An awesome day.

Yesterday after work, I stopped off at the Ice House Tavern for a couple of beers with two of my friends, Axeman and Backup. Gina, who I hadn't seen in several months, still remembered that I like Bud longnecks. We began talking, and she told me that she's had a really busy summer, going to concerts, travelling, going to the beach, and really enjoying herself. She's a bit sad that summer is coming to an end, because she'll start night classes again next semester, and she want's to get all she can out of summer. I remarked that I hadn't done anything fun this summer...only worked. It sorta bummed me out.

I got up early this morning intending to visit my parents with the single-minded purpose of getting the title to my old car signed over to my brother. There is a certain time constraint involved, as the registration expires tomorrow, and my brother has moved to Terre Haute, IN. He was coming to meet me at my parents' just to get the title transferred, so he could get plates and drive the car to his new home. I got there at 9:00 am, but he wasn't there. I was mildly irritated, because I made a special trip out, just to get him this title, and he didn't bother to show up. I called him a couple of times, left messages, and got more mad, because I felt I was wasting my day. Finally, I decided I'd leave at 10:00 am, and if he wanted the title, he could come to my house to get it.

Before I would leave, my mom gave me my birthday present, a dozen or so small jars of homemade jam, cherry and blueberry, with the promise of red raspberry tomorrow, and elderberry once the berries ripen. Elderberry jelly is my favorite! I also picked up the first 4 books in the Harry Potter series, so I could re-read them, slower, and pick up tidbits I'd missed before, or that didn't seem so important at the time, but later became major plot points. The thought of the elderberry jelly was sweetening my mood a bit. As it was 9:40, I had some time to kill, so I took Katie for a walk.

To really appreciate this morning, you have to have either grown up in farm country, or visited it in your youth. There are few things more relaxing and which bring back memories than a stroll down a gravel road next to a corn field. It was magical. There was a humid haze in the air, but the temperature was still cool, around 70 degrees F. One could smell the corn tassels, along with the dew, which combine for that strictly agricultural scent. I pulled Katie in close as an Amish buggy drove by. The rhythmic CLOP clop CLOP clop of the horse's shoes' hitting the ground and the screeching of the steel wheels rolling along the stones were the only sounds for half an hour. Otherwise, there was only stillness and silence.

Katie enjoyed the walk. The leash was fully extended, and she still pulled against it, sniffing this plant, then running over to that grease spot on the road that used to be a rabbit, wanting to rub her face in it before I'd pull her back, then wading through a puddle and drinking, then off again, straight ahead, looking for some new mystery. Her obvious enjoyment made the trip even better. She loved being a dog!

I had intended to walk to the little bridge, turn around, get in my truck, and head home, ticked off at my brother for wasting my time. As I approached the bridge, I saw my friend Jim out by his father's barn; walking his dog. We laughed, and he commented on what we had become: two 40 year-olds, walking their dogs. It seemed that feeding pigeons was the next step for us. I walked over to him, and discovered something really cool. Under the shade of several trees, his father had set up a fire ring. The really cool part was that they had set maybe half a dozen large stones around the pit. The stones were cut sandstone, about two ft. square, by different lengths, and used for benches. Jim told me that they had been removed from the old bridge when it was replaced. I thought of the stones I have for my patio back under the evergreen tree, and what a neat idea it was to use those stones for benches, and well, it was perfect. Jim's sister had planted a few tiki torches around which I imagined would add a nice mood at night. We sat there for a few minutes, letting the dogs play, and talked guy talk. He invited me over, and at first, I thought that I just wanted to get home, but I agreed to go.

