It was 1996. The Daily Show was brand new, the Spice Girls topped the charts, Whitewater was a thing, and people were doing the Macarena. And 19 years ago yesterday, I had my first date with the woman who would change my life.
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Packrat and I met at Games Night at the local GLBT community center. I was trying to get out of the house more; Packrat was there with a guy friend, trying to support each other as they both stepped out of the closet. We bonded over Monopoly, a card game called Nuclear War, and a board game called Therapy, where the object is to guess things about other players. ("On a scale of 1 to 10, how likely are you to do something on impulse?" Packrat's answer: "10.")
Packrat and I wound up in a corner somewhere, talking for ages. When I mentioned being a social worker, Packrat lit up. "My mom's a shrink - she'd going to love you!" (She did.)
I went to the next Games Night, and thought I'd missed my chance: a 20-year-old woman insisted on giving her number to (thirtysomething) Packrat before she left (Packrat wouldn't give hers). We wound up playing Therapy again with some of the guys, and Packrat got the question: "Which two players want to get to know each other better?" Packrat looked right at me: "You and me."
A few days later, we had our first official date, eating crab and sourdough at Bodega Bay. There on the beach, we kissed for the very first time.
I had no idea then that we'd get married (twice, since the first on wasn't legal), raise a niece, buy a house and fill it up with ridiculous numbers of dogs and cats. Packrat, however, swears she knew that first day.
So, how did you meet your beloved? Or if you're single, how did you meet your best friend?
On to Top Comments!
From Marko the Werelynx:
Hi TC,
Just wanted to recommend that everyone stop by David Waldman's daily podcast.
There are some great gems in there!
I'd particularly like to call out Eric Nelson for taking the time to transcribe a particularly insightful passage from Tuesday's show.
Why have I not heard that before? And why isn't David scheduled for appearances on The Daily Show and Rachel Maddow?
Sometimes the best comments are just those that bring to our attention the brilliance of other people.
From
angelajean:
On a diary about cuts to military pensions:
There should probably be some type of formula to calculate just how many of enemies these people have killed before getting this type of pension; you know, just to be sure we're getting good value for our money.
by Roadbed Guy
From
thanatokephaloides:
A top comment from The Marti.
Why?
Because this:
I'm sure you have kept more than a few of us from making complete fools of ourselves by just stopping to think:
Is it true? Is it kind? is it necessary?
It has backed me out of more than few comments over the last two-plus
years!
(Note from Tara: comment is from Wee Mama's outstanding diary The easy peasy way to send Top Comments.)
From
your humble (if antisocial) diarist:
Flagged by snoopydawg, here's a beautiful comment by Aware63 on why marriage equality is everyone's issue, not just LGBT people. Comment is from a diary by the inimitable Steven Payne, Ku Klux Klan takes a stand with Alabama Chief Justice Roy Moore.
In his diary Standardized tests in Texas: It's like using a bathroom scale to measure height, akadjian flagged one great comment by bastrop, then inspired another.
PsychoSavannah flagged an awesome comment by xaxnar in ericlewis0's diary Brian Williams suspended for 6 months without pay.
Lawrencegoodman's diary on Who Should Replace Jon Stewart had some interesting suggestions. Boran2 had my favorite.
Top mojo, courtesy of mik:
  1) Ever been targeted by the FBI? I suspect you... by Meteor Blades â 161
  2) Notice how NO ONE is investigating the KOCH by Einsteinia â 150
  3) #ifyou'reblackdon'tcallthepolice by a2nite â 150
  4) Only Winners Are Obama, Pelosi, & Clinton? by bernardpliers â 107
  5) This is bad news. by Victor Ward â 106
  6) Fat drunk and stupid is no way to go through life by zenbassoon â 94
  7) I was thinking that. Where have these people by elenacarlena â 92
  8) Long ago, mom's from the community were by moose67 â 91
  9) Just wait, now that we've got your group up and by navajo â 86
10) Shocking in its breadth of ignorance and by Smoh â 82
11) I so sick of the media blitz with this. Over 100k by Leslie Salzillo â 81
12) Nor will this war criminal be speaking for by Leslie Salzillo â 79
13) So, how was this veteran's hearing? by tom 47 â 77
14) This is exactly what I'm seeing too. by tmservo433 â 72
15) I am SHOCKED to hear this by xxdr zombiexx â 71
16) The ââ¬Åwarââ¬Â on drugs does provide by dsnodgrass â 71
17) RE: Clarence Thomas Fierce Dissent... by NorthBronxDem â 69
18) Requiem for Radio Shack by Floyd Blue â 68
19) There are rumblings that he is beginning to by David Harris Gershon â 68
20) What a moron by Paleo â 66
21) Like mega banks laundering drug money? by Betty Pinson â 66
22) Occupy was never targeted by the FBI. by Tool â 63
23) What is encouraging in this case by dsnodgrass â 62
24) Bernie Sanders just said he'll be skipping it. by David Harris Gershon â 61
25) If your only tool is a gun all your problems by Mrcynical â 59
26) Protest is terrorism by xxdr zombiexx â 59
27) It's very cynical to label the meetings by liberaldad2 â 59
28) What's really interesting is when you compare by leu2500 â 58
29) Not the National Guard but federal marshals by sfbob â 58
30) These people are unbelievable. by leftykook â 58
Photo quilt, courtesy of jotter: