Category Anything and Everything

Yesterday my tree skirt arrived.  Kerri had helped me pick out both the tree topper and the skirt.  They have some coordinating elements that I think look good together, something she pointed out that would have flown over my head.  I like the 2022 edition of my tree.

Last night I spent a couple hours editing two videos. The first one was from a very quick ride Sunday where I talked about what I have been doing and why I have not been posting many videos recently.  Hint, Kerri’s name comes up there as well.  I also got around to posting the footage from the return trip to PA which had nothing earth shattering in it, just a documentation of what happens to a human being after hours and hours on the road.

After finishing up the editing I thought I would dive back in to working on the S22 since I had the replacement tubes in hand.  I had a modest goal to just get the new tire/tube installed since that was such a struggle previously.  I took a different strategy, trying to start mounting the tire near the valve stem and then finishing on the opposite side to hopefully minimize opportunities to damage the tube.  I entered the task with a positive attitude and high hopes.  Many times if I struggle with something if I step away from it and come back later I get better results.  This was not one of those times.

Once again the tire was a ridiculously tight fit.  I tried using my body weight and hand torque to muscle it onto the rim but I just couldn’t.  Instead I had to again pull out the 9 inch tire levers and even with those it was a tremendous struggle.  I would prefer to avoid using these as they have the potential for mass inner tube destruction.  In total I bet I was fighting with the damn thing for close to an hour.  My reward for this struggle was the tube again not holding air, because I tore it……again.

My frustration level was very high as you can imagine.  I have done at least a half dozen tire/tube changes on EUCs, never has one been this difficult.  I ripped the old tube out, after fighting to unseat the tire, again.  I have one more tube left, it’s do or die time.  I need to give myself a little mental break before attempting this again.  My hands are sore from all the cranking on the stiff tire.  I will make sure the next attempt will include use of dish soap on the tire/rim to make things as slippery as possible.  I probably should have lubed from the start, lesson learned.

I had a unique weekend which was loaded up with random, great experiences.  It started out immediately on Friday after work.  I met Kerri at Blue Martini over at Mercato for happy hour.  Blue Martini was the rage when it opened years ago but I never stepped foot inside the place.  I also do not think I ever had a martini before in my life.  I ordered the same variety as Kerri did, strawberry/basil and was surprised how much I liked it.  We sat in the corner of the bar area where we were surrounded primarily by people that have been collecting social security for years.  After we left we walked around to a few more stores. We were both a little relaxed from the drinks which made even doing something as mundane as walking around Whole Foods, fun.

I had to go home to let out and feed Elsa however I headed back out afterwards to meet Kerri and some of the people she plays VB with at Rusty’s, a place I had been to once before.  I had dinner there and had a good time talking to some of the VB crew.  I had a couple more drinks there but weirdly did not feel very affected by the time I left.  I am hoping to do some VB drilling with Kerri to see if my body can hold up to sand volleyball at this point first, and then hopefully regain at least some of my former abilities to move/jump in the sand.  It will be a slow process.

Kerri originally had some plans for Saturday but they were postponed so we wound up spending the majority of the day together.  We stopped at the grocery store to stock up on baking supplies, she needed to bake cookies for her office.  She went above and beyond making a second huge box of cookies for me to share at my office which I thought was very sweet.  While she was inside baking I hopped on the tractor and got the grass mowed which had not been touched since prior to me going to PA.  Later we even got some pickleball games in at the poorly lit courts at the park by the house. There were some kids playing tennis on the dimly courts at the same time.  It seemed every other point someone was complaining that they couldn’t see.  There were too many comments to even count. It made me laugh.  Saturday was a full and enjoyable day.

On Sunday Kerri was shopping with a friend.  During the trip she grabbed me a pair of shoes, a good pair of shoes which I really like. I hope to lean on her sense of style to help me update my very mundane wardrobe.  While she was out I buzzed around the house getting some tasks done, a lot of it cleaning related, which like the grass, was overdue.  I also got a quick EUC ride in where I talked about not having much time to get EUC rides in, sort of ironic.  I still am working on the edit of that video and still have the return trip footage from PA to go through.

Kerri came back to the house later in the afternoon where we made another trip to Publix for only two things this time, tomato soup and havarti cheese.  When she said she was thinking about grilled cheese and soup for dinner I immediately embraced the idea.  It’s a combo I had not had in a long, long time. The rest of our night was very chill yet great, simultaneously.

I am sure at this point most astute blog readers would have read between the lines but just in case, yes, Kerri and I are dating….

