When the Smoke Clears

For a weekend that was full of work, it also turned out to be quite social.

Most of Saturday wasted away in the moving of my stuff into a new office. I was also having to handle some digital footage processing. Another department wanted my old office and I wanted off the floor I was on anyway since I was the go-to guy for any computer problems anyone had, no matter how minor. So I found a place used for storage. I could dream beyond the piles of dusty boxes and tumbles of loose papers stacked too high. I liked the spot.

With a bit of cleaning and a little planning, I am probably in trouble now. My office is huge and comfortable. There will be envy. I am positive there will be emails as well wondering how I garnered such a nice place. I asked the fine people in facilities if they had any extra carpet anywhere. Sure enough they did. I went to the shop and found some furniture others had ordered and immediately rejected. A few modifications and it looks and works incredibly well, especially with the carpet. With all the stacks gone, I have one of the finest offices in the company now, just a rejected storage space, now a comfortable home with a great view of the mountains.

As I finished the move, the phone on my hip buzzed. One of the young ones since gone for two years was heading home and wondered if I could meet for dinner with him some 30 miles away. An honor. Even greater an honor considering that after 2 years of being away, he still likes to spend time talking with someone like me for some strange reason. Conversations leapt from his career choices to the lessons he learned in our area that have put him well ahead of his peers. He’s turning into a leader.

Sunday brought another bit of work as I get ready for another business trip, but again, the phone buzzed. Zonker mentioned That1Guy was headed through the area and wanted to meet up. Score! Another great dinner this time with 2 very interesting fellow bloggers… that means they are expressive and can put together a complete sentence! This group of bloggers I have met have all been a source of new friendships, almost kinships, but at the same time, as we discover more facts about each other’s lives

Sure enough, during the times we could actually hear each other in the loud restaurant, the conversations wandered through the trails of lives taken off the common roads. Seeing Zonker is always a pleasure, though I wish he’d stop faking that he can’t hear. He’s just doing it for attention. However, in a fine dining establishment, why have the music turned up so loudly that one nearly has to shout to be heard? I find such city-dweller logic hard to follow.

T1G, however, honored me with his presence. A good man, he took me up on the offer for a place to crash for the night. Believe it or not, we did something completely out of character for him… we sat on the deck, listening to the night, drinking beer and talking. The instinct of the hunter arose almost palpably. Under a nearly full moon, the woods were silvery bright and leaves rustled down the hill. Several deer followed a path to the stream though we could not see them. Behind us we heard a snorting buck. My mouth watered, but March is not the time for hunting.

Now I believe he is settling in for the evening upstairs in the guest bedroom. I hope he sleeps comfortably with all this silence. A lot of people wonder why I would get a place like I have, something that seems like a retreat. Two reasons: 1. when I get home after a long, rough day, just walking to the door feels like I am about to go on vacation… and… 2. To be able to offer a place that feels safe and cozy to some of my friends. Judging by the snores, he’s comfortable.

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