Have you ever met anyone who works for a company that makes those little latches for the stalls in the public restrooms? Yeah, neither have I. But if you think about it, like I did while staring directly at one this morning, someone, probably lots of someones, does. Because they exist and they exist everywhere, all around the world. And as someone who, as Cody put it “has the bladder of a 90 year woman”. “Golf ball sized”, added Joey. I have unconsciously stared at more than my fair share of those latches.
On my way back to the States from Gambia to see my family for Christmas in December 2007, I sat next to a guy who worked for a company that sold fluorescent light rods to hospitals. We talked on the subject for about an hour, while I thought to myself that I’ve also held hour conversations with physicists and in reality, I could even talk for an hour to a log.
After attending Nana’s memorial, and hearing her described by others as “having never met a stranger”, I’m thinking I must have inherited Universal Conversational Disorder from her. Don’t get me wrong. I don’t always like to talk. I do, however, find interest in so many things and find human beings very, very fascinating.
Someone once told me that you should say at least four words to a toll attendant when you stop to pay a road toll. I’ve also heard they have a higher suicide rate than other professions, which leads me to end asking questions about their families and their most prized possessions… I suggest you try it next time.
So much has happened over the last week! We camped out in Chicago for four nights, visiting friends and family. I stayed with a friend from the Peace Corps and visited with another one, one evening. Cody and Joey stayed with a friend from OK one night and Cody’s brother the others and I enjoyed independence and autonomy during in Chicago. I spent my time with the Okie pal, biking around and enjoying the weather, eating good food and thrifting. The shows were fun and some CDs and art was sold. From there, I took a detour back to Oklahoma, stopping a night in Kansas City to pick up a friend who was also attending the Brileen wedding. The guys took buses to their shows in Sagatook, Mt. Pleasant and Grand Rapids, MI, which provided their own, very interesting material for stories, lyrics, letters and journals. Next time you see them, ask them how their ride went.
Norman was just as wonderful as always. Brian and Kathleen began their wedding by singing a duet to “I only have eyes for you” as their entrance to us guests. That should set the scene for the rest of the night. And so many friends, I saw, in such a short amount of time. It was incredible, really, and so was the hospitality. I renewed the car for another month, went to a yoga class and a wedding, check in and got an update with the friends who are subletting the house, ran a couple of times, unpacked and repacked what was left in the car, visited with people contributing to the tour in non-monetary ways, sold some of our art to dear friends, all in the time span of about two days. It was a busy but fruitful visit. On Oct 9th, I began the trip back to meet the guys in Grand Rapids, staying the night again in Kansas City. The next day, I began the solo 10 hour drive. It actually wasn’t as rough as I anticipated, especially thanks to Sarah and Jeanne, who loaned me their music players. I discovered ways to entertain myself and before I knew it, Blue Valley Farmer, Luna Moth and I were physically embracing each other and we were off to Ann Arbor to cut down on the next day’s drive to Buffalo, NY.
In Ann Arbor, we had a short, but very sweet visit with Aunt Kay, who, among countless other friends and family members, is helping make this tour possible for us. I am so grateful we all got to meet each other and learn more about everyone’s endeavors and passions. She gave us excellent advice, as innovators and creators about copyrights and trademarks. Aunt Kay, our gratitude is endless, for your wisdom and belief in us.
And now for the Empire State…
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