Yesterday my latest and greatest pickleball paddle arrived, the Diadem Vice.  I bought another Diadem paddle a couple months ago, the Warrior which is nice.  Kerri has been using that paddle and doing quite well with it.  I ordered the Vice the week or two before I left for PA.  In the meantime I have been using my Ben John’s Joola Hyperion which I also like.  Unfortunately the top right corner has a crack from a brief loss of control awhile back where I may or may not have smashed the paddle into the hard surface in frustration. It still  plays ok as far as I can tell.

The Vice uses a core material and construction that is not yet approved for tournament play.  Supposedly it offers a unique combination of power and control so I am very interested in seeing how it feels when we play today.  Of course I do realize that I am an average pickleball player at best, no paddle is going to dramatically elevate my game. Yet, it is fun trying out different higher end paddles to contrast and compare them, even at a 3.0 level. (only pickleball players will get that)

Last night Kerri again prepared dinner, despite the rumor that she doesn’t cook.  I got to help more this time, cleaning the shrimp before she made shrimp scampi.  She also donated one of her bottles of red wine to the cause which I appreciated.  I am finding that I actually am enjoying drinking red wine, at least with her. It takes less volume to get me feeling warm and relaxed than beer, which is a good thing.  Afterward we chilled and watched the Patriots/Bills game. Kerri is a Patriots fan….. yes, I know. It was a nice way to spend a Thursday evening, we both seem really to enjoy the others company.

I need to get hopping on some Christmas shopping soon.  With me being gone 5 days right before Christmas I feel like I need to have my ducks pretty lined up before I leave on the 17th. It feels like 31 days of December will be gone in a blink of my eye.  I need to pay similar focus to getting some things knocked out around the house this weekend in addition to putting the S22 back together, which is going to be a challenge.  Kerri and I will be hanging out as well.  We seem to be able to have fun in pretty much any environment.  I joked with her that even when we dumped heavy construction debris at the county landfill the other day it had a fun element to it, weird, but true.

Last night I was in one of those modes where I just needed to get shit done, a lot of it.  As soon as I got home I changed and was like a chore buzz saw.  One of the first things I did was get the tractor out.  Duf, isn’t it dark by 5:45 nowadays? Why yes it is.  However all I wanted to mow was the raised area in front of the house because I also wanted to put some exterior Christmas decorations out.  So by headlight I mowed down the roughly 50 x 50 section of yard before I parked the tractor back in the shed.  I then grabbed the crates with outdoor decorations and pulled them out front.

In the past I have gone nuts with outdoor decorations.  I used to do every cabbage palm in the front yard, the fence line, the roof line in addition to a handful of yard inflatables. It would take 2-3 hours to do it all.  This may change, but as of now, all I put out was the LED string tree I bought last year and some of the LED stake decorations along the sidewalk.  I still have not been able to get my tree trimming guy to come back out this year so it makes no sense to do the trees.  I also as of now am not putting the inflatables up but who knows I may get inspired to do so.

So after the speed decorations were done I turned my attention to the Tesla which was cruddy from it’s 2300 mile road trip.  I washed it using the Ring spotlight floodlight as my main source of illumination.  I wouldn’t be surprised if I missed a few spots but the car looks much less cruddy than it did.  The worst part of washing in the dark are the gnats being attracted to the light and the car as an end result and of course, mosquitoes.

Speaking of the Tesla, I added up how much I spent on supercharging for the trip.  It was more than I expected, $276.  It was interesting seeing the difference in rates per KWH, some as high as 44 cents but most were closer to 30 cents.  It also is weird in some states they use this tiered schedule to charge you based on the current amps you pull instead of just a flat and simple formula.  If you had a high efficiency hybrid vehicle you would spend less on gas if you figure $3.50 a gallon than I did charging.  But you also have all the other drawbacks of ICE vehicles too so it doesn’t bother me.  I sure did like when my supercharging number was a steady ZERO for the prior 3 years.

I then headed inside where I had laundry cycling, dinner to eat, and Kerri’s vacuum to check out.  She said it felt like it lost suction so I pulled the filters and cleaned them and looked at the hoses/seals.  The filters have to dry for 24 hours so hopefully once I snap it all back together it sucks again.  Most of the night I continued to multi-task addressing smaller but numerous things that just have been in a holding pattern, it felt good to knock them out.

My most immediate next target is to reassemble the Kingsong S22 that has sat disassembled in my hobby room for going on three weeks as I waited for parts and time to do the work.  I need to set aside probably a good three hours to do so as well as stock up on patience which will surely be tested during the rebuild. Hey 3 is better than 8, most of the time, right?

