Some of everything
Apr. 20th, 2008 08:07 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
gerisullivanA week ago, I was enjoying a delicious Mexican dinner in the absolutely excellent company of ![[livejournal.com profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/external/lj-userinfo.gif)
fredcritter, Susan, Gavi, and carnyjack, then relaxed the evening away with more absolutely excellent company at Harriet Manor, where mizzlaurajean and davidschroth hosted the Applecon Dead Dog party. Many thanks, all!
An unsettling travel day followed. Any day where both flights arrive at their respective airports 20 minutes early ought not qualify as "unsettling," but this one did. Lots of little things led to rushing for gate after gate, including one gate change that went unannounced until I'd gone a terminal in the wrong direction. Ah, Philadelphia. During my short stopover there, I was the unwitting subject in a "science in the real world" demonstration of inertia and mass. The inter-terminal shuttle bus made a sharp turn. I thought I was compensating enough, shifting my weight and tightening my hold on the pole I was gripping. Alas, my computer backpack kept traveling in the direction the bus had been moving, and my body followed it in a three-quarter turn around the pole. Fellow passengers helped me remain upright, but having my body moving away from where my feet were firmly planted was utterly disconcerting.
debgeisler picked me up at Logan and I tagged along to one of her graduate school information sessions before we headed to Middleton to the friendly comfort of yet another overnight stay at her and benveniste's home. (I'm there so often, it's a marvel they don't charge me rent.)
It was good to be back in Massachusetts even without my checked baggage. It apparently took the scenic route home, but I was eventually reunited with my dirty clothes, fannish photo albums, rocket ships, and Susan's 3rd place Tri-Wizard trophy. (She decided it should live at the Zeppelin Hangar, so here it came, Little Fuzzy Sparkly Ball and all.)
Tuesday, I picked up the files for the next fun issue of AIR, then headed back to Deb and Mike's to await the arrival of my luggage rather than heading directly to Wales. I missed the last Zumba class as a result. I could have headed straight home; there wasn't anything in the suitcase that I couldn't live without for a few weeks. Nothing I could remember, anyway. But sticking around for it turned out to be for the best anyway -- a couple of unexpected PROmote things needed my attention that afternoon, and I wouldn't have seen them until evening if I'd stuck with my original plan.
The next five days were filled with much-needed sleep, work, finance class (the first week of budgeting), unpacking, some (but not enough) house-cleaning, and an unexpected trip down to Stratford, CT for a funeral. Walter Turek died unexpectedly last Monday and I joined other friends oflesliet_ma's at the services, providing what support we could with our presence.
I've enjoyed hearing Leslie talk about her father for the last few years, and I'm sorry I never met him in person. It's a joy to know my siblings and I aren't the only people blessed with "just about the most perfect father anyone could hope to have."
My mood has been subdued, both as a result of the funeral and how it brought to mind funerals past. Then there's the surprising fact that my own frail, elderly father is now just 33 days from turning 85 himself. How the heck did that happen? None of us would have bet on him making 80. He was diagnosed with congestive heart failure at least 20 years ago -- he's sure ahead of the curve on that one. Of course, that means that many more medical issues have had the opportunity to arise -- diabetes, osteoporosis and osteoarthritis, emphysema, prostate troubles, and a bladder aneurysm, and other things I'm forgetting, no doubt. The miracle of it all is not just that he's alive, but that he still enjoys a decent quality of life. He's still in the house the family moved into 51 years ago, goes for walks three times a day for exercise, and still gardens though he's debating just how much he wants to plant this year. He likes his pole beans, but resents the work that goes into them when it merely means the deer don't even have to lean over when devouring his crop.
My own gardening efforts pale in comparison. I took a break from AIR layout in early evening and spent a half-hour raking leaves from a couple of flower beds. It felt good to be outdoors at the end of the gorgeous weekend. Many more hours of raking and lawn clean-up await my attention while an equal number of hours of housework await my attention indoors. Only some of those hours will actually be spent, if past experience is anything to go on. Right now, nine different computer projects have priority, and as soon as I finish any of those, others are sure to make their way onto my schedule. So I take the odd half hour here and there to make at least some progress on the multitude of other things that matter to me. And sometimes, sometimes I take a day or more.
Having more to do than time to do it in is one of the realities of living an interest-filled life, but right now I'm wishing for an easier way through everything that simply must be done. (And, gee, by tomorrow or even yesterday would be nice.)
So it goes.
