Special thanks to Chuckles.

It's 4:30am. I have not been to sleep yet. I'd still be wandering around Brandon if it wasn't for Chuckles and his lovely associate. I think her name is Linda.

I left my house at 2:04am. I went over the Skyway Bridge and immediately took the wrong turn onto I-75 Southbound. I should have taken the Palmetto US41/US301 Exit. I ended up very far Southwest of where I needed to be. I stopped for gas and considered asking the attendant for directions at the first 7-11, but she was not polite and kind of looked like she was on Meth.

I carried on, going the wrong way some more, until I came to another 7-11. I thought to myself that the parking lot looked empty, so at least I wouldn't be bothering anyone. The employees, Chuckles and Linda, immediately stopped what they were doing to help me figure out where I was and where I should be. Suddenly, we heard a loud commotion. We looked outside to see the parking lot was now full, completely. A club next door had closed and all of the club goers decided to simply move the party to the 7-11 parking lot. Classy AND sassy, if you ask me. People were dancing in the parking lot and everything.

Since I couldn't go anywhere and I had figured out my next leg of my journey, I joined Chuckles outside while he smoked a cigarette. We started talking and he said he was a gamer, as in RPG's. I asked him what he played. He said he played D&D and Cyberpunk. My eyes lit up. @rosswinn, my friend, had a part in writing Cyberpunk, I tell him. I tell him about @dorkland and his writing and publishing company. It was then on like Donkey Kong. Suddenly, we were discussing gaming, Goths, Star Trek Clubs, and conventions.

I ended up giving him a business card and a link to this site, so that he could connect to the rest of the dorks that I know and love.

About that time a police officer came and blared his siren. Everyone left, and so did I. Thanks to the infallible directions of Chuckles, I was where I needed to be in under ten minutes.

I just got home and even though I'm tired, I'm glad I collected another story to tell.