Yesterday I had the PM done on my AC.  With the smell I noticed after the trip I was curious what the service would turn up.  The tech said my drain line was not flowing well and he attributed it to the smell.  Hopefully that’s all it was but I probably should resume sucking out the drain line myself every couple months, I just fell out of the habit for whatever reason.

As the AC guy was getting close to finishing up Kerri showed up to make us dinner.  We actually had bought the groceries to do so on Monday. She made a pasta primavera dish that turned out really well.  She has told me repeatedly she doesn’t cook but somehow manages to prepare healthy and good tasting meals repeatedly.  We wanted to drink the red wine I had sitting in a cabinet since summer of 2021 but when I went to look for the wine opener I realized I no longer owned one. That happens routinely nowadays, I discover stuff that I used to have in the house is no longer there. I did a quick run to Publix to secure a new opener. The wine was good and hit me equally well.  It lead to funny, quality conversation that I appreciated and enjoyed.  It was an excellent meal overall as well but I can’t say I’m surprised.

I finally got around to posting some of the footage I recorded during the drive to PA.  I need to add chapters as it’s on the longer side but there are some interesting moments in there for sure.

I took off my Apple Watch this morning.  I have complained recently about the dog whistle effect it has on me with it’s constant beeps, rings, vibrations and chimes, offering constant distraction which I don’t think is good for me overall.  So I am leaving it on the table for now and if it returns to my arm it will be with almost all notifications silenced. I need less information, not more in my life.

I guess I haven’t had time to recap anything since my return from PA on Sunday afternoon.  I pulled out of Todd’s place a little before 7AM.  I gave everyone hugs and thanked them for their hospitality.  Of course I also gave big hugs to Oakley and Bailey, my canine niece and nephew. I knew that I was going to push myself to go as long and as far as I could tolerate.  Luckily driving 15 hours plus in a Tesla is pretty enjoyable.  I used a lot of music to keep me going since I had already consumed the podcasts I am subscribed to.  Coffee was consumed three different times during the day as well.  I managed to avoid the DC traffic this time but got stuck in a mess near Richmond that slowed my progress by maybe an hour.

I was eager to get back and my vehicle speed reflected it.  Most the time I had autopilot programmed to maintain 80 miles an hour.  If traffic around me was moving faster than that, so did I.  The first 10 hours or so went ok, the last 5 involved some Jedi mind tricks to keep moving forward.  Kerri gave me a few calls during the day to check in on me and keep me alert, which I appreciated greatly.  My last charging stop for the day was in Brunswick Georgia.  There was a Hilton right near it.  I paid nearly $200 to lay my head on a pillow for around 6 hours which was stupid but I was too tired to care.

I set my alarm for 5:45 and drug myself out of bed.  My body said “what the f are you doing?” but as always, my inner taskmaster won out as I got ready in 15 minutes and was back in the car, skipping the complimentary breakfast because 7AM was just too late for me to wait around.  I crossed into Florida in a little over a half hour and the push was on.  Despite having a great trip I just wanted to get home, ASAP.  The miles flowed pretty quickly.

Just as I did on the trip up, my path took me right past Babcock which was convenient since I had to pick up Elsa.  When I walked in Ali’s place she was unsure for a split second but when she realized it was me she went crazy, dancing around and being adorable.  It was great having her with me for the last hour of my journey home.  I managed to pull into the driveway somewhere around 3:30, a much better day, cutting nearly 8 hours off my Saturday travel time.

As soon as I walked into the house I got hit by a mildew smell which surprised me.  I left the AC at its normal setting for the trip so I didn’t get it.  I immediately jumped into action opening windows, cranking the two air filters in the house and lighting a candle.  The thermostat was set a degree lower than I recall leaving it at so I am not quite sure what the deal was.  Luckily things returned to normal after an hour or so but I do have my AC company coming to do the overdue 6 month maintenance today.

I was like a whirlwind, trying to get things sorted out.  I was darting around the house, at times starting one task, remembering something else I had to do, start that and then jump backward to finish the other task.  It happened 11 or 12 times at least, crazy.  I was rushing because Kerri was coming out to visit which was great.  We talked a lot during my trip but I was of course better to see her in person.

