MELT.

Melt was pretty much awesome. I'm not going to lie and I will probably get made fun of for this, but--like I posted before--I really do love Cleveland. While driving, when I saw the cityscape of the often-photoed Cleveland buildings, I got a little bit giddy and excited. I think that I really would like to live there.

 Everyone got the Westside Monte Cristo

and I got the BBQ Chicken

Joe and I traded halves and each sandwich was REALLY good, obviously. But I think that I liked my BBQ Chicken best.
We got Red Velvet Cheesecake for dessert!

However, this picture definitely does not do it justice. It was seriously at least six inches long and four inches high. It was awesome.
We also got to show off our tats and get our discount!

After Melt, we headed to The Exchange, which is a record store. I'd have to say that I was a little bit disappointed. It was a classic spot for a record store; on the corner with apartments up above. But there was way too much light in there, everything was so stark white. It was like being in a BuyBacks or that place that's by Campus Book and Supply in Kent. There were also Blu-rays, novelty useless shit atop the shelves, dvds, CDs, and even old school Nintendo and Sega games. It just was not a "record store" like I like. There was literally one little tiny section of records and a lot of it was new stuff; like the newest Kings of Leon. LAME. SUCKS.

Needless to say I didn't buy anything. Dave almost got hit by a car, too!!! The girl looked like she even sped up to try to hit him. So we made our way home with slight delay and readings of not-sexual-sounding-sexual things from Urban Dictionary. Then we came home and watched Machete. It was a decent movie, it could have had a more in-depth story line, it was semi-predictable, but I enjoyed it!

Friday, I surprised Joe with this

And yesterday Joe surprised ME with THIS!

I am so happy that he got this. A tattoo is something that I have never shared in common with my significant other and I'm really glad that he's the first one that I can connect to through ink. Meeting this far along in our lives means that we've already experienced a lot of our firsts, and not with each other. So it really means a lot to me that no matter what happens, we'll always have this.

On Friday, Joe told me that being with me had really broadened his musical horizon. I have to admit that I was impressed with myself because of this statement. He said he realizes that the shit he used to really like, isn't really good music (it's questionable if it's music at all, actually), and that I've turned him on to a lot of great stuff. This also caught me by surprise because I haven't even been trying lately, I kind of gave up. See, the thing about Joe is, you can't force things on him, he has to figure them out or find them out in his own way and on his own time. He proudly told me that he learned that he likes the Strokes and enjoyed a Daft Punk song.

I've come to realize that I'm a sort of "people collector". I know what I like in people and I enjoy being surprised by them. I only enjoy having people in my life who have something interesting or unique to offer. If they're generic or have nothing really to offer, they fall by the wayside. When someone sparks my interest, I try to befriend them. Whether the spark be a talent, an opinion, a style (cliche and lame, I know, shut up), or just something about their personality or the way they speak, I love it. I started ready "If You Have to Cry Go Outside" by Kelly Cutrone and she writes a lot about how you have to build your tribe and build it was people who are a right fit for you or else you'll be miserable and unsuccessful. I totally agree with this and I think that the tribe that Joe and I have been building is almost perfect. I like having everyone together. I want my friends to become friends with each other. I've never had a group of people who were friends with each other and I've really always wanted that. I thought I had it before...I guess not. But I really have a good feeling about who I've chosen to keep in my life.