The Hinge Experiment Meets Cruise Mode: Dialysis, Detours, and a Last-Minute Road Trip! 🚗🚢
It's Wednesday afternoon. Normally, after dialysis, I'd catch up on sleep, recover from treatment, and prepare for the rest of the week.
But apparently, I decided that a quiet Wednesday wasn't exciting enough.
Instead, I made some last-minute changes to my travel plans, and now I'm adding another road trip to The Hinge Experiment.
Why make life simple when you can add a few extra miles, a hotel reservation, and some logistical gymnastics?
The Cruise Is Calling!
Tomorrow, I'm embarking on a cruise out of Tampa, Florida!
Originally, my travel plans were pretty straightforward. I'd fly from Charleston (CHS) to Charlotte (CLT), then connect from Charlotte to Tampa (TPA).
Simple, right?
Well, I started looking at the numbers.
What would it cost to change my flight? What about a hotel? Could I use some points to make the arrangements work? Was there a better way to get where I needed to be?
After reviewing the options, I came up with a different plan.
I'm removing the middleman.
Instead of flying from Charleston to Charlotte and then connecting to Tampa, I'm driving toward Charlotte, staying at a hotel near the airport, and flying directly to Tampa tomorrow.
A little driving, a hotel stay, and one less flight segment.
And the best part? I actually enjoy driving!
Of course, that means I have to get organized, pack everything, drive, check into the hotel, and get ready for an early airport departure.
All while coming off dialysis.
What could go wrong? 😂
But Wait... There's a Columbia Detour!
This is where The Hinge Experiment comes in.
The following weekend, Airica is heading to Las Vegas. With both of us on busy schedules and separate travel plans, I made time for another visit.
So, before heading to my hotel near Charlotte, I'm driving to Columbia, South Carolina, to spend some time with Airica.
Yes, you read that correctly.
I'm going to drive to Columbia, spend some time with her, and then head toward Charlotte to prepare for tomorrow's flight to Tampa.
Somewhere along the way, I should probably eat something, too.
I'm beginning to think that my car deserves its own frequent-flyer program. It may not fly, but it certainly accumulates the miles!
What's on the Agenda Tonight?
I'm not going to overcomplicate the plans.
I'm looking forward to laughing, enjoying some food, spending time with Airica, and doing a whole lot of driving.
That's a pretty good Wednesday evening if you ask me.
It's been fun getting to know Airica, sharing experiences, and finding opportunities to spend time together despite our schedules. I don't know what the next step will look like, and I'm not going to pretend I have it all figured out.
For now, I'm enjoying the journey.
And apparently, the journey involves a lot of interstate highways.
I'll be trading the Columbia roads for a Charlotte hotel, then an airport, then Tampa, and finally a cruise ship.
Not exactly a restful week, but it should give me a few stories to tell.
And you know me. If something funny happens, it’ll probably end up here on the blog.
A Quick Message to Any Would-Be Burglars
Before I go, a little public service announcement.
If you're thinking about robbing the house while I'm away, don't.
My father is still in the house.
And there's also a giant leopard.
No, I won’t explain that any further. You'll have to use your imagination. 😂
Let's say the house is occupied, and this is a very poor time to test your luck.
Consider this your friendly neighborhood travel advisory.
Stay Tuned!
For now, I've got a road trip to Columbia, some quality time to enjoy, a hotel near CLT to get to, and a flight to Tampa to catch tomorrow.
Then it's cruise time!
I'll share more as it unfolds, including the cruise, the travel logistics, and whatever other surprises life throws my way.
The Hinge Experiment meets cruise mode. 🚗❤️🚢
Stay tuned. There's more to come!
The Hinge Experiment: 600 Miles, Two Hours of Sleep, and Harry Potter!
If someone had told me a few months ago that I'd be driving more than 600 miles in one day, running on approximately two hours of sleep, watching Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone with a woman I met on Hinge, and nearly choking on a jalapeño, I probably would have asked what they'd been drinking.
Yet here we are.
The Hinge Experiment has officially entered its road-trip era.
On Sunday, Airica and I headed to COSM Atlanta to experience Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone in Shared Reality. The showing was at 8 AM, which meant I needed to leave Mount Pleasant at 2 AM, pick up Airica in Columbia around 4 AM, and arrive in Atlanta around 7 AM.
Simple enough, right?
I had a plan. I was going to get to bed around 6 PM on Saturday, wake up at 1:15 AM, get ready, and hit the road.
What could go wrong?
The Plan Was Perfect. My Sleep Schedule Was Not.
