I am quite ambivalent about this blurb from the 07/25/08 issue of The Week in their column:
It makes me think that, perhaps, Ms. Newkirk was a drama major in her day. |
Kevin (av8rdude) and I had breakfast at Pam’s Farmhouse Restaurant, which I’ve been meaning to try for quite a while now. It did not disappoint. I had French Toast, a sausage patty, and an egg-over-easy on the side. The place is reminiscent, to me at least, of Finch’s, and it’s a lot closer, cleaner, and has faster service. Definitely a “return to” kind of place.
From there we went downtown and “co-worked” at Edge Office today. There was an event going on there today, and lunch was brought in. Fortunately for us, and the incredibly nice people at Edge Office we were invited to partake of it! And they say there’s no such thing as a free lunch!
I made good progress on my current edit of an installation and configuration guide for a new product not to be articulated here, since it has not yet been announced.
Thirty years ago this evening at 7:00, I walked down the aisle of this St. Francis Xavier Catholic Chapel on Camp Lejeune, N.C.
where I said, “I do”—and I “did,” for 16 years. Then, one day it finally got to the point where I had this thought, which I described this way in a “prompt writing class” I went to a couple of yours ago—where the leader gives a prompt, and you write continuously for a set amount of time without thinking about the writing process or editing (which, as an editor for a living, was by far the hardest part for me):
“The second prompt is, ‘Write about running away.’ Begin.”
| I ran away into my intended life on August 5, 1978. That’s when I married—a woman.
It was like I went through a door—a closet door—that had a sign on it that said, “Your Expected Life.” For 16 years I worked as hard as I could, with the greatest of intentions. I intended to have a good relationship with my wife—and I did—well, all except the sex. My wife and I grew together—we shared life goals and life dreams, and we were good friends. Our families and all our friends remarked on our remarkable marriage. And I intended to honor my marriage vows, of being faithful—and I did—for 16 years. I intended to be successful professionally—and I was. I had the job at IBM. I had the $200,000 house while still in my twenties, and I intentionally drove around in my BMW. The years passed and those intentions began to wear me out. I got tired. I got real tired. And then, one day, riding home from IBM to that $200,000 house in that BMW, I wondered, “Is there any way that I could drive this “ultimate performance machine” into that ravine in such a way that I could be sure I wouldn’t have to live with an ‘intending to die’ for the rest of my life?” That was my turning point. That was the day I decided to live my authentic life. And I look forward now, thinking, “Thank [insert deity of choice here] that I didn’t live my entire life here with only good intentions.” |
And so, on this “milestone anniversary” day, I reflect on the great things I learned about being in a relationship in general, with a woman whose heart is so generous that her anger, when I came out to her, was directed at “a society in which we live that made me feel I couldn’t live my life as I truly was for so long.”
Though I sometimes wonder what my life would have been like had I lived my authentic life entirely, I’m pretty darn grateful for all of the experiences I’ve had, including being married, as they have contributed to the being that I am. And, that’s somebody I’m quite fond of. 
Appropriately, Donna and I had a brief instant message conversation acknowledging the day, and the milestone, and appreciating the good times we had together—of which there were many. My heart is warm.
I ran to Bed Bath & Beyond to get a replacement decanter for my new Mr. Coffee Coffee Maker. Just a couple of days ago there was a choice of models PLD-12 and PLD-13, but I wasn’t sure which one I needed. Tonight, I knew I needed the PLD-13, and what do I find on the shelf? Only one decanter left—a PLD-12. Grrrrrr!
Salesperson to the rescue—rounding one up from the back. Yay!
Next, I stopped at Target, K-Mart, and finally at AutoZone, where I found what I was looking for—a new auto shade for my car.
Kevin and I went to karaoke at Flex tonight, arriving at about 10:15. Much to my chagrin, “Chas” was the host. Okay, three or four weeks ago, at least, I was told that she had quit as one of the alternating emcees on Tuesday night. Obviously, this is not the case.
In spite of him/her, Kevin and I had a fun night, spending the first part of the night talking with Paul and Larry—a “new” guy from Chapel Hill, who is recently out of a relationship. At some point in the evening, they slipped out, presumably together.
Kevin and I called it quits at about 12:30.