I remember feeling impervious to the unrelenting cold and questionable parking. It was the day after New Years and for once in my life it held more excitement than the previous night. Kelsey and I had met online. Our communication was limited, messaging each other during the holidays in novel format ranging from the mundane to the existential. She had traveled to NYC with her family to experience her first love, Christmas, in its full glory at the Rockefeller Center. In those two weeks, I had felt like I’d known her my entire life, and the anticipation of meeting her in person consumed me. The weight of my nerves overrode logic as I had double parked, parked again in an empty lot, and then moved to a street spot all to avoid waiting. My 2016 Jetta had handled prior vehicular anxieties with ease, but this was a new phenomenon. Attempting to pay for parking at the shotty kiosk, I finally saw her. A distressed leather jacket with a grey hood. Dark jeans. Long brown hair and a smile that burned into my soul like a cattle brand. I’ll never forget seeing Kelsey for the first time. Unknowingly then, she replaced every ounce of doubt in my future with rebar and concrete. We said our awkward hellos and proceeded in. I have an undying curse. The middle name affliction. It has undoubtedly caused more hardship than intended, but this may have proved to be the summit. Kelsey questioned if I was a serial killer catfish incognito rodeo clown when I told the host “party of two for Joseph”. Sheer terror cascaded through me as I realized this hadn’t come up in prior conversation. Who the hell am I haha? After eternal moments, I plead my case. Whether she has forgiven me is still a topic of debate, but she did sit down at the table with me that night. The Optimist has proved to become one of my favorite places in the world. Operating as if we were aboard the Titanic pre-iceberg with 30,000 feet of ocean beneath us. I admit, I did want to gauge her sense of adventure. The oyster test. It’s not for the faint of heart if you’re not keen towards seafood. What oysters lack in there visual appearance, they fully make up in their taste, and there’s no better food fun. We cheersed 3 oyster shells that night and never looked back!