I took Monday off as well.  Whenever I am away I feel like I have a log jam of work around the house that MUST be completed immediately.  Well yesterday I realized that isn’t necessarily the case.  Sure I got some stuff done but I wound up spending a good portion of the day doing things I enjoyed instead of things that were on the long mental list that is always circulating.  Sometimes it feels like 23 out of 24 hours of my day are spent doing, thinking, or planning various aspects of my life.  I am hoping this holiday season is filled with a lot more special moments instead of tasks.  The work will get done but the fun and enjoyable parts of life can’t be sacrificed as a result. I mean washing sheets and making the bed is necessary but not very memorable.

It was a great experience for me to see my friends and family up north.  It reinforced my desire to connect more, generally speaking, in my life.  I am grateful for many, many things and feel fortunate to keep moving away from the dark and dreary days that enveloped this same time period last year.

Today I woke up to rainy weather and an indefinite game plan.  After grabbing DD, I decided I wanted to visit the good old Berkshire Mall and I emphasize old.  It was Black Friday after all.  This mall was a staple of my childhood, it was cool to go to the mall, always.  The biggest draw for me was the kick ass arcade that used to reside on the second floor.  I spent an infinite amount of hours and quarters in that place.

I snapped a picture of the seating around the center court area, unchanged since my earliest memories of them.  I recall sitting there and watching the old fountains dance in front of me, many, many times.

Of course everyone knows that brick and mortar shopping, especially malls are a dinosaur nowadays.  Even with this being the busiest shopping day of the year the place was not jammed.  All of the big stores had closed, leaving only Boscov’s as the lone survivor.  I went in a few stores that interested me and actually bought a couple items but the real deal was just being back in a space that was such a big part of growing up. It was a bit surreal.

I grabbed lunch at another old staple, V&S sandwich shop.  Todd said V&S has gone downhill significantly in recent years.  My tuna sub was quite good and I had no complaints whatsoever.  However at 11:45 AM there were only 4 or 5 customers in the place which was a bit shocking.

The rain had stopped so playing more pickleball immediately jumped into my head.  However my hip was sore from falling on it after crashing on the OneWheel on Thanksgiving and both of my knees had some annoying soreness going on.  Like a true addict I ignored these things.  I stopped at CVS and bought two knee braces, popped some Advil back at the house and headed out. Todd and Mindy were out setting up for some monster craft show all day long so it worked out.

I headed back to West Reading, hopeful to get some games in.  The courts were not as packed as they were on Tuesday afternoon but before long I was able to get in on a game.

I honestly am not sure how many games I played in total but I do know that I played for somewhere around 3 hours.  Early on I was not playing great but as I warmed up my play did too.  I finished off the session winning 4 or 5 games in a row.  It was a ton of fun.

Everyone I played with, except one guy that got a little salty if he thought you made a mistake, was very nice.  The social aspect of pickleball where everyone is able to detach from the madness of the world that surrounds us and just enjoy playing is something that is very endearing to me.

Tonight Todd and I had dinner at the Ranch House ANOTHER staple of my childhood.  I used to love going there to get burgers, fries, and a massive chocolate milkshake.  The reason we chose it was this is where my niece is working so we sat in her section.  There is absolutely nothing notable about this place other than it still has it’s straight out of the 70s feel.  Both Todd and my meal was good and it was fun having Caroline be our server.

Tonight I did some prelim packing for my early departure tomorrow.  My plan is to be up by 6 and on the road by 7 so I can burn through as many miles as humanly possible tomorrow.  It’s going to be grueling but I have mentally prepared myself for the journey.  It’s been a great holiday visit.  I hope to make them a more regular part of my life.

We were supposed to get up to my dad and step mom’s place around 1:30 for our Thanksgiving meal.  The gang at Todd’s house and Mindy’s mom all piled into their tank-sized Q45 for the ride.  The vehicle was stuffed with people, food, and we even found room for my One Wheel.  When we pulled up to their house I was surprised to see my brother Patrick’s car there, I thought he was staying in Pittsburgh with his girlfriend.  It was a treat that he was there.

Shortly after we arrived my sister Meg, Paul and their two little girls arrived.  Yes, the same two little girls I had so much fun with in the Adirondacks in July.  It took very little time for them to start engaging me to play with them.  Of course I was happy to oblige.

The meal was split across two tables since there were so many people.  As is always the case, my step mom did an amazing job preparing the food and laying out everything in a beautiful way.  I sat at the younger table which provided a lot of entertainment, especially from Cadence and Kennedy. Another special part of the meal was my dad and Teresa had actually secured and prepared a Tofurkey for me which they certainly did not need to do.  It was a very thoughtful gesture.

