the fruitcake enterprises social review—spring 2024

In the spring of 2024, I engaged in in-person or face-to-face virtual social interaction with the following people on the indicated number of days:

06132024-042 1. Shobhit—25
05032024-072. Laney—21
03292024-087 3. Barbara—6
04262024-05 4. Alexia—6
04292024-05 5. Karen—6
04132024-15 6. Jennifer—5
05022024-90 7. Gabriel—5 **
04062024 Gabriel-5crop 8. Garret—5 **
05022024-101 9. Brian—5 **
04132024-56 10. Matthew—5
05012024-33 11. Tony—5 *
05012024-33 12. Jake—5 *
05012024-33 13. Ryan—5 *
05012024-33 14. Derek—5 *
04282024-58 15. Dad—2
04272024-11 16. Claudia—3 ***
04062024-34 17. Andy—3 **
03292024-043 18. Danielle—1
05022024-99 19. Lea—2 **
05022024-05 20. Valerie—1
21. Ben—3 *
22. Chris—3 *
23. Daniel—3 *
24. Lynn—1
25. Zephyr—1
26. Mandy—2 **
27. Tess—2 **
28. Tracy—1
29. Janine—2 **
30. Ben—2 **
31. Chris—2 *
32. Ryan—2 *
33. Tom—2 *
34. Ulysses—2 *
35. David—2 **
36. Harshal—1
37. Joan—2 **
38. Julie—2 **
39. Ryan—2 **
40. Anna—2 **
41. Josh—2**
42. Brook—2 **
43. Nathan—2 **
44. Gabby—1
45. Amy—1
46. Sherri—1
47. Dylan—1 ***
48. Sean—1 *
49. Steve—1
50. Jeff—1 ****
51. Justine—1 ****
52. Jasper—1 ***
53. Jamie—1 ***
54. Laura—1 ***
55. Lisa—1 ***
56. Rick—1 ***
57. Brendan—1 ****
58. Jennifer—1 ****
59. Peter—1 ****
60. Ry—1


* Regular attendee at Action Movie Night

** Gabriel & Lea wedding party

*** Claudia's Memorial Day Weekend barbecue

**** Jeff's retirement party

Total days in the spring with social interaction: 66 (71.74%, a +12.36 percentage point change from winter)


. . . Quite a list this quarter! It's not often I break 60 people with whom I in some way socialized with. This is up 46% from the 41 people I had last quarter (winter 20204); and up 11% from spring last year (2023).

This was why I used more asterisks than usual, because I wanted a visual shorthand to show how the list grew so much. There were at least three standalone events that included many people I don't typically socialize with: Gabriel and Lea's wedding (all things associated with was what took Gabriel to the unusual heights of the top 10 with 5 points, what with three for the weekend on Lopez Island; the Wedding Rehearsal; and the wedding itself—and then the addition of his and Lea's many other friends and family I am not around often); Claudia's Memorial Day Weekend barbecue, where I chatted with several of her other friends, many of whom I had met at at least one of her other parties); and Jeff's going away party here at work.

And all of that is not even to mention Action Movie Night, which has added around 10 regulars to this list ever since Shobhit and I also became regulars; and of course, this quarter covering April and May—my Birth Week. This typically brings in several people who are perennial mainstays of my Birth Week but who I don't often socialize with outside of that, from Lynn and Zephyr to Valerie. I would often include Shauna there, but she had to cancel for the first time this year—as did Danielle, who I hung out with all of one single time in the spring, and I still haven't seen her since she joined Barbara and me for a walk at Greenlake Park in late March. I've even tried calling her a couple of times and can't seem to catch her; I don't know what's going on there, if anything. She actually answered the phone once but she was at work; it surprised me she would even answer there. But she quickly told me we should talk soon, and just before we hung up she said, "Hey—hey. I miss you." So there's that.

As for the top of the list, as expected, Shobhit nabbed the #1 spot with 25 points, although Laney is unusually close to him at the #2 spot with 21. Had Shobhit not gotten 6 points in one stretch for the trip to Toronto, Laney may very well have beat him. We'll see how things go over the summer!

Certainly the most notable individual addition to this list compared to other recent ones is the return Barbara, who, thanks to us flying her out to Seattle for an Easter Weekend visit, gained six points—and the #3 spot! She didn't even rank that high when I went out to visit her in Louisville in spring 2022, when she ranked #7 with 4 points. But, a longer stay is more economically feasible when she's staying at our place and doesn't have to pay for a hotel, in contrast to when I visit her there (though I still do hope to do that again soon). This visit puts her within striking distance of her own Social Review glory days, when she was reliably ranked #2 every single quarter (again, behind Shobhit)—although back then she'd gain more points than even Laney tends to now.

