July 24

Plan: I really wanted to chicken out and put it off until the day after my birthday because that really seems more like it would be the 1st day of my 30th year. But after some coaxing (and actual physical pushing) from my Mom, I finally got some balls and talked to a stranger.

Who I met: Well, what better way to meet my first victim than a birthday drink at the bar? There was a man sitting next to my Mom drinking what looked like scotch. This gentleman was older, so I was a little apprehensive about how I was going to explain what a blog was. Or the internet. I introduced myself and told him about my idea to meet a new person everyday and he thought it was fantastic. His name is Randy and the first thing he did was hand me his card (see picture). "Here's what you need. You get these printed with your name and email address at Staples and for just a few bucks, they'll give you enough to last a lifetime." Great advice! I had been sort of throwing that idea around, but thought it might be even more presumptuous if I stuck a card in someone's face. Well, it seems that Randy is familiar with the internet and he checks his email and before he retired, he had to use it for work a lot.

What I learned: Randy was in sales for over 30 years and was on the road sometimes for over 200 days out of the year. He's divorced and he been for years; he has one son and a new grand-baby! Like most Grandparents, he was very proud and his eyes lit about when he told me about his eight-month-old grandson who had visited that day and how he was putting his butt in the air in preparation for learning to crawl-a very exciting time in the life of an infant!
I asked the burning question I'm sure you're all thinking "Would you rather be a sock or a shoe?" To which Randy asked if he could think about it for a minute. Then answered, "I would be the shoe because it gets to get out there and see the world and I traveled for work for years, so I like that. The sock just has to stay covered up." Makes sense. I thanked him for his time and for answering my questions. But you know what I really learned? Don't discount senior citizens! They can still know what's what with technology. In fact, the next day my Grandma sent me a friend request on Facebook, so apparently, it's becoming less of a generational thing.

More to come!
Angie