Truth Is Stranger Than Fiction

I was going to title this Pay It Forward (revisited) but The Guy Who scared me into thinking that everyone associated with the story is going to die soon! :-)

There is no way I could make this up. Remember the story about me losing the notebook and someone finding it and calling a phone number in the notebook, etc., etc., etc.

So. Today I call Tony and ask him if I can come by and get my notebook. He told me I could pull into the taxi zone by the Continental building and he'd run out. I got there early enough to snag a meter spot so I waited in the lobby of the building. I actually miss working downtown. Something about the hustle and bustle and being a tunnel rat.

So. Tony meets me after I call him to let him know that I am waiting. VERY nice guy. He handed me my notebook and I could tell that several cars had run over it because the spiral binding is a bit warped. And there are a few tire marks on some of the pages.

I notice that Tony is wearing a Strake Jesuit sweater. Turns out that his son is a student there. I told him that I went to a Catholic high school in Ft. Worth.

I told him that I had told several people the story about him seeing the notebook and going back around to get it. That morning he was late to work. He said that he happened to say a prayer and hoped that someone would get the notebook and then he realized that if he didn't go and get it no one would so that is why he went back several blocks.

He said that once he got the notebook and saw some of the items in there he realized it could be important. So he said another prayer that he would find the owner. And as it turns out he only called one person and that was Elaine. Of all of the phone numbers in the book he picked the one that would actually figure out who the notebook belonged to!

So I told him about my prayer to Saint Anthony and he just smiled. I'm telling ya. There is something to saying a prayer every now and then.

We chatted some more and he had to get to a meeting and my meter was running. It was really nice meeting Tony.

I didn't tell him about my blog but wouldn't it be funny if somehow he stumbled across it. And to all of you wisenheimers who think you might be able to pull a fast one on me, I know Tony's last name so don't try to pull one on me 'cause I'll ask you for your last name!

In other news:

I had to miss a Krewe meeting tonight. I sorta had a panic attack this afternoon about getting something done and I knew that I would be a wreck sitting in the meeting worrying about it.

Didn't go running today. Didn't go to the gym. Instead, I pulled a homemade rum cake out of the freezer and had a slice. I'm gonna get as big as a house I tell ya!

World AIDS Day - Dec. 1

www.worldaidsdayhouston.org