For the time being let's get back to spring, and who did what with whom where and when!


Thursday, March 21: with Shobhit, to a wine class at Total Wine & More

Friday, March 22: with Alexia, movie night at her place (Morning Glory)

Saturday, March 23: with Laney and Alexia, Braeburn Condos theater double feature (Planet of the Apes (1968) and Rise of the Planet of the Apes (2011))

Saturday, March 23: with Laney, out for coffee/tea (Caffe Vita)

Tuesday, March 26: with Karen, lunch over Zoom

Wednesday, March 27: with Shobhit and Barbara, dinner and spending the night at our place

Thursday, March 28: with Shobhit and Barbara, hanging out then driving Shobhit to the airport

Thursday, March 28: with Barbara, to a movie (Problemista) at AMC Seattle 10

Friday, March 29: with Barbara and Danielle, picnic lunch and walking at Green Lake Park

Friday, March 29: with Barbara, Seattle Great Wheel

Saturday, March 30: with Barbara, Dad and Sherri, dinner and staying the night at Dad and Sherri's house

Sunday, March 31: with Barbara, Easter in Olympia

Monday, April 1: with Barbara and Laney, brief hangout at Laney's apartment, then Happy Hour at Saint John's Bar & Eatery

Wednesday, April 3: with Tony, Jake, Ben, Ryan, Chris B, Chris G, Derek, Daniel, and Tom, Action Movie Night (The Silence of the Lambs)

Thursday, April 4: with Steve, Book Club at Cafe Cosmos

Friday, April 5: with Gabriel, Garret, Andy and Brian, stay at Sunrise Waterfront Retreat cabin on Lopez Island; lunch at "Taco 'Bout It" taco truck; playing games at a nearby beach; playing poker

Saturday, April 6: with Gabriel, Garret, Andy and Brian, stay at Sunrise Waterfront Retreat cabin on Lopez Island; Watmough Bay and climbing Chadwick Hill Trail (with Andy); Shark Reef Sanctuary; pizza dinner at the cabin; drinks on the patio

Sunday, April 7: with Gabriel, Garret, Andy and Brian, breakfast at Sunrise Waterfront Retreat cabin on Lopez Island; out for dessert (Lopez Island Creamery, with Andy); Spencer Spit State Park

Tuesday, April 9: with Laney, to a movie (Monkey Man)

Friday, April 12: with Karen, lunch over Zoom

Friday, April 12: with Jennifer and Matthew, dinner and wine at my place

Saturday, April 13: with Jennifer and Matthew, out for breakfast (General Porpoise), out for lunch (HoneyHole Sandwiches), and to Neko Cat Cafe

Saturday, April 13: with Jennifer, Matthew, and Laney, out for dinner (Fog Room)

Sunday, April 14: with Jennifer and Matthew, out for breakfast (Glo's Diner)

Tuesday, April 16: with Laney, to a movie (Civil War)

Wednesday, April 17: with Tony, Jake, Ryan, Chris G, Chris B, Derek, and Ulysses, Action Movie Night (The Way of the Gun)

Thursday, April 18: with Jeff, Claudia, Justine, Brendan, Jennifer B, Peter, and more, Jeff's retirement party

Saturday, April 20: with Laney, to a movie (Abigail)

Sunday, April 21: with Laney, to a movie (Sasquatch Sunset)

Friday, April 26: with Alexia, visiting Harbor Island

Saturday, April 27: with Claudia, two-hour visit at her place

Saturday, April 27: with Jennifer and Matthew, McMicken Island State Park, out for dinner (County Line Fire Pizza), then staying overnight at their place in Union

Sunday, April 28: with Jennifer and Matthew, breakfast at their place (blueberry French toast casserole)

Sunday, April 28: with Dad, Anderson Island Bike Ride, Andy's Marine Park, and out for lunch (Anderson Island Cafe)

Monday, April 29: with Karen, lunch at the kitchen island at her place in Magnolia

Monday, April 29: with Laney, to a movie (Challengers)

Tuesday, April 30: with Shobhit, day trip to Lopez Island

Wednesday, May 1: with Shobhit, Foster Island and Marsh Island at Washington Park Arboretum

Wednesday, May 1: with Shobhit, Tony, Jake, Ben, Ryan, Derek, Sean, Tom, and Ulysses, Action Movie Night at the Braeburn Community Kitchen island

Thursday, May 2: with Valerie, Mercer Island picnic lunch at Luther Burbank Park

Thursday, May 2: with Gabriel, Lea, Tess, Garret, Brian, Mandy, David, Janine, Ben, Joan, Julie, Ryan, Anna, Josh, Brook, Nathan, and more, Gabriel and Lea's wedding rehearsal at North Fork Farm