I did everything I could to prepare.
I washed the car and filled up the gas tank Saturday afternoon. I bought a few things I knew Airica liked: gummy candies and scratch-off lottery tickets.
Neither of us is a millionaire.
Yet.
Apparently, our retirement strategy is to buy lottery tickets and hope for the best.
So sad.
I was ready for bed early, or at least I thought I was. The problem was that sleep wasn't cooperating.
I wasn't lying awake worrying about anything in particular. My mind wasn't racing through a thousand different scenarios. I couldn't fall asleep.
I got about two hours of sleep before it was time to get up and begin the adventure.
Excellent.
Nothing says responsible adult like voluntarily starting a 600-mile road trip in the middle of the night after barely sleeping.
For the record, I wouldn’t recommend this plan to anyone. I should have prioritized getting adequate rest before such a long drive. But at the time, I was committed to making the experience happen.
The Road to Columbia
I left Mount Pleasant around 2 AM.
The roads were wonderfully quiet. There were hardly any cars, and the drivers who were out seemed to be playing nicely with one another.
No traffic jams. No unnecessary drama. No one seemingly determined to turn a simple drive into a demolition derby.
I arrived in Columbia, picked up Airica, and headed toward Atlanta.
She was tired, too, and slept through much of the roughly three-hour drive.
We stopped for a bathroom break and a quick fuel top-up along the way.
And, according to my very unofficial observations, Airica snored.
Lightly.
Very lightly.
I'm not trying to get myself into trouble here. I'm simply documenting the facts for the historical record.
Besides, if someone can fall asleep while I'm driving them across state lines at four in the morning, I’ll take that as a sign they're reasonably comfortable with me.
Or they're just exhausted.
Possibly both.
Welcome to the Wizarding World!
We made it to COSM Atlanta with time to spare.
People dressed as characters from the Harry Potter universe added to the atmosphere. We walked in, checked in, and got everything sorted without any major complications.
The COSM dome also hosts NFL games during football season, so the venue's scale is impressive even before the movie starts.
We got our prepaid enchanted-menu items, plus some extra food and drinks. There were nachos and a few other things to enjoy.
And then it was time for Harry Potter.
I'd seen Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone before, so I knew the story and remembered parts of the film. But experiencing it alongside Airica made it more enjoyable.
I got to see her excitement and how completely she geeked out. Sometimes, watching someone enjoy something they love is almost as much fun as the experience itself.
I enjoyed seeing her reactions and sharing the experience.
I'll write a separate review of COSM and the Shared Reality technology, because there's plenty to discuss. For now, it's an impressive piece of technology, and where you sit really does matter.
More on that in the dedicated review.
A Little Harry Potter Shopping
After the movie, we stopped for a bathroom break, then headed back to the car and picked up a few souvenirs.
Airica was particularly disappointed that there wasn't a much bigger selection of Harry Potter merchandise to buy.
I suspect she’d envisioned a shopping spree.
Unfortunately, the merchandise operation wasn't quite the magical money grab she had hoped for.
She did come away with a Harry Potter scarf and a Quidditch picture. She even got a physical copy of the photo in a commemorative protective lanyard.
So she had something tangible to take home.
And I had another memory of spending time with her.
I'll call that a successful shopping expedition, even if the store failed to extract every last dollar from her wallet.
Then Came the Jalapeño Incident
Now, I need to address something important.
At some point during the day, I choked on a jalapeño because I accidentally inhaled it.
Yes.
I inhaled a jalapeño.
I don't know how one accomplishes this. I wasn't trying to eat it particularly quickly, and I wasn't auditioning for a competitive eating contest.
Yet somehow, a piece of pepper took a wrong turn.
After everything I'd done that day, driving hundreds of miles on almost no sleep and watching a three-hour movie, a jalapeño nearly took me out.
I have one leg. I have kidney failure. My eyesight has given me more than enough trouble over the years.
And now I apparently need to add pepper-related respiratory incidents to the list.
The Hinge Experiment continues to provide material I could never have made up.
The Ride Back
After the movie and souvenir shopping, it was time to head back.
We had some great conversations on the drive. My back and shoulders started getting stiff, which wasn't surprising after spending so many hours behind the wheel.
Airica slept for about an hour on the way back.
This time, there was no snoring.
I'm not sure whether that was because she was sleeping more quietly or because I was too tired to conduct any further scientific observations.
Either way, we talked more, shared more laughs, and eventually made it back to Columbia.
We said our goodbyes there, and I continued the final leg of my journey home to Mount Pleasant.