Of course football was on throughout the day which we watched off and on as we entertained the girls.  Eventually we moved outside.  I mentioned I brought my OneWheel but Patrick also brought his Segway S2 EUC that I bought him several years ago.  In addition my dad had a golf cart that the girls like riding around on so a plan was devised.  Todd drove the golf cart with the girls while Patrick and I gave chase on our PEV’s.

Todd had a clear advantage on the grass in a four wheel vehicle.  Patrick and I had to be more careful on the very uneven and slightly frozen ground so we couldn’t keep up.  We could however cut angles and get through small spots that they could not.  The girls loved it.

At one point I thought I would show off for Paul and decided to try to jump the OneWheel from one level of the patio to another, some 8-10 inches lower.  Well I didn’t have enough speed and I hit the edge a bit angled instead of straight.  The end result was my eating shit, falling pretty hard on my right hip and elbow.  Of course I was not wearing the safety gear which I had in the vehicle, stupid.  I was wearing a long sleeve shirt and a thick hoodie when I fell so it helped somewhat.  I did entertain the idea of putting on gear and trying again but I reconsidered.

Everyone started leaving around 6ish. It was great seeing everyone, and made me appreciate the effort Teresa put into making it all happen.  Even though I don’t get to see my family much being thousands of miles away, I do love and miss them.

When we got back to Todd’s place I assisted in the holiday transition process.  Mindy is very stylish and decorates the house accordingly.  I was the pack mule in the process helping to transport items and bins up and down the steps as Thanksgiving decor was replaced with Christmas flavor.  The amount of decorations they have is staggering, making me appreciate that my Christmas decorations all fit in a couple bins in the garage.  I also realized that if Mindy saw how I decorate my house for Christmas with inflatables and various light styles and colors, she would probably cringe.

I slept like a log last night.  Today is my last day before pulling out early tomorrow morning so I will be running around looking for a couple things.  It is Black Friday after all.

Yesterday during the day things were slower paced than Tuesday where I had three meet ups with friends in addition to an extended pickleball session. I did get out in the afternoon to ride my OneWheel around the path at Grings Mill.  The gravel trail along the water was a blast to ride, I absolutely loved it.  I also got to see the volleyball courts I used to play on 20+ years ago as well as get a brief workout in on their outdoor exercise stations.  I had a great time in the crisp but not cold weather.

I got back and cleaned up for my trip down to Lancaster to meet up with my longtime friend Troy. I communicate with Troy regularly but had not seen him in person for at least 7 years, possibly longer.  This was not just a regular visit, I also was going to be participating in the podcast Troy hosts for his fantasy football league.

I got there around five.  I got to finally meet Troy’s girlfriend Jess in person.  I could sense immediately she was a good person and was comfortable talking to her immediately.  The other two co-hosts showed up 20-30 minutes later.  It was funny, they had no idea I was going to be there.

For two decades plus I have been involved with this league but only in a comical way.  My communication was always electronic, so much so that some league owners thought I was a made up person that existed only in Troy’s mind.  I never met Mike and Jerry before but again, I almost felt like I already knew them from my interactions from afar.

So normally the podcast is an audio only production but I told Troy I would bring my laptop so we could livestream the broadcast as well.  I set up my computer in the corner of the room and let it capture the nearly two hours of silliness that followed.  Jess was sweet and ran alcohol to us as needed and there was a lot of need.  I am not quite sure how many alcoholic beverages I consumed but I think I hit double digits.  I thought the podcast went really well and was pretty funny, at least to those of us in the room.

After we wrapped up Jerry and Mike shoved off but I stuck around.  I had already mentioned to Troy the idea that if I drank a lot I could crash in his spare room which he was fine with.  Troy, Jess and I stayed up late just talking about a wide variety of subjects that flowed one into the other. By the time we went to bed it was midnight.  The evening had definitely lived up to my expectations and was a reminder of why I needed to get face to face with my friends more often.

I woke up in the morning feeling extremely dehydrated but not as hung over as I feared based on what I drank.  Jess made Troy and I coffee and breakfast. (did I mention she is a sweetheart) We sat around the dining room table and jumped right back into talking about things freely.  Part of me wished I had more time to hang but I had to get back to get ready to go our big get together this afternoon which supposedly will have something like 16 people.  If that number is accurate it will be the largest Thanksgiving group I have ever been a part of.

I’m expecting another good experience to pile on top of the sizeable amount I have already accumulated.  I hope anyone reading this has a great Thanksgiving where you get to share time with those you love and cherish.