Friday, May 3: with Shobhit and Laney, walking from her place to 14th & Olive

Friday, May 3: with Laney, traffic island cocktails at 14th & Olive, then drinking on the Braeburn Condos rooftop terrace

Friday, May 3: with Tracy, Vashon Island evening visit: out for dinner (Lunetta Pizzeria), the Old Bicycle in the Tree, Maury Island Marine Park

Saturday, May 4: with Gabriel, Lea, Tess, Garret, Brian, Mandy, David, Janine, Ben, Joan, Julie, Ryan, Anna, Josh, Brook, Nathan, and more, Gabriel and Lea's wedding at North Fork Farm

Sunday, May 5: with Lynn and Zephyr, Jetty Island view from Everett waterfront; out for lunch (Scuttlebut Brewing) and out for coffee and tea (Muse Whiskey Bar & Coffee Shop)

Sunday, May 5: with Shobhit and Harshal, dinner at our place

Tuesday, May 7: with Laney, to a movie (The Fall Guy)

Wednesday, May 8: with Shobhit, out for dessert and a slice of pizza (R+M Dessert Bar, Hot Mama's Pizza)

Thursday, May 9: with Shobhit, out for a walk to Volunteer Park and back

Friday, May 10: with Karen, lunch over Zoom

Friday, May 10: with Shobhit, Ry, and more, MLK Labor Oscars at Seattle Convention Center Summit building

Saturday, May 11: with Laney and Alexia, Braeburn Condos Double Feature (Dawn of the Planet of the Apes and War for the Planet of the Apes)

Sunday, May 12: with Shobhit, out for a walk to Pioner Square and up the Seattle Waterfront

Monday, May 13: with Shobhit and Laney, to a movie (Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes)

Tuesday, May 14: with Karen, to a movie (The Ride Ahead)

Wednesday, May 15: with Shobhit, Tony, Jake, Ryan, Chris, Derek, Daniel, and two new guys, Action Movie Night (Monkey Man)

Saturday, May 18: with Laney, Happy Hour at Olympia Pizza & Spaghetti House III

Sunday, May 19: with Shobhit, out for breakfast (The French Guys)

Tuesday, May 21: with Laney, to a movie (Back to Black)

Friday, May 24: with Karen, Lunch over Zoom

Friday, May 24: with Shobhit and Laney, to a movie (Furiosa: A Mad Max Saga)

Saturday, May 25: with Claudia, Dylan, Jasper, Jamie, Laura, Lisa, Rick, and more, barbecue at Claudia's house

Sunday, May 26: with Shobhit, out for breakfast (Volunteer Park Cafe)

Monday, May 27: with Laney, to a movie (Babes)

Monday, May 27: with Shobhit and Laney, Happy Hour at DeLuxe Bar and Grill

Tuesday, May 28: with Laney, to a movie (IF)

Wednesday, May 29: with Tony, Jake, Ben, Ryan, Chris G, Derek, and Daniel, Action Movie Night (Possessor)

Saturday, June 1: with Laney, Seattle Pride in the Park 2024

Sunday, June 2: with Shobhit, out for a walk to Volunteer Park

Thursday, June 6: with Laney, Seattle Pride Art Walk in Pioneer Square

Friday, June 7: with Alexia, movie night at my place (Inside Out)

Saturday, June 8: with Laney and Alexia, Happy Hour at La Cocina Oaxaqueña

Sunday, June 9: with Shobhit, out for a walk around Cal Anderson Park & the Pike Pine Corridor

Tuesday, June 11: with Shobhit, flying to Toronto

Wednesday, June 12: with Shobhit, touring the Legislative Assembly of Ontario; up the CN Tower; out for a walk in Church-Wellesley Village

Thursday, June 13: with Shobhit, day trip to Niagara Falls: Niagara City Cruise; walking across the Rainbow Bridge to New York; walking Goat and other islands in the Niagara River; Cave of the Winds

Friday, June 14: with Shobhit, anniversary in Toronto: visiting Toronto Reference Library; Afternoon Tea at the Shangri-La Toronto

Saturday, June 15: with Shobhit, Sunbathing at Hanlan's Point, Toronto Islands

Sunday, June 16: with Shobhit, brunches at Egg Club and  Loaded Pierogi in Church-Wellesley Village; flying home from Toronto

Wednesday, June 19: with Gabby and Amy, out for lunch (Moto Pizza)

Thursday, June 20: with Laney, to a movie (Thelma)