Le Weekend

Well, Friday wasn't bad. Last day of normal co-op work before I train my replacement and then commence part time work 2 days a week for the summer and fall. Went to a Pirate's game that evening with Dad and Daniel, the Sames family, Nick Shuch, Mike Q and Nate. The game was okay, and the 'rates ended up winning; the food was quite good and reasonably priced; Daniel's torn-up-napkin confetti was super sweet, and Nate's pictures were great fun. But the greatest part of the night was the fireworks show after the game. The stadium was packed for fireworks night, and well it should have been. It was, to the best of my recollection, the best fireworks show I've ever seen. We were close (they were launched from the river), it was long, and there were many instances of well-planned timing that put up fantastic visual spectacles over our heads. Picture a background of long-glittering gold sparklies with bursts of red splashing in front, climbing up higher and higher with each blast. I do believe I could never tire of moderately-spaced fireworks shows. Pictures in the parking garage waiting for traffic to clear up were sweet!

Saturday was earthy and satisfying. I slept in, entered 2 month's worth of transactions into my checking account balance Excel sheet, started some laundry, straightened up my room, and then helped Daniel plant a bunch of flowers in the front. Good to work outside, with my bro, who is the best guy ever. Mom and Dad went out for a date that night, and Daniel and I determined that we would rent "Blues Brothers," hit up CVS for discout Easter candy, rush back for the Simpsons, and make cheesy grilled tortilla burritos for dinner. We did items 2 and 4, but Blockbuster had relocated and it was the WEEKEND, dorks, so Simpsons weren't on! But "Back to the Future" was on TV so we watched that, and I delighted in it's no-holds-barred comicbookish stereotypes and camera angles and suspense. Can't beat the Doc's hair, Marty's gagging 80's coolness, Biff's belligerent badness, and of course, the Delorean :-) Fun night with Daniel. He kept showing up this weekend :-)

Sunday was cool, though it started out rather tipsy. I arrived ready to play acoustic, found the band reshuffled, and I directed Mom via cell phone through the jungle of cables in the basement to my electric guitar stuff to bring. So I ended up playing electric, but wasn't set up till the last few songs of practice. Worship was a bit rough for me, but oh well. A couple times I was playing straight-up chords and could think about the words. The sermon was about God's omniscience, and Joel did a good job with that fundamental doctrine. I'm not sure yet how it needs to apply to me right now. Perhaps in seeking my satisfaction in God rather than all this other stuff fluttering around.

I was surprised and delighted to learn that a big group of folks were ditching the food court and driving to the West Mifflin Taco Bell for lunch. Back to the place of so many Sunday lunches in the past. Having Nick Shuch around brings back those old days, which has lent a pleasing air to my hangings out of late. Lunch was pretty good, and pretty enjoyable talking. I like being able to make people laugh, though I wonder if I fish for laughs a little too hard sometimes. Oh well. Who cares? (I say that in a fear-of-man-crucifying way, not in an uncaring way) It was cool to have Matt Hertzog there, though his Christ-figure hair and beard kept raising my mental eyebrows.

"Do You Hear What I Hear" just came on in my Bing Crosby playlist. Dude, that song hits me right down in my chest. Something about that melody. Ahg. Takes me straight to Christmastime.

After lunch came the best part of the weekend: doing frisbee with Daniel for an hour or two in the back yards. Yards. He stands in our yard and I go in the Benson's and we throw it between us, over the fence and bushes, trying to steer clear of the grasping branches of the Benson's big tree, angling away from the woods (most of the time!), motoring it uphill to Daniel, or floating it high above me to jump for. We've done that for many hours in golden summers of the past, so it was delicious to be out there again, sharing remarks and way inside jokes, bare feet on the Benson's grass, shirt off in the warm blowing air, blue sky open over the valley behind me, that sweet sweet feeling of a frisbee whipped off your hand, spinning to its destination sure and true, soaring through the air like a perfect spaceship, riding the billows, floating over my head and coming down to meet me as I leap for it. And that beautiful hang up there in the air, up with the frisbee in its territory, up for a tangible lingering, before my feet come back down to the ground. I very literally feel like I'm standing on the air when I jump like that, and I wouldn't give it up for much of anything. Frisbee with Daniel is perfect in so many ways! He's the funniest guy I know, we can both throw and catch quite well, there's the perfect balance of obstacles and free space, there's good grass, and we have yards on both ends to chase long-winded throws into. It's a perfect balance of challenge and doability, and it brings out all the years we've shared together. Excuse me while I go write a song.

[The song is written. I'm trying to optimize verse 2. After frisbee we went for a picnic dinner and bike ride in South Park, once again exactly reliving the old days. Except today at dinner we talked about plans for the future--projects on the house, Dad's retirement, my job... Ice-cream at Handels (Snappy Turtle in a waffle cone. Consistent, eh?), short Bible studies in the family room as Daisy lolled around on our laps, and now here. Early morning, black dirty feet, impending sickness, visceral sentimentality, tirelessly cute beagle snorting on the couch across from me. Another song on paper and tape. Keep 'em comin--I'll take all I can get.]

--CA