The Big E and Birthdays

Adrian and I went to The Big E on Sunday, September 24th with our friends Jim and Renee. We had a good day, even though it was really hot. This was my second time going to the Big E with Jim and Renee. I went with them last year too. The last time that Adrian went to the Big E was 2004 or 2005, when he was living out in Western Mass. I would describe the Big E as your typical state fair, with rides, games, a petting zoo, A LOT of food vendors, and different musical acts performing throughout the fair's three week run. I would describe the Big E as a cooler version of the Monmouth County Fair, the annual fair held in the county that I grew up in in New Jersey.

I think that if Adrian and I go to The Big E next year, we should try to go on a weekday. 

The plumber came by on Monday and installed our new garbage disposal. Adrian's birthday was on Tuesday, and he had a dental appointment that morning. He also had a doctor's appointment yesterday for his annual physical. 

We have plans to go into Cambridge on Sunday for the East Cambridge Rib Fest. I'm excited, since this is one of my favorite annual events. Since 2017 is an election year in Cambridge, I expect that the candidates hoping to be (re)elected to the School Committee and City Council will be out in force, shaking hands and kissing babies, and talking with constituents.

Thoughts and Birthdays

Life has been quiet since my last post (which was September 10th). The New England Chapter of the Special Libraries Association had a Lightning Talks event at a pharmaceutical company located in Boston's Seaport District on Wednesday, September 13th. It was pretty interesting, and it felt good to go out by myself and be social for a change. The event was catered by b.good, a fast-casual chain whose menu is comprised of burgers and other sandwiches, grain bowls, seasonal salads, smoothies, and milkshakes. They engage in business practices that I like and agree with, such as seasonal cooking and sustainable sourcing for their products. 

Adrian's birthday is coming up next week, and he is taking three days off from work to relax and unwind. We do have a few things scheduled for that time. A plumber is coming over on Monday to install a new garbage disposal unit in the sink in our kitchen. The one that is there now is old, and needs to be replaced. Adrian has a dental appointment scheduled for Tuesday morning, and a doctor's appointment on Wednesday for his annual physical. 

September 26th (Tuesday) will mark the 15th anniversary of my father's death. He died a few weeks into my junior year of high school. What makes September 26th rather tricky (and kinda weird) for me is that Adrian's birthday is also September 26th, so to say that I have a lot of mixed feelings about that day would be a fair assessment. One of the things that I randomly think about are how I wish that Dad could've met Adrian. I have no idea if they would've gotten along, or if my Dad would've even liked Adrian. I'd like to think that Dad would've liked Adrian for no other reason than because Adrian loves me, and I love him. 

I also shake my head at the unfairness of how my parents were only together for 22 years - 3 years of dating, 19 years of being married. After Dad died, I remember being so angry that my parents never got to celebrate their 20th wedding anniversary. 

I miss having a father figure in my life. I also miss the missed opportunities. I would say that I think that I miss my Grandma more than I miss my Dad. I knew my Grandma better as a person - her likes and dislikes, her politics, her habits. I think that it would be fair to say that I took my Dad for granted while he was alive because I assumed that he would be alive for a lot longer, and/or that he would, somehow, get better when he first got sick. 

I am afraid of the same thing happening to me. OK, maybe not the same exact thing, but, perhaps, something similar. I'm afraid of being left. I'm afraid of Adrian dying. I hope that he doesn't, not for a long, long time.

Looking Forward

I was planning on writing a whole "pity party, table for one" post about how I find it difficult to make/maintain friendships, and how I wish that I was more like my brother, who has been friends with some of his friends since middle/high school, but then reality came along and slapped me in the face.

 

I found out that my friend Teddy's mother died today. She was only 67. I also found out that Michael Friedman - the composer and lyricist behind the musical Bloody Bloody Andrew Jackson - died today from complications related to HIV/AIDS. While it's true that I never met Mr. Friedman, I did see a production of Bloody Bloody Andrew Jackson a few years ago, which I remember enjoying. I also never met Teddy's Mom, but I imagine that she must've been a pretty special person. I say this because Teddy moved back in with his parents a few years ago to help his Dad take care of his Mom, which I think speaks volume to the kind of person Teddy is, and to the kind of person his mother was. 

 

I guess there is also a certain element of "Teddy's Mom was only two years younger than *my* Mom, and Michael Friedman was the same age as Adrian!" in play as well, if that makes any sense at all.

 

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In other news, I'm sitting here on my couch, watching the Seattle Seahawks vs. Green Bay Packers football game. I'd like the Green Bay Packers to win because they are the only publicly owned franchise in the NFL.

 

I applied to a full-time, customer service job with Zipcar, in their Boston office. I interviewed for a job with Zipcar two years ago (more like almost 2.5 years ago at this point), and I didn't get the job at that time. I decided to re-apply because why not? 

The week just ending was pretty quiet, and the week coming up looks pretty quiet too. I am going into the Seaport District on Wednesday night for an SLA-NE event. I'm actually looking forward to it! It's going to be an evening of Lightning Talks, where people give quick 10-miunute talks about what they do at their jobs, and what their companies do, and how it all relates to librarianship (at least that's what I remember from the event description).