March 27, 2010

BTK here. Well, it has been a good week. BW home and getting settled. I had the most productive week at work that I've had, perhaps in months. I didn't realize how distracted and preoccupied I was by BW's circumstances. Now that the immediate crisis has been resolved. We can move toward a very bright future.

I've been eating well this week. BW is a great cook and actually likes doing it. He and I will be cooking later today together for the family Easter celebration tomorrow. Yes, I said tomorrow. My family has moved their celebration up one week to make sure that everybody could attend.

BP and AP were off to Detroit this morning for an overnight van club event. They will be back tomorrow afternoon to celebrate the holiday. They have a longtime friend in the van club there who suffers from Parkinson's disease and has been diagnosed as terminal. BP makes it a point to attend every one of that club's events and spend some time with his ailing friend.

This week I spoke to a former colleague who I had not been in touch with for almost 20 years. We worked together for 10 years until our company was sold in 1991. I do not recall speaking to him since then. I am on a committee which is organizing a reunion later this year, after 20 years, of all former employees of the sold company. The former owner/ president, now in his 80s, is throwing a giant pizza party with all the trimmings at Gino's East, downtown. We are tracking down people by any means possible. I got his contact information from a mutual friend who I communicate with regularly.

We had a nice talk. He is semi retired now. But, has applied to do some part-time work for the US Census Bureau. Since 1991, he has had a number of jobs each lasting no more than two years or so. I, personally, would find that disconcerting. From the way he talked, it didn't seem to bother him though. I recall that he was a guy who was always "chasing a buck". Maybe you have to move often if that is your goal. He has traveled to Germany several times. His wife of 41 years still has relatives there. He talked of retiring in Florida ( or somewhere other than here). He lives in Michigan City, IN. I believe.

Back to reunion for a moment. I've had a lot of fun being on the committee. Catching up with old friends. Telling war stories and, most of all, looking forward to the event. We even have 20 people interested in staying in a downtown hotel, at their expense, for the evening. The event is in September, 2010. So, in June,2010, I'll take a final hotel headcount and go looking for a deal on a block of rooms close the the event.

I tell you it must "old home" week. I was befriended on FB by another old friend who I had not seen since 1971. He was one of my brother's best friends during the brother's undergraduate years at Marquette. I got to know him when he joined us in my parent's home when my brother was home on various holiday or academic breaks. He reminded me that we last spoke at my brother's wedding in May, 1971. He wrote me an e-mail catch -up epistle and I responded in kind last evening. I await his response. Good feelings, indeed.

BW and I had lunch yesterday with a college friend of his from St. Joe. BW and AH were on the Mock Trial team together. Besides sharing a great friendship, they also shared some rewarding experiences in the productions staged by the Columbian Players, the college's theater group.

My "P" and I saw all of those performances. We saw true talents, in those boys, that we did not know they had. They were creative, engaging and very funny, when called for. Truly wonderful to watch. If I think back and concentrate a bit, I can remember how I felt after each performance. Because each one was better that the last. They left my P and I almost speechless. We looked at each other and said "where did that talent come from". Of course, my P immediately said "I'll admit that the brains might come from your family. But, talent like that comes from mine". She then smiled broadly to emphasize her point. I acknowledged that she was right.

I digress. A word about that. She was right, ALOT. She was a better judge of people. She could instantly, as soon as she met someone, know if they could be her friend. It took me longer. She knew that and helped me. She openly expressed her feelings while mine were always there, but left unsaid. In hindsight, I should have said more. People who knew her tell me that " she knew how you felt". Well, why did I keep her guessing ??? . I should have said more, more often. She kept me from doing lots of stupid shit through the years. She was always more worldly and practical while I was posing as an impulsive intellectual. She tolerated that and let me think that I was "driving the bus". When, in fact, she was not only driving the bus but had redecorated it while I wasn't looking and I, almost always, liked it. Enough.

Just wanted you to have a glimpse of what I had and have now lost, until we're together again.

I'm OK. I'm thinking if these feelings don't go on the page so I can revisit them when I'd like, I'll struggle with getting past them. That's what this blogging is about for me just now. Acknowledging and recording feelings, events and "points in time" so I can move down the road.

Thanks for reading ...hope you found something you liked or laughed about