In Case You Haven't Heard, I'm Headed South

To date I really haven't really acknowledged here the fact that I'm headed down to Georgia in a little over a week to go fishing in the Smokies with Owl Jones.  No, it's not that I'm ashamed or embarrassed by this fact, rather, he's done more than an adequate job speaking for the both of us over at this place...as evidenced HERE, HERE, HERE, & HERE.  I mean he's even got a countdown clock on his blog.  That's not creepy at all, right?

The non working version

So since Owl is preparing me for this trip via his "Open Letters" series, I figured I'd prepare him what to expect as well.  It's not necessarily in letter form, but some things he should probably know.  I mean it's the least I can do...

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While I've never fished down South, I've been below the Mason-Dixon line more than a few times for work.  Memphis, Louisville, Charleston, Charlotte, Atlanta, Jacksonville, etc...  

I'm no BBQ snob, although I prefer a pulled pork sammich "Memphis Style," you know, cole slaw on top.  And a dry rub on ribs.  But the fact is I'll eat pretty much anything.  The greasier the better.  And because of that, any meals we partake in, be they made from store bought supplies or fast food are on my dime.  I'm not fighting you over this.

I suck at fly fishing.  Maybe this is a bit of an exaggeration, but I've only been fly fishing for about 3 or so years, and a good portion of that was consumed by tenkara.  I can execute a sloppy roll cast, and a few other tricks, but otherwise, I'm no rock star.

Most people (friends & co-workers) call me Ags...at least when they're not calling me four letter words.  Lilly calls me Dad.  My internet friends seem call me T (which makes sense, but is still kinda foreign).  Only K.C. seems to call me Mike.  Am I supposed to call you Owl...Jeff...Mr. Zazzy Pop...in person?  Just know in advance, I'm not calling you Sugarlumps.

You already know this, but I've never gone camping before.  At least not counting in my backyard with Lilly.  I'm a city-ish boy and we just didn't do that.  We considered those Cub Scout kids dorks in my neighborhood.  The Jersey Shore (no joke) was our vacation thing growing up, not the mountains.  So bears don't scare me, but that's due to pure ignorance.  

Hey Boo Boo

Thank you for having Mrs. Owl write an email to Mrs. Troutrageous to let her know that while you may be certifiably insane, you are relatively harmless.  I think it's making her feel better that I'm off to go hang out with an "internet friend" in the woods for 3 days.

I'm fixin' to learn me some Southern talk...and maybe see an orange Dodge Charger or two jump our creek mid backcast.

You're building this adventure up to be EPIC - much like you did tenkara before you gave it a try.  Let's dial that back a bit, don't buy into the "Troutrageous!" marketing package.  Plus, I'm no River Damsel, I bite my fingernails.  That said, I'm sure we'll have fun. 

I curse a lot when I talk.  It's a symptom of being an uncivilized Yankee.  Know what I fuckin' mean?  Sorry about that.  I'm also sure our conversations at some point may stray toward politics and/or religion; understand we probably won't agree.  I'm cool with that and hope you are too.  I know I'm not going to Hell or anything because it doesn't exist.

You'll probably be doing most of the talking.  As other bloggers who I've gone fishing with over the last few years can probably attest, I'm not a chatter box.  Sure, I like to talk, but my snarkiness tends to show itself in short, calculated bursts.  In short, I'm no jibber-jabberer.

We will find a Bigfoot.  If not, we'll have fun trying.

And to end, I really don't care about fishing.  We don't have to be fishing 24-7 or any of that stuff.  Don't get me wrong, I'd like to catch some fish, but don't feel the pressure to be Mr. Smokies fishing guide.  If I stumble into one or two hooksets, I'll be more than satisfied and still leave a healthy tip.  This trip is an escape from what has been a pretty unforgiving last 6+ months on the job.  I just want to soak in the surroundings, enjoy the escape, with fishing being merely a backdrop.

Anyway Owl, thanks for having me.  I'm really looking forward to it.  The 4th can't come soon enough.