The Autobahn Would Like a Word
The drive from Columbia back to Mount Pleasant was a different story.
Traffic was heavier, and I encountered some drivers who apparently have never encountered the phrase "Slower Traffic Keep Right."
For those unfamiliar, the left lane is generally intended for passing on roads where that rule applies. If you're traveling slower than the traffic around you, move right when it's safe.
It's not complicated.
Yet some drivers seem determined to occupy the left lane indefinitely, regardless of how much traffic stacks up behind them.
I suspect they would not do particularly well on the Autobahn.
For the record, I am not advocating speeding or unsafe driving. I appreciate drivers who follow basic lane etiquette and let traffic flow.
By this point, my back was stiff, my shoulders were tired, and I'd been awake for far too long.
I was ready to get home.
Made It Home Safely
During the drive, I received a call and a few texts from Airica.
I finally arrived home around 4:30 PM and let her know I'd made it safely.
Then I did what any sensible person would do after a day like that.
I went to sleep.
I slept until around 3 AM, then woke up and started writing this blog post.
Apparently, my body decided it was time to pay off its sleep debt.
I can't blame it.
I'd driven more than 600 miles, spent hours at COSM, watched a movie, eaten, talked, laughed, and somehow managed to inhale a jalapeño.
It was quite a day.
The Hinge Experiment Is Making Memories
Airica and I both have some busy weekends coming up, so we'll have to work around our schedules.
That's part of getting to know someone. Life doesn't stop just because you're dating—family commitments, work, responsibilities, and everything else that comes with being an adult.
But I'm glad we made this trip happen.
I got to experience something new, watch a movie with someone who genuinely enjoyed it, see her excitement, share some laughs, and create a memory that neither of us had before Sunday.
And that's what I want to remember.
Not the lack of sleep.
Not the traffic.
Not even the jalapeño incident.
The memory.
A few weeks ago, I was wondering whether Hinge was worth keeping. My matches had dried up, and I was beginning to think the whole experiment had run its course.
Now I'm driving across Georgia with Airica to see Harry Potter in an enormous dome, buying souvenirs, texting to make sure we both get home safely, and looking forward to whatever comes next.
I don't know where this will lead, and I'm not going to pretend I do.
But I'm enjoying getting to know her.
I'm glad we went.
And I'm glad I have another story to share.
Just one thing for next time: more sleep, fewer jalapeños, and maybe a slightly more reasonable start time.
Steve the Iguana, if you're reading this, you may want to hold off on booking that retirement cruise.
The Hinge Experiment isn't finished yet.
The Hinge Experiment: Harry Potter, Butterbeer, and a 2 AM Departure!
Last weekend, after attending the South Carolina Forum, I got to spend more time with Airica, and it was awesome.
We had the meat sweats at the Brazilian steakhouse, followed by salad and ice cream. Then, on Sunday, we went out for Mexican food.
Or, as they call it in Mexico…
Food.
You're welcome. I'll be here all week.
But that was last weekend. This weekend, things are getting a little more magical. By magical, I mean I'm about to do something that requires an alarm clock at an hour when most people are still dreaming about it.
Airica Has a Date With the State Fair
This Saturday, Airica is heading to the South Carolina State Fair with her family.
She's looking forward to getting her nieces and nephews some elephant ears. For those unfamiliar with fair food, elephant ears are those enormous pieces of fried dough covered in sugar and other deliciousness that make you question every nutritional decision you've made that week.
And what about Airica?
She's planning a little fair surf-and-turf for herself.
I hope she has a fantastic time with her family. I'm sure the kids will enjoy the rides, games, and treats, while the adults will be doing the usual calculations about how much money they just spent on a stuffed animal that cost more than dinner.
I'll be sitting this one out.
Why?
Because Sunday is Harry Potter day.
We're Going to COSM Atlanta!
On Sunday, Airica and I are heading to Atlanta for something called Shared Reality at COSM.
If you're unfamiliar with COSM, it's an immersive entertainment experience that combines a massive, high-resolution dome display with shared experiences that make you feel like you're stepping into another world.
You can learn more about the experience here:
COSM: The Experience
And what better way to experience this than with Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone?
Yes, we're going to experience Harry Potter in Shared Reality.
There's just one little detail.
The showing starts at 8 AM.
Eight.
In.
The.
Morning.
Who Schedules Harry Potter at 8 AM?
Let's do some math.
The drive from Mount Pleasant to Columbia is approximately two hours.
The drive from Columbia to Atlanta is approximately three hours.
That means I'm looking at about five hours of driving to get to Atlanta, depending on traffic.
