That Was The Month That Was

I just noticed that it's already February 29. That month went by fast! Here are a few of its highlights:

T-- and I have been running around like insane maniacs trying to satisfy all the demands of work. My mom decided to give us a much needed break by taking our kids for the whole Valentine's Day weekend. I'll admit it -- I was looking forward to three days of bliss and decadence. Unfortunately, the romantic weekend began with me waking up with a fever, sinus infection, and a headache. I looked in the mirror and discovered that my tongue was dark green, which is something I only thought happened in cartoons. So I spent the weekend on the futon with the remote control. T-- made the best of it by dragging my sweaty, shaky carcass to Max & Erma's in Erie for an early afternoon Valentine's Day hamburger. I felt like such a loser. I didn't even have a card or present for her as my wallet was missing and I hadn't been able to leave the house (let alone drive) for the previous few days. What a sport -- she let me live anyhow. The storybook evening abruptly ended around 7 pm when I started to pass out in a store. Who says romance is dead?

Not once, not twice, but three times in one month I got to hang out with my good friend B--. I've known him for about fifteen years and don't get to see him nearly enough. We got to spend some time talking about our place in the world, good books, and our faith. B-- is a real authentic guy and he was just what I needed to perk me up in a month adrift in budget woes at work, cold weather, and the flu bug harassing my whole family.

My sad tale of my $288 dollar dinner... T-- and I decided to spend my 36th birthday at a fancy restaurant in Buffalo. We were also going to spend a fun evening with a friend who was moving to NYC. But our front passenger tire had other ideas and blew out on the NYS Thruway. You can imagine what condition the rim was in as I driving 70 mph at the time. But we were safe, and spent the evening at McDonald's while the Pep Boys fixed the car next door. The total? $8 on dinner, $280 on the car... I can't wait until our anniversary! Maybe we can eat at Wendy's while the Neon gets a new transmission!

I had the privilege of sitting by the bedside of a friend during the last few hours of his life. D-- pretended he was an awful curmudgeon, but he really had a good soul. He spent the last couple years of his life caring for his mentally retarded brother and it's one of the greatest examples of love between two people that I've ever seen. Bon Voyage, D--. (Also -- I've really been struggling with the whole "pastor thing" lately. I felt so inadequate in that hospital room with a dying friend, and grieving family and friends, but paradoxically this was one of the few times in the last couple of months that I felt like a minister. Odd.)

Last Friday, J-- organized a trip to see comedian Ken Davis in North Tonawanda. I'm a big fan of religious satire, but I usually shy away from the whole Christian comedy thing because it's so rarely done well. But it turned out that this show was just what the doctor ordered to dissipate some of the stress of my last few days. Thanks, J--. You make church fun. (My 7 year old son hated, hated, hated this event. At one point during the show he turned to the man next to him and said, "This guy's not funny. Pass it on." Afterwards he summed up the evening by saying, "This was the most pathetic thing I've ever seen." The rest of our group thought Ken was a blast, though.)

I have yet again missed the monthly meeting of the Allegheny Region Macintosh User Group meeting in Warren, PA. I love Macs. They love Macs. They are my kind of people. Despite the best intentions of my Palm Pilot, I always find myself forgetting the monthly meeting date and time. Sheesh. It's like being gay and sitting alone in a closet while there's a roller disco next door. I resolve to make it to the March meeting!

And that was the month that was... February 2004...