For the majority of my visits back to PA in the last 10 years they have been pretty in and out, meaning I would arrive for a specific event and then have very little time to just hang with anyone else.  I’m not sure if I did this because I always felt the need to get back as soon as possible to resume household duties, like the chickens specifically, or if it was just my general overall avoidance of extended contact with others.  However now, with no more responsibilities at home that I feel guilty about putting on others shoulders, I wanted to embrace seeing my friends. This is one reason I shifted my departure time a day earlier, to give me more flexibility. The end result was today being one of the best and fulfilling days I have felt in a long time.  I was out the entire day, leaving at 9AM and not getting back after 7:30.

My first stop was Dunkin Donuts followed by the supercharger.  Last night I plugged into Todd’s garage but only gained about 11% of charge even after going all night.  After topping off the battery I stopped at my buddy Charlie’s sports simulation shop.  He has a bunch of indoor simulators for golf and other sports.  This was his dream after being a programmer for most of his life.

He has had a rough go of it, covid almost shut him down but he has endured.  I hung out there for over two hours, just hanging and talking.  I also brought my One Wheel inside to show Charlie.  I had to let it sit for at least a half hour until the battery was warm enough to allow it to be ridden.  In the past I have described Charlie as one of the nicest human beings I know.  He still holds the title.  I gave him a a hug and headed out for my next reunion.

I contacted my long time friend Cheryl on my way to Charlie’s, also asking if she wanted to meet up, this time for lunch.  She had a lunch date planned but said she could meet me right afterward at 3rd and Spruce, a place I had not been to in well over a decade.  I had not seen Cheryl in about 5 years.  Like Charlie, we met when she worked in IT with me.  Like Charlie, she decided to leave IT and became a real estate agent instead, which she has become very good at.

Since she just ate Cheryl had a few drinks while I ordered some food.  Despite the lapse in face to face contact it didn’t take long for us to fall back into a place where we just talking freely, catching each other up with the latest and greatest in each others lives.  We were there until after three, past the lunch rush.  By the time we left we were the only two patrons in the entire establishment, it was a bit surreal.  I gave Cheryl a big hug and told her how nice it was to see her, because it was.  Despite being in Florida for over 22 years I only have a few friends down there that I am close to like the people I have seen today.  Cheryl sent me a text after she left reiterating how nice it was to see me which made me happy.

So during our talk I mentioned how pickleball was a new thing for me.  She mentioned there were new courts in West Reading that I could check out.  Oh really???? I was not supposed to meet up with Rich until 6 so I decided to go check it out.  What I found was pretty amazing. The courts were teeming with players, despite temperatures in the upper 40’s.  I walked down and mingled for a bit before asking if it was open play, he said it was.  They had a simple system where you just put your paddle in a holster, when courts came free whomever paddles are next play.

Even though I was not dressed to play, with jeans and normal sneakers I couldn’t pass up the opportunity.  I always have my paddle in the Tesla so I grabbed it and got into a game within a few minutes.  I thought I would play a game or two and be good.  Instead I played for a couple hours almost, right up to 15 minutes before I was supposed to meet Rich.  Despite it being the coldest weather I ever played in once I got moving the temps didnt bother me much.

There were a lot of solid players there.  I had wins and losses with a mixed bag of decent to bad play on my side.  It didn’t really matter though, I had fun.  There is a solid chance I will wind up back there before I head back south and I won’t be wearing jeans the next time.

Whenever I am back in PA it always amazes me how compact everything feels.  In Florida pretty much anything takes a half hour to get to.  The place I was meeting Rich at seemed like it was on the other side of town but I still managed to make it in 15 minutes right on time at 6.

I snuck in behind Rich and tapped his shoulder followed by a hug.  I had not seen him in 5 years as well.  Rich was a little quiet at first which I understood because of some tough things he has been dealing with for awhile.  However I slowly got him talking and then got him laughing.  Before the session was over I got to see the friend that I played volleyball with for so many years.  It was good to get through to him and he thanked me for doing so.  It felt great to connect with my friend in a non-virtual way.

The day was really about as good as I could have asked for.  I had meaningful, prolonged time with three of my friends that I shared so many moments with in the past.  I am thankful for some of the work I have put in during the last year plus that made me more appreciative of opportunities like this and made me reach out to initiate them.  I’m hoping the trip has more of the same.

Tomorrow evening I am hanging with Troy with whom I have shared some of the most crazy moments of my life with.  I have a feeling tomorrow night might be making that list.