Well, a bets a bet, so Monday after work, I met up with Matt at thePiercing Pagoda at the mall. I was glad, though rather surprised, thatMatt was, for...him, subdued. I fully expected to be majorly razzed byhim, but, he quietly explained the situation to the woman in the kiosk,as I reluctantly sat down in the chair to be pierced."No need to be embarassed," she said as she prepped my ears withantiseptic. "You'd be surprised how many men get into the same situationas you! And your friend (I. She began with her face, relaxing her forehead and the muscles around her eyes. This seemed to push the battering ram barbarians back some.She continued working outward from there. She relaxed the tension in her face, then neck, then jaw, allowing the sensation to slowly spread downward. She found the process quite easy even though she had not needed it in some time. She followed the process down her arms and legs, even relaxing the tension in her hands and feet. It was a great feeling, an. We had a Triple A guide book with us and had looked for an inexpensive motel. We found one that wasn't too bad and had the AAA rating so it wouldn't be shabby or anything and pulled off. We both went into the lobby but I could see that Matt was a little hesitant. I suddenly guessed it was because I was going to pay for the room and he felt a little embarrassed so I quickly stepped forward to the desk. "Do you have a double for tonight?" I asked.The clerk replied, "I'm sure we do. Just let me. You're my little back current as the universe circles the drain." That's awfully dark, Stoney." Sometimes I look at everything and it is. Then I see my own personal spot of sunshine." He pulled me close and kissed me. "You." We have some good spots. Us. Mom and Dad. Uncle Lars. The Community." Yes, we pull back and look at all that. But to poor Kara, where she was when we met her, maybe she wasn't able to pull back. Maybe she was in the dark." How much of that was losses? Losing her mom. Her.