The west coast is now out of Boddingtons!

[pinniped]

I posted this on another forum, but I figured that to reach paper I should probably post it here, too...

As some of you may know, the possibility of an in-person meeting between ZanardiEnthusiast and truebrit was floated around here last week...

I spoke with tb on the phone Friday and I can attest he is every bit as entertaining as paper lets on. I then received a call at lunchtime
Friday from paper...another very pleasant conversation, filling me in on all kinds of details and every bit as entertaining as he is online (but without the commas!)....he is no longer mad at me for calling him an optimistic thug and I have come to realize that we SHOULD BE optimistic thugs ...To talk to two rabid fans on Friday really got me going and put me in the right mood for the weekend.

Well we got to talking and it turns out that Mr. truebrit was able to make it to a certain English pub in the Santa Monica area this Saturday. A little bit of a drive for both of us, but what the heck I figured it was worth it to meet up with the man who has coined the "point-chinned bastard" moniker for herr Schumacher.

Fast forward to Saturday, around 2:30-ish, I am at the Kings Head when in walks a man wearing a brown shirt with a Cubs cap, smokin a ciggie...'tis none other than the legendary truebrit...I tell you folks, what a great guy...but don't ever try to keep up with an expatriate Englishman who enjoys his Boddingtons! The man can put them away! In fact, the Kings Head actually RAN OUT of Boddingtons after about an hour of us!!!lol. No crisis - we simply switched to McEwan's...

I tell you, we got along famously and there was little talk of politics other than to discuss the great time we have winding people up on these forums.

One of the more amusing moments came when tb summoned paper via his cell phone...I nearly fell off my chair at that one...it was almost surreal talking to paper at the Kings Head, on truebrit's cell phone...we had a good laugh about it...paper was calling it a "summit"...two great race fans and they both make excellent company...tb even carries a photograph of a Walkinshaw Jaguar at Le Mans in his wallett! And when he talks about Schumacher - it is twice as funny in person...A great guy through and through. We were having such a good time the house even bought us a round!

If you have a chance to meet up with either, I highly recommend it! Or me for that matter! We had a great time, could have talked racing all day and could have continued to drain the Kings Head of its stock of McEwans as well, but after a couple of hours our other plans called it...great fun anyway and remember that on the political stuff, we are really just winding each other from opposite sides of the same fence; tb and I aren't that far apart. He is, in fact, quite the capitalist if you get him on the stock market! truly suprising but a great time and a perfect internet forum race fan summit...too bad paper wasn't there in person!

[paper]

I will testify that they did sound like they were having fun.. it was late afternoon here so my own beerlamp was lit. I did my best to talk too much and run tru's phone bill up.. Its the least I can do as those demmies dont pay nearly enough taxes since and make all us EVIL conservatives do it. We all three laughed like little girls , It was trully one of the most fun phone calls since JT's earlier in the day. we have really good folks on these forums.. talking to pinniped was a real treat for me.. I could never be upset for being called an optimist thug.. I am one. thanx ZE..... and tru,, before christmas I will have what you request in your hands.. paper

[cartman]

If any of you guys are ever in the Atlanta area, let me know. Would love to go have a few brews with some of the forum gang. The only forum member I've ever had a chance to meet is Silva back in the old days. He was actually a really nice guy and loved CART, he was just a little too negative about all of the usual doom and gloom stuff. I'm hoping that some of you will be able to come to Atlanta for Petit Le Mans in the fall. If you haven't considered it, you should. Road Atlanta is one of the coolest race tracks I've seen and it is wicked awesome to see those cars come under that bridge then onto the last 90 degree corner before the start/finish straight at night with the headlights. I wish I would've had a chance to meet more of you at some of the races, but in the past I was always stuck working at them and didn't have a lot of time to be social. Don't think I can make to any races this year, I've already used up all my vacation time for the year, but maybe next year I'll have to make my way down to St. Pete since that's the closest one to me.