Back to work!

A bit of a let down yesterday going back to work after the weekend I had, but it was fine. We do have a missing picnic basket “issue” – I am thinking that it might have been a casualty of our office cleaning…we will see if it pops up today or what Plan B will be for the weekend. We have a table at the Talcott Mountain Music Festival which will be the first local public event for the new head of school. My boss just start talking plans late yesterday and not directly to me, but I think it will become a “focus point” for me today…

But all of that will be balanced by the Katharine Hepburn film festival opening tonight at Wesleyan University. I have never been on that campus so I am looking forward to that. I might have second thoughts when I think about what time I will be getting home, but I will try to psyche myself into the event during the day.

Heard from a NCFCW (North Carolina former co-worker) last night – she had read I was going boating and she and her husband were my hosts on my last water event where I was sick from the minute I got on the boat until the minute I got my feet back on the shore. The good news - I felt better after I got off the boat, the “other” (I won’t say “bad” because I am very glad I went) news was we were out for about 8 hours!!! I was glad to report that I made it without physical incident but this was out 1-2 miles rather than the 12-14 I went with them. But I loved the fact that she wanted to check on me. The NC building business is BOOMING! Every once in awhile I think about “what if” I could have adjusted my attitude there and stayed…the money would have been tipping the scale a lot more than it is now, but I always seem to put poverty first when it comes to make my life worthwhile…a bit of a “failing”.

Another phone check in was sister #4. She was checking to see if anyone would want her to bring lobsters up on Saturday for the family event. I told her I am sure it would be a big hit. There is another of my “failings” – we talk “event” and I think potato and macaroni salad and people with taste go right to lobster and corn. But that was a “historic” meal in our family. When we would go to the beach, most weekends you would find two big pots on the stove – one for corn on the cob and one for lobsters, with live lobsters in the sink ready to be dropped in the boiling water.

Also heard from CTFCW (Connecticut former co-worker) yesterday – she and her husband are making their transition from office life to organic farming life. I envy their energy and resolve, but I have checked to make sure there is a hotel with electricity and running water near by in case I want to go visit. I will make my attempts to shrink my carbon footprint, but I think I will be wearing larger shoes than they will…

I did go for a quick walk after work yesterday and then stopped by the Town Pool for a dip. That is a very workable work day routine as needed as the summer goes on.

Sports – All Star Game tonight. Don’t think I will see much. Again, I am sad that they do not have the Homerun Derby on “regular” TV. I think I heard that Vlad Guerrero won. Also, “Lastings Milledge” is trying to get back to his spot on the “big show” Mets team. Every time I hear his name I wonder what his parents’ motivation was with giving him that name.

Bird by Bird: Ms. Lamott was talking about adjusting after being published and living on the “fame and fortune” but got to a point where she needed some guidance.

“I wanted peace, peace and quiet, but at the same time I didn’t want to leave. I was like one of the bad boys in “Pinocchio” who flock to the island of pleasure and grow donkey ears. I knew my soul was sick and that I needed spiritual advice, and I knew also that this advice shouldn’t be terribly sophisticated. So I went to see the pastor of my son’s preschool.

The pastor is about fifteen. We talked for awhile. It turns out he just looks young. I said that I was all over the place, up and down, scattered, high, withdrawing, lost, and in the midst of it all trying to find some elusive sense of serenity. “The world can’t give that serenity,” he said. “The world can’t give us peace. We can only find it in our hearts”

“I hate that.” I said.

“I know. But the good news is that by the same token, the world can’t take it away.”

Good news for my “failings” thinking day.