All Bouncy and Stuff

First and foremost, please wish my darling Calvin a very, very happy birthday!

Down With Underpants! (This was in Whistler back in ‘05.)
(I WAS going to post this picture but he would have keeled me ded.)

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Dyskinesia and Taoist Biker came through for Calvin’s birthday present in a BIG, YOOGE way.

So, back when TB and Dys went to this year’s Red Bull Indianapolis GP, they called my cell phone from the track and left a voicemail message of the sound of the motorcycles going by. Which made me and Calvin thirteen kinds of jealous.

Once they were back, I IM’ed with TB about their trip (September 1st, it was), and I mentioned that Calvin and I would love to go, some year. He started telling me about the arrangements they’d already made to attend the 2010 race. I asked him if we needed to book this far in advance, if we decided we wanted to go. He explained about how repeat-attenders get first preference on the seats. I asked how I would go about getting tickets to the race, and he was all, “I CAN GET TICKETS LET ME SHOW YOU THEM.”

All of this took place in a 337-line IM conversation, mind you. You may not realize, we’re wordy sonsabitches.

He called, and then faxed, the race organization and said he’d like to add two seats adjacent to the ones he had already pre-reserved. It wasn’t totally a sure thing because those who have attended previously get first preference, and someone else might want those seats – so he listed second and third preferences for nearby seating locations.

THEN Dys got involved and extended their existing hotel reservation to add an adjoining room for us. I’d called, myself, but they weren’t taking reservations so far in advance – but Dys had an “in” with them, and the hotel was all set up for us while TB and I were still IM-ing back and forth about the particulars.

That’s as far as the planning could go, at that point, and I had a WHOLE MONTH that I had to discipline myself into NOT saying anything to Calvin. Meanwhile he’s watching Moto GP events on TV and saying, “Gee, it sure would be fun to go someday…” Bit my tongue bloody, I did.

THEN Dys called me yesterday afternoon, and conferenced TB in, so they could tell me together that they got confirmation that the seats we wanted were available and YOU GUYS we’re sitting, all of us together, in one of the PENTHOUSES.

I printed out this year’s Spectator Guide that TB forwarded to me, circled the location we’ll be sitting in during next year’s race, and gave it to Calvin last night (I couldn’t wait, okay?) as his birthday present.

He. Was. THRILLED. TOTALLY excited. He kept saying, “Oh, cool” with this huge grin on his face. Of course, Mr. Instant Gratification will have to wait a solid eleven months to enjoy his birthday present, but the practice in patience will be good for him. Besides, it gives us both something great to look forward to for a good long time.

So. It’s happening the last weekend in August, 2010. Look out, Indianapolis. We are going to TEAR UP THE TOWN. A weekend of motorcycles, photography, friendship, whisky, and general geekery as the four of us finally meet “in real life”. Indiana may never recover.

Some of Dyskinesia’s pics from the 2008 race:

She’s a pretty kick-ass photographer, yes?

Man, we are WICKED stoked.