesn't mean I was actually socializing all that much less often. Numbers don't lie! Shobhit's number of points went down pretty steeply, though. He managed an unusually high 38 days over the spring; now he's back down to 27 -- only one point higher than he got over the winter. In every case he was still ranked #1, of course. No one can even approach him and not since the days when Barbara was around has anyone managed to get all that close. Laney ranks #2 as always, rarely fluctuating much from quarter to quarter. Karen, who usually ranks #3, was bumped to #4 by Gabriel. Two other people have notable movement: Danielle, who I hung out with 4 times over the spring, only managed to get together once with me over the summer, plummeting from #4 to #13. Ivan, who visited Seattle for several days one weekend in August before I went to visit him the very next weekend in Vancouver B.C., ascended from #6 in spring to #5 in summer, 3 points to 5 points. I honestly thought he'd jump a greater distance, but then I spent more time than usual with both Gabriel and Karen. It hardly matters how they are arranged, though; it basically comes down to the top 5 including my favorite people as usual -- although I'd prefer to have Danielle in there too. She, along with Gabriel and Laney, are The Untouchables, after all (meaning I have absolute faith in the infallibility of our enduring lifelong friendship). I'd really like Ivan to be grouped in with them, honestly, but I have known him four and a half years and I'd say it takes at least a decade before I feel comfortable putting that label on one of my closest friends. So without further ado, the who did what with whom where and when . . .
Thursday, June 21: with Shobhit and Alexia, sharing Yellowstone photos at our place Fiday, June 22: with Gabriel and Tess, Trans Pride Seattle 2018 Saturday, June 23: with Laney, Capitol Hill Pride Festival (including Impromptu Happy Hour at Rooster's Tex Mex BBQ)

Saturday, June 23: with Shobhit, Capitol Hill Pride Festival

Sunday, June 24: with Shobhit, Seattle Pride Parade and Seattle PrideFest at Seattle Center Monday, June 25: with Shobhit, to a movie (Jurassic World: Fallen Kingdom) Thursday, June 28: with Karen, out to lunch (Six-Seven at the Edgewater Hotel) Friday, June 29: with Shobhit, out for dinner (Poké Bar) Saturday, June 30: with Shobhit and Laney, watching a movie at our place (Sicario) Sunday, July 1: with Shobhit, out for brunch (Rhein Haus) Sunday, July 1: with Laney, to a movie (Sicario: Day of the Soldado) Wednesday, July 4: with Shobhit, fireworks at Lake Union Park Thursday, July 5: with Shobhit, out for dessert (Salt & Straw) Saturday, July 7: with Shobhit, out for a walk, to Volunteer Park and back Friday, July 13: with Laney, Happy Hour at Mexico Cantina y Cocina, and to a movie (Skyscraper) Saturday, July 14: with Gabriel, dinner at his new apartment Saturday, July 14: with Gabriel, Mandy and David, dessert and hanging out in Mandy and David's backyard by the bonfire Sunday, July 15: with Shobhit, out to lunch (Chaat House) Thursday, July 19: with Shobhit, Jess, Alan, Edmond, Sam, Andrea, Liz and more, Braeburn Condos rooftop deck barbecue Saturday, July 21: with Shobhit, Lynn and Zephyr, dinner at our place Sunday, July 22: with Shobhit, out for dessert (Starbucks) and brief stroll through Myrtle Edwards Park Thursday, July 26: with Karen, out to lunch (Six-Seven at the Edgewater Hotel) Friday, July 27: with Shobhit, Danielle, Morgan, Jordan and more, Morgan's 14th Birthday Dinner at our place Saturday, July 28: with Shobhit, to a movie (Mission: Impossible - Fallout) Sunday, July 29: with Shobhit, Alki Beach and Howell Park Beach Tuesday, July 31: with Jamie and Alicia, walking the Discovery Park Loop Trail Thursday, August 2: with Shobhit, to a movie (Don't Worry, He Won't Get Far on Foot) Saturday, August 4: with Dad, Gina and Beth, bike ride on the Willapa Hills State Park Trail in Chehalis, then out to lunch in Centralia (Berry Fields Cafe) Monday, August 6: with Shobhit, out for dinner (Taco Del Mar) Thursday, August 8: with Karen, out to lunch (Six-Seven at the Edgewater Hotel) Thursday, August 9: with Shobhit and Ivan, Ivan staying overnight at our place Friday, August 10: with Ivan, "Lusio: A Night to Awaken" at Volunteer Park Saturday, August 11: with Ivan, out to dinner (Aviv) and Space Needle newly renovated observation deck Sunday, August 12: with Melissa and Jamie, PCC Store to Farm Bike Ride (Redmond to Oxbow Farm) Sunday, August 12: with Laney, out to lunch (La Cocina Oaxaqueña) Monday, August 13: with Jamie and Alicia, afternoon loop walk through Myrtle Edwards Park Saturday, August 18: with Ivan, hanging out in Vancouver, B.C.: walk to and through Pacific Spirit Regional Park; out for dinner (East is East); out for dessert (La Glace); out for coffee/tea (Starbucks); walking the Kitsilano waterfront Sunday, August 19: with Ivan, visiting Queen Elizabeth Park in Vancouver; then riding the BoltBus together as far as Bellingham where he got off Thursday, August 22: with Alicia, afternoon loop walk through Myrtle Edwards Park Friday, August 23: with Shobhit, out for dinner and drinks (Diesel) Friday, August 23: with Laney, to a movie (BlacKkKlansman) Saturday, August 24: with Gabriel, out for dinner (Solo Bar & Eatery) and to the Seattle Opera (Porgie and Bess) Thursday, August 30: with Karen, out to lunch (Six-Seven at the Edgewater Hotel) Thursday, August 30: with Shobhit, out for dessert (Starbucks) Friday, August 31: with Shobhit, Three Dollar Bill Cinema Outdoor Cinema at Cal Anderson Park (To Wong Foo, Thanks for Everything, Julie Newmar) Saturday, September 1: with Shobhit, out for brunch (Hudson) Saturday, September 1: with Shobhit and Jennifer, Jennifer staying the night at our place Sunday, September 2: with Jennifer, to a movie (The Happytime Murders); out for wine flights and chocolates (Chocolate Box); and walking Pike Place Market Sunday, September 2: with Shobhit and Jennifer, out for dinner (The Melting Pot) Monday, September 3: with Jennifer, Eric, Hope, Chase and Ian, Blackberry Festival in Bremerton Monday, September 3: with Gabriel and Tess, quick outing for coffee and chai (Caffe Ladro) Sunday, September 9: with Shobhit, for a walk to the waterfront Monday, September 10: with Karen, out to lunch (Six-Seven at the Edgewater Hotel) Tuesday, September 11: with Alicia and Arvin afternoon loop walk through Myrtle Edwards Park Tuesday, September 11: with Gabriel, out for coffee and chai (Uptown Espresso) and hanging out in Myrtle Edwards Park Thursday, September 13: with Gina and Jennifer, Washington State Fair Friday, September 14: with Laney, to a movie (Pick of the Litter) and out for Happy Hour (Peso's Kitchen and Lounge) Saturday, September 15: with Laney, Braeburn Condos Double Feature (The Towering Inferno and Die Hard) Saturday, September 15: with Gabriel and Mandy, dinner and hanging out in the Braeburn Condos kitchen Sunday, September 16: with Shobhit and Karen, Woodland Park Zoo Monday, September 17: with Alicia, afternoon loop walk through Myrtle Edwards Park *It truly amuses me today, and probably today only, that years from now I will read this statement again, and have no idea what the fuck I was talking about.