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Log Cabin
I live not in myself, but I become
Portion of that around me; and to me
High mountains are a feeling, but the hum
Of human cities torture.
-- Lord Byron
Monday, April 26, 1999
One year ago: Teamwork
I had lunch today with my former manager, Val. I hadn't seen her for a while, or her new baby (born in December) at all, until they came by one day last week to see a few folks. She suggested we have lunch soon, and today was a good day for us to get together.
We had a great time feasting on dim sum, at the East Ocean restaurant near my work. I didn't know they served dim sum there! It was great getting caught up on work stuff (what I could share without revealing too much) and personal stuff, too. The baby is very happy and cute, and Val is holding up well in her new "mother" role. Of course, she'd already been very involved in online stuff because of her work, but she told me how much she's been doing online shopping now. The convenience is a huge plus! Groceries, drug store stuff, baby stuff, all are purchased online by her now. So any e-commerce place that doesn't make it easy, or isn't available by phone for questions or problems, doesn't get her business.
* * * * * * * *
As arranged, I went over to Jack's place after work. He confirmed what has seemed more and more likely -- he'll be starting his new job up in Bellingham next Monday. This is a good move for him, a job that he'll enjoy doing, a congenial area (more rural) where the cost of living isn't so high. But I'll miss him! I'm sure I'll be going up there to see him, and maybe he'll come to Seatle sometimes. I know he'll be driving through, at least, to pick up his daughters or take them back home to Olympia! I think this next month is going to be tough. He has a lot of packing, sorting, getting rid of, etc. to do at his current place, and he needs to find a place to live up there (I hope on the south side of Bellingham, closer to Seattle).
He was showing me the classified ads from the newspapers up there, and pointing out all the benefits to him -- he can get much more for his money there. I got a little tearful and snappy when I was sharing some work frustrations with him and it seemed he wasn't taking them seriously enough, but of course it wasn't that which was making me cry. Jack did his best to make me feel better.
* * * * * * * *
We went on to have a pleasant evening! Jack's sandals had had a blowout, so we went to the cheapo shoe store and he replaced them there, although I lobbied for the virtues of buying good quality stuff that lasts longer. (My Coach purse is over twenty years old!) He'll be getting a signing bonus at his new job, so he was thinking about how to divide it up between current expenses, long-term savings, and fun stuff that he wants. He has a Harley in his shed that he'd like to customize in some special motorhead way, which could take the whole bonus and more! But he'll probably just get some of the parts for it right now.
It was still too early for me to be hungry for dinner, so we stopped off at Half Price Books and wandered around. When we each had made our selections -- but this is really a time that Jack should be getting rid of books, not buying more -- we drove off and tried to decide where to get dinner. I wanted someplace with vegetables on the menu, since lunch had consisted of small, rich things, aka dim sum. We cruised around and found a Chinese place. It was good! Plenty of spice and heat for Jack, and we added a vegetable dish to the combo dinner for me.
* * * * * * * *
Jack did some programming while I watched Ally McBeal, the special "swing dancing" episode. This isn't a series that I've ever watched all the way through, though I might have caught a scene or two when channel surfing sometime. I wasn't impressed with the overall show. I've liked some of the actors in it in earlier work. The swing dancing scenes featured some well-known LA area dancers in the background (including Eric and Sylvia whom I've taken a workshop from), and the cast members who were supposedly competing in a dance contest didn't look too terrible.
* * * * * * * *
Of course, I cried again later in the evening. We'd been looking at a magazine that featured plans for log homes. That's one of Jack's dreams, to have a log cabin in the country. It really struck me how clearly he envisioned his life in such a house. He didn't seem to picture me being around much.
Jack did his best to comfort me, and I do think he's doing the right thing by making this move. He already feels more positive about things, with more energy for his own programming projects. Maybe his writing and music will also perk up.
But, oh, this time is going to be tough for me, I think.
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