Obligatory whirlwind weekend recap
I'm enjoying the current speed of my life. I've had no time to feel bored over the past several weeks, and that is a nice change. So here goes..
Jim left Friday morning for an extended stay at In the Woods. We had a nice conversation that morning while I was helping him to pack the truck on how to prioritize the projects on the house. The situation seems to be working well, and his mild blowup Wednesday night seems to have been just that...a letting off of steam. We discussed doing tile work next, waiting until fall for the roof (due to the heat) and then starting work on my bedroom. He's helping me to choose a color that will be calming and soothing but not accentuate how small the room actually is. He asked me to come up to visit on Sunday.
Friday evening had possibly the most expensive dinner for two ever at The Grit with bear_left. From the organic cabarnet to entrees to dessert (mango pie..yummm) to coffee, we were there for a LONG time, but the food, atmosphere and company couldn't have been better. I've decided that THIS is how money should be spent...on spending time with those you love and enjoying life. I don't know if it was the coffee with dessert or what, but I had an impossible time falling asleep Friday night and stayed up too late. Oh well, no harm done.
Saturday, I sprung out of bed early, made a pot of tea (yummm...white tea with tangerine) and proceeded to water all of Jim's vegetable and flower beds. This is usually Jim's chore, but with him out of town, I had to ensure things survived. This took about two hours of off/on work as all but the vegetable garden was done by hand. Therapeutic in many ways, but still a lot of work.
After that I worked on music a bit. I think I'm doing well at not stressing over this performance. No, I didn't write entirely new material for this show, and no it's not going to blow anyone's mind, but it's my music and I'll perform it to the best of my ability..that's my outlook. Granted, this may change between now and Saturday, but for now I'm centered on the situation.
My tattoo appointment at 3:00 Saturday actually happened. A two hour session has the outline completed and the fill on the black dragon started. The scales on the white dragon are going to be time consuming, so this may end up being a three session piece. It has been so long since I've been inked, I honestly had forgotten the sensation...and how much I actually enjoy it. The shin was not nearly as sensitive as expected, but there were a few moments when endorphins kicked in and I had to use some deep breathing and mental displacement employed for other "intense" activities. Overall a good experience and if there wasn't pain involved, it wouldn't mean as much as it does and vice versa. I crashed for a bit from the endorphins afterward then had a nice dinner with my buddy Wayne, followed by reading and more crashing.
Sunday morning, I awoke early, packed up the car and drove up to visit Jim at In the Woods. I really had a great time, and decided to come back for the night after driving back to Athens for a barbecue at my tattoo artist's house. The campsite Jim chose was perfect, being the most secluded and closest to actual nature with both the sights and sounds of a stream just behind the site. Sunday night was spent discussing metaphysics and concepts of reality with a very interesting fella from Atlanta..not exactly the conversations I was expecting to have, but VERY much appreciated.
Monday afternoon I sent a text message to Tim saying that I hoped he'd enjoyed his weekend away. I'm not sure of the cosmic timing, but right after sending the message I noticed a voicemail. It was Tim telling me he had arrived home safely and had a great time and so forth. I had to move to higher ground (literally) to get a decent cell signal, but we had a nice conversation and are due to see each other again Wednesday. Giddiness ensues.
I arrived back home Monday late and exhausted, showered, read and fell asleep on the sofa. It has been nice sleeping in a bed while Jim is away and I believe the time apart has been beneficial for both of us in sorting through everything. Jim seems to be enjoying his new found social side and it looks like he may be going ahead with plans for a permanent site at In the Woods. This will be a sort of retirement getaway for him and will give him the opportunity to relax and enjoy the company of others who share his interests on several levels.
Wheww..so that was my weekend. I'm up early this morning. No gym this morning as I have too much to do, but I needed to get this all out of my head before it evaporated.
Jim left Friday morning for an extended stay at In the Woods. We had a nice conversation that morning while I was helping him to pack the truck on how to prioritize the projects on the house. The situation seems to be working well, and his mild blowup Wednesday night seems to have been just that...a letting off of steam. We discussed doing tile work next, waiting until fall for the roof (due to the heat) and then starting work on my bedroom. He's helping me to choose a color that will be calming and soothing but not accentuate how small the room actually is. He asked me to come up to visit on Sunday.
Friday evening had possibly the most expensive dinner for two ever at The Grit with bear_left. From the organic cabarnet to entrees to dessert (mango pie..yummm) to coffee, we were there for a LONG time, but the food, atmosphere and company couldn't have been better. I've decided that THIS is how money should be spent...on spending time with those you love and enjoying life. I don't know if it was the coffee with dessert or what, but I had an impossible time falling asleep Friday night and stayed up too late. Oh well, no harm done.
Saturday, I sprung out of bed early, made a pot of tea (yummm...white tea with tangerine) and proceeded to water all of Jim's vegetable and flower beds. This is usually Jim's chore, but with him out of town, I had to ensure things survived. This took about two hours of off/on work as all but the vegetable garden was done by hand. Therapeutic in many ways, but still a lot of work.
After that I worked on music a bit. I think I'm doing well at not stressing over this performance. No, I didn't write entirely new material for this show, and no it's not going to blow anyone's mind, but it's my music and I'll perform it to the best of my ability..that's my outlook. Granted, this may change between now and Saturday, but for now I'm centered on the situation.
My tattoo appointment at 3:00 Saturday actually happened. A two hour session has the outline completed and the fill on the black dragon started. The scales on the white dragon are going to be time consuming, so this may end up being a three session piece. It has been so long since I've been inked, I honestly had forgotten the sensation...and how much I actually enjoy it. The shin was not nearly as sensitive as expected, but there were a few moments when endorphins kicked in and I had to use some deep breathing and mental displacement employed for other "intense" activities. Overall a good experience and if there wasn't pain involved, it wouldn't mean as much as it does and vice versa. I crashed for a bit from the endorphins afterward then had a nice dinner with my buddy Wayne, followed by reading and more crashing.
Sunday morning, I awoke early, packed up the car and drove up to visit Jim at In the Woods. I really had a great time, and decided to come back for the night after driving back to Athens for a barbecue at my tattoo artist's house. The campsite Jim chose was perfect, being the most secluded and closest to actual nature with both the sights and sounds of a stream just behind the site. Sunday night was spent discussing metaphysics and concepts of reality with a very interesting fella from Atlanta..not exactly the conversations I was expecting to have, but VERY much appreciated.
Monday afternoon I sent a text message to Tim saying that I hoped he'd enjoyed his weekend away. I'm not sure of the cosmic timing, but right after sending the message I noticed a voicemail. It was Tim telling me he had arrived home safely and had a great time and so forth. I had to move to higher ground (literally) to get a decent cell signal, but we had a nice conversation and are due to see each other again Wednesday. Giddiness ensues.
I arrived back home Monday late and exhausted, showered, read and fell asleep on the sofa. It has been nice sleeping in a bed while Jim is away and I believe the time apart has been beneficial for both of us in sorting through everything. Jim seems to be enjoying his new found social side and it looks like he may be going ahead with plans for a permanent site at In the Woods. This will be a sort of retirement getaway for him and will give him the opportunity to relax and enjoy the company of others who share his interests on several levels.
Wheww..so that was my weekend. I'm up early this morning. No gym this morning as I have too much to do, but I needed to get this all out of my head before it evaporated.