The Sight Of No One Writing

It's Friday night and I'll be heading over to Dogger's in a little while to play some D&D. Last night a bit before 7, I got a call from Missy. She was in town from Milwaukee for the night and, since she had been unable to get a hold of her boyfriend, wanted to have some beers together until she could get a hold of him. So we met down at the Caribou.

We drank some tasty Wisconsin Amber and chewed the fat. She's moving this weekend into a house with a friend of hers, Laura. I've met Laura on a few occasions and she's a blast to party with so my visits shall, no doubt, be a hoot. In addition to the move, we also talked about her classes. Melissa's semester is coming to a close slowly but surely. Soon a Master's in child counseling will be hers and a new gig at a school should start in the fall. So, in theory, at least, a major career change is coming her way soon. she really seemed to enjoy the beer quite a bit as school has been stressing her out. We also got onto the subject of a friend of hers, Paul, with I worked for a while. Paul lives in Florida and is gay. His partner died a little over a year ago and he is not doing very well. Not that I expected him to be happy or any such thing but, as Melissa told me, he's not particularly gregarious so he's spending a lot of time alone, a lot of time wallowing in pity. Her descriptions really hit home as it sounded like Paul was doing and feeling the exact same way as my father did after Joni died. While I was never friends with Paul, I did feel for him. Missy then brought up the fact that I had run into her ex-boyfriend, Paul, while I was in Milwaukee. Apparently they keep in touch. She lamented that all of her friends loved Paul and remain in contact with him. In fact, oen of them recently had passed on a chance to help her move as he'd made plans with Paul.

Around 8:30, Melissa's new beau, Nick, called. She needed to pick up some beer before heading over and 9 was the deadline. So we finished up our taps and went to the Cork'n'Bottle which was just down the street. Nick lived nearby so it only took us a minute to get to his place.

I had met him about 3 weeks ago briefly and he seemed to be a nice guy. This time was no different. His two daughters were there and I got to meet them before they had to go to bed. And so the three of us sat out on the front steps enjoying the nice night and barley pop. It was a great time as we talked about whatever it was that came to mind. Melissa threatened to set me up with another one of her friends and Nick and I traded thoughts on buying a house. I took off after only 3 beers so the two of them could have some time alone.

I spent my requisite time this morning at Toad Hill supping coffee and doing crossword puzzles. I watched 21 Grams. It was good. Naomi Watts is a little hottie! Aside from any cheap thrills I got from seeing her breasts, the film made me really pensive. I didn't really feel overly sad or depressed but rather it just made me think of my relationships with my friends and family. I really don't have time to go into detail right now but I will say that I found it to be a very moving story with great performances all-around.

Alright, I've gotta bust outta Dodge. I really do have much to say but, besides little time, I'm not really sure how to say what needs to be said...