Jim was alone for the day, and we sat in his home theatre room talking about movies, Linux, and such. I kept looking at his new gizmo, but didn't bring it up until he did. He asked me if I wanted to see his new Wii. I was skeptical, again thinking that I was wasting my day, and needed to get home, but curiosity got the better of me, and we tried it out. IT WAS A BLAST! What an incredibly ingenious idea! He had some sports game in, so we bowled a game (he won 130 to 74), boxed (he KO'd me), played tennis (I may actually learn how score is kept in tennis if I play it enough), and golfed. I smoked him on the golf course. Boxing was the most fun. It was also tiring. It was just so cool to stand there, side by side, punching the air. Nintendo has a real winner here. After that, he showed me The Godfather game, which was mostly fun to run around shooting people, then trying to evade the police. He said there were quests and such in the game, but seeing him garrote an enemy was awesome. That thrill wore off, and I asked him if he wanted to watch a movie. He hadn't seen Zodiac yet, so he put that in. We had a nice lunch of some pasta and tortilla chips. His wife got home just as the movie ended, and I looked at the clock. It was 3:30pm. I was stunned! I thought it was around noon. Before I left, he gave me a couple of DVD's and Linux Fedora Core 7 on DVD.

I stopped off at my friend Steve's house next. Again, I hadn't planned on stopping, originally planning to be home by 10 that morning, but at 3:45, it was late enough to not be intruding. I knew his daughter was painting her room, and I wanted to see how it was going. I didn't leave until 7:30 in the evening! We played a card game called Apples to Apples, in which the 8 year old neighbor girl matched up Mahatmut Ghandi with the clue "spiritual", and Steve's oldest daughter matched up Frank Zappa with "crazy". Poor Darlene was the butt of jokes because she didn't win any green cards, but she took the ribbing with grace and patience, and we all enjoyed ourselves. Steve's youngest daughter had made me a birthday cake, though it got damaged with the frosting application. The cake was delicious. After the card game, the older girls went to pick up a pizza, Steve and I went out to the garage to chat, and the younger girls, with huge amounts of secrecy and covertness, made me birthday cards (which I can't open until tomorrow).

Steve and I talked about work, women, future plans, friends, and all sort of guy stuff. I mentioned the conversation I had had with Gina the day before, and that I wasn't feeling like I was getting anywhere. Then the pizza arrived, and we went back inside. The pizza was very good, and we managed to keep it away from Katie and Floyd (the dogs).

The younger girls were jumping on the trampoline while the three older girls looked through a "memory" book of camp days when they were 7 or 8. It was funny hearing C exclaim, "I can't believe that pink used to be my favorite color!" and her friends laughing in understanding and agreement. C had been voted "best smile" at camp, which holds true still. The girls swiched off, so the younger ones played Monopoly. The older girls came in for a drink, and one mentioned how she hated her curly hair, because it sticks out. I thought to myself Women pay lots of money to get their hair curled and teased, and such. Wait a few more years, and you'll like your hair as it'll set you apart from other girls, and get you noticed. We had fun laughing at their crayon drawings of who-knows-what, guessing what might be a coconut, or a rabbit, or square bob sponge pants. I left shortly afterwards.

On the way home, I imagined the future of Wii....I thought of gloves with transmitters on them that would allow a player to open and close his hands, move them through the air, punch, or grip imaginary tools. I thought of the future of fantasy games, like Everquest, in which players wield imaginary swords, pitting their skills against beasts or each other. I thought of wizards performing intricate hand gestures to get that spell just right.

As I watched Katie hang her head out the window, I thought back on the day. Sure, I didn't travel anywhere new. I didn't do anything spectacular. I didn't accomplish a single task I had planned for the day. As I retraced the day, reliving all the fun I had, I realized that I hadn't wasted it either.

Thanks Mom, for the jam. I don't always say it, but I do appreciate it. Especially on wheat.
Thanks Jim for a really great time today. You and I are very similar in that we don't much like people, and don't like to be bothered, and sometimes feel that visitors are an intrusion, but for what started off as me being ticked off, walking the dog, it sure turned out to be a fun filled day.
Thanks Steve for the bull session. It's always great to have a friend to talk to about dreams and frustrations. You're one of the best.
Thanks C for your friendship. You're very like your father, with a confident ease that draws people towards you.
Thanks E and J for the cake, and the birthday cards. Those were a pleasant surprise. NBC, huh? Funny. Very funny. :-)
Thanks Dar for sharing your family with me. Even if I'm teasing you about losing the card game, it's with a smile. You've got that down-home, earthy, matter-of-fact way about you that I admire and respect. If C and E grow up with half of your character, they'll be fine young ladies.
Thanks Ellen for Katie. 'nuff said.