48 Hours Of Nothingness...Well, Not Quite

It is a warm Sunday evening as I write this. It is still 80 degrees as the sun slowly gives up control of the day. I did not have 48 hours of nothingness this weekend as I hoped for on Friday. Chloe’s parents were two of the estimated 800,000 people who attended the popular Thunder over Louisville on Saturday. At my house we had Chloe the Thunder Princess for most of the weekend. She was very good and enjoyable as always although we had a few moments of our own fireworks. Most of my Sunday afternoon was spent napping. Whenever Chloe sleeps in my bed, I spend most of the night awake, trying not to fall out of bed. She has the whole middle part of a king size bed but she wants to spend most of the night as close to me as possible. Admittedly she can be exhausting but when she is around, the word “boredom” cannot be found in the dictionary. One thing she does, and finds very funny, is to run away from me and force me chase her. She laughs hysterically the whole time but sometimes I think I might not catch her. To make it even worse, when I run it is similar to Elaine dancing at the office party on Seinfeld. For those of you who have seen this episode, it’s not a pretty sight. O well, it does give me a good cardiovascular workout. In quieter moments, we also have wonderful conversations.

Last Friday I had lunch with one of my friends. It was a beautiful day and we walked to the restaurant. Most workdays I brown bag it and eat quickly, usually alone. On Fridays, however, I allow myself the pleasure of a friend’s company as well as actually getting out of the office. The company may vary because I am blessed with many friends in the workplace. Over the weekend I was daydreaming about what retirement might really be like. It lost some of its attractiveness when I realized all the friends I would leave behind in the workplace. The truth is that I am older than many of my friends and they have more years of work ahead of them than I have for myself. I value these friends and the conversations and sharing that we have during our lunches. I send out these thoughts nearly everyday and many seem to like and benefit from them. Sometimes, however, I need to hear and benefit from the thoughts of others. My friends feed this need in me.

News from the You Can’t Do It All Department

Try as I might, I could not get tickets to the Alison Krause and Union Station concert on Sunday night. She keeps playing the same small venue and because of her increasing popularity, she sells out quickly. She has an angelic voice and a top notch band. For now I will have to settle for the live CD that she recorded here in Louisville a few years ago. I would like to get the DVD of that performance but alas, you can’t buy it all either!