Onward!
fredcritter, Susan, Gavi, and carnyjack, then relaxed the evening away with more absolutely excellent company at Harriet Manor, where mizzlaurajean and davidschroth hosted the Applecon Dead Dog party. Many thanks, all!An unsettling travel day followed. Any day where both flights arrive at their respective airports 20 minutes early ought not qualify as "unsettling," but this one did. Lots of little things led to rushing for gate after gate, including one gate change that went unannounced until I'd gone a terminal in the wrong direction. Ah, Philadelphia. During my short stopover there, I was the unwitting subject in a "science in the real world" demonstration of inertia and mass. The inter-terminal shuttle bus made a sharp turn. I thought I was compensating enough, shifting my weight and tightening my hold on the pole I was gripping. Alas, my computer backpack kept traveling in the direction the bus had been moving, and my body followed it in a three-quarter turn around the pole. Fellow passengers helped me remain upright, but having my body moving away from where my feet were firmly planted was utterly disconcerting.
debgeisler picked me up at Logan and I tagged along to one of her graduate school information sessions before we headed to Middleton to the friendly comfort of yet another overnight stay at her and benveniste's home. (I'm there so often, it's a marvel they don't charge me rent.)It was good to be back in Massachusetts even without my checked baggage. It apparently took the scenic route home, but I was eventually reunited with my dirty clothes, fannish photo albums, rocket ships, and Susan's 3rd place Tri-Wizard trophy. (She decided it should live at the Zeppelin Hangar, so here it came, Little Fuzzy Sparkly Ball and all.)
Tuesday, I picked up the files for the next fun issue of AIR, then headed back to Deb and Mike's to await the arrival of my luggage rather than heading directly to Wales. I missed the last Zumba class as a result. I could have headed straight home; there wasn't anything in the suitcase that I couldn't live without for a few weeks. Nothing I could remember, anyway. But sticking around for it turned out to be for the best anyway -- a couple of unexpected PROmote things needed my attention that afternoon, and I wouldn't have seen them until evening if I'd stuck with my original plan.
The next five days were filled with much-needed sleep, work, finance class (the first week of budgeting), unpacking, some (but not enough) house-cleaning, and an unexpected trip down to Stratford, CT for a funeral. Walter Turek died unexpectedly last Monday and I joined other friends of
lesliet_ma's at the services, providing what support we could with our presence.I've enjoyed hearing Leslie talk about her father for the last few years, and I'm sorry I never met him in person. It's a joy to know my siblings and I aren't the only people blessed with "just about the most perfect father anyone could hope to have."
My mood has been subdued, both as a result of the funeral and how it brought to mind funerals past. Then there's the surprising fact that my own frail, elderly father is now just 33 days from turning 85 himself. How the heck did that happen? None of us would have bet on him making 80. He was diagnosed with congestive heart failure at least 20 years ago -- he's sure ahead of the curve on that one. Of course, that means that many more medical issues have had the opportunity to arise -- diabetes, osteoporosis and osteoarthritis, emphysema, prostate troubles, and a bladder aneurysm, and other things I'm forgetting, no doubt. The miracle of it all is not just that he's alive, but that he still enjoys a decent quality of life. He's still in the house the family moved into 51 years ago, goes for walks three times a day for exercise, and still gardens though he's debating just how much he wants to plant this year. He likes his pole beans, but resents the work that goes into them when it merely means the deer don't even have to lean over when devouring his crop.
My own gardening efforts pale in comparison. I took a break from AIR layout in early evening and spent a half-hour raking leaves from a couple of flower beds. It felt good to be outdoors at the end of the gorgeous weekend. Many more hours of raking and lawn clean-up await my attention while an equal number of hours of housework await my attention indoors. Only some of those hours will actually be spent, if past experience is anything to go on. Right now, nine different computer projects have priority, and as soon as I finish any of those, others are sure to make their way onto my schedule. So I take the odd half hour here and there to make at least some progress on the multitude of other things that matter to me. And sometimes, sometimes I take a day or more.
Having more to do than time to do it in is one of the realities of living an interest-filled life, but right now I'm wishing for an easier way through everything that simply must be done. (And, gee, by tomorrow or even yesterday would be nice.)
So it goes.
Onward!
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All the stuff
Date: 2008-04-21 08:19 am (UTC)Nate
Re: All the stuff
Date: 2008-04-22 12:45 am (UTC)I look forward to catching up as soon as I can call. We really should have made time for that in person!
Re: All the stuff
Date: 2008-04-22 03:02 am (UTC)