And because I need to pick up Airica in Columbia before heading to Atlanta, here's the plan:
2 AM: Leave home in Mount Pleasant.
4 AM: Arrive in Columbia and pick up Airica.
4 AM–7 AM: Drive to Atlanta.
7 AM: Arrive, park, and prepare for the experience.
8 AM: Harry Potter begins.
Around 11 AM: Finish the approximately three-hour experience.
That's right.
I'm leaving home at 2 AM on a Sunday to take a woman I met on Hinge to see Harry Potter.
Somewhere, Steve, the Iguana, is looking at his life choices and wondering how he ended up on the sidelines while I drive across Georgia before sunrise.
A few weeks ago, I wondered whether to delete Hinge because I had no matches.
Now I'm planning a road trip that requires me to wake up at an hour usually reserved for vampires, hospital workers, and people who have made questionable life decisions.
The Hinge Experiment has escalated.
There's a Special Harry Potter Menu!
Now, here's where things get interesting.
COSM has a special food-and-beverage offering for the Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone Shared Reality experience.
You can read the details here:
Harry Potter Shared Reality: Special Food and Beverage Offerings at COSM
Naturally, I had to investigate.
There's a Shepherd's Pie offering, and I purchased one for Airica.
Just one.
Why just one?
Because Shepherd's Pie at 8 AM is not my idea of breakfast.
I understand that we're entering the Wizarding World. I understand that the food is part of the experience. I understand that Harry Potter has probably eaten stranger things than Shepherd's Pie.
But I have my limits.
I'm a man who can eat Brazilian steakhouse meat until he experiences the meat sweats. I'm a man who's had shrimp and grits, rib eye cooked medium-well, and enough candy to stock a small convenience store.
Yet somehow, the thought of Shepherd's Pie first thing in the morning has me saying, "No, thank you."
Airica gets the Shepherd's Pie.
I'll stick with whatever else looks appealing.
And Then There's Butterbeer
I've also never had Butterbeer.
Yes, I know.
Apparently, this is a significant omission in my life.
I've watched movies, reviewed movies, driven to theaters, and even traveled to Pooler, Georgia, to experience the world's tallest IMAX screen.
But Butterbeer?
Nope.
I've never tried it.
I may take a sip.
Just a sip.
I'm not committing to a full Butterbeer experience until I know what I'm getting into.
For all I know, it’ll taste like cream soda and butterscotch, with a magical sugar rush that will have me bouncing off the walls before we even leave Atlanta.
And considering we're starting this adventure at 2 AM, I may need all the assistance I can get.
The Hinge Experiment Has Come a Long Way
Think about where this started.
I was on Hinge, wondering whether to delete the app.
No matches.
No conversations.
No dates.
Steve the Iguana was preparing to become my permanent companion.
Then I matched with Airica.
We talked.
We met for lunch in Columbia.
I nearly fell into a booth at The Grand.
We laughed, talked about our lives, and spent four hours together.
Then came the Brazilian steakhouse, the meat sweats, the gifts, and my first Boo Basket.
Now we're planning an early-morning road trip to Atlanta to experience Harry Potter in Shared Reality.
That's quite a progression.
I'm not going to pretend I know where this is going. We're still getting to know each other, and that's part of the fun.
But I do know this: I'm enjoying the experience.
I'm enjoying the conversations, the laughter, the time together, and the opportunity to do something different.
And if you had told me a few weeks ago that I'd be leaving my house at 2 AM to drive to Atlanta with someone I met on a dating app, I probably would have asked what you were smoking.
Now I'm checking the route, planning the departure time, and wondering whether Butterbeer is worth the hype.
Stay Tuned!
Saturday is the South Carolina State Fair for Airica and her family.
Sunday is Harry Potter, Shared Reality, a very early departure, and possibly my first sip of Butterbeer.
I'll report back.
Will I survive the drive?
Will the experience be worth waking up at 2 AM?
Will Airica enjoy her Shepherd's Pie?
Will I discover that Butterbeer is the greatest beverage ever created?
And most importantly, will Steve the Iguana finally admit that The Hinge Experiment is working?
Stay tuned!
The adventure continues.
The World's Tallest IMAX? I Had to See It for Myself.
What would make someone drive more than two hours... to watch a movie?
It wasn't just The Odyssey.
It was the theater itself.
I visited the home of the world's tallest IMAX screen, and the experience was unlike anything I've seen before. Was it worth the drive? Did the massive screen live up to the hype? And what surprised me most once I got there?
🎬 Watch the full vlog and find out at: