Goatherder
09-03-2008, 12:43 AM
So I'm sitting in the airport-waiting just a short bit for a connecting flight-in one of those hard plastic, ergonomic if you will, seats that I'm sure someway, somehow, were paid for by us taxpayers. I picked up a computing magazine from the newsstand, can't remember which one now, for $6.95, but let's chalk that up as per diem expenses and be done with it--business trip of course. Head down, eyes focused down, partially reading reviews of some new handheld Windows PCs...I thought I heard someone call my name. Did someone just call my name?
"Can't be. I don't know anyone here. Probably just lonely and wanting to hear what will never be uttered aloud at this place and time," I rationalize to myself--but there it is again! I look up and look around and there off to the left is a friend I haven't seen in ages. Must be at least 5 years now. My friend's entire body has a comfortable glow to it--as if the skylight above is raining sunbeams straight down upon my friend. Ok--maybe it was the skylight, but the warmth is contagious, and I notice myself cracking one of those genuine, involuntary smiles; not the spur-of-the-moment-say-cheese-I'm-taking-your-picture smiles.
My central nervous system comes to life and "like riding a bicycle" it starts firing all the right signals until I'm feeling happy again for the first time in a great while. You see, this is one of those friends with whom nothing but fond memories are made. Similarities are exploited for maximum enjoyment and differences are few and far between, although discussion thereof is lively, educated, educating, and above all, respectful. This person has the character to draw thousands of people together from all across the globe on one team striving to be the best. The type of person you start to find yourself missing when not around.
We stand there speechless for what seems like hours. "We must catch up! What have I been doing? What has my friend been doing these past 5 years? What was my life like back then? What have I missed?" are the thoughts that race uncontrollably through me; not in a nervous manner, but more of a "Hey I've never done this before. Is this my taking inventory of myself? Have I really aged enough and so rapidly that I now have YEARS rather than days or weeks of my life upon which to take stock?" I guess so.
We start chatting it up little by little, exchanging information about each other that could easily be Googled--not that I have--but little tidbits about professions and marriage and parenthood. All public record, as I like to call it. Not so much an awkward engagement, but I'm comfortably and satisfyingly content enough with the reacquaintance itself that listening to my friend verbalise an EULA would've sufficed as conversation.
My friend interrupts. A Crackberry emerges from a pocket and finds its way to an ear. A finger comes at me like a "Please wait" progress bar signifying of course that I should stand by while other matters are addressed with which I don't bother to concern myself. Instead images start flashing in my head of my old "dungeon"--the basement where all my computing was done 5 years ago. Conversations I've had come back to life. One-liners from back then trigger vivid recollection of history, events, happenstances, memes. Were there memes back then?
I've long since moved out of that dungeon...that house...and that life. My what a life it was. It was hell. It really was. HELL. Sure there were some great joys and some great life lessons but there are plenty of times where I think I would've traded those 5 years of "learning through suffering" for "revelling in ignorance"--or would I?
I decide not to burden my friend with the previous thoughts at the risk of sounding like a major bummer...or would I?
...
...
...
There was no airport
no magazine
no skylight
no Crackberry.
However, the friend's name? amdusers.com
The smile? Real.
I'm back.
After 5 long years. I have to get resituated. I apologize if the post seems a bit corny and outlandish, but I decided to open a small pipeline into the heart & soul, hence the title, and it's there now.
:)
You last visited: 10-02-2003 at 11:15 PM
"Can't be. I don't know anyone here. Probably just lonely and wanting to hear what will never be uttered aloud at this place and time," I rationalize to myself--but there it is again! I look up and look around and there off to the left is a friend I haven't seen in ages. Must be at least 5 years now. My friend's entire body has a comfortable glow to it--as if the skylight above is raining sunbeams straight down upon my friend. Ok--maybe it was the skylight, but the warmth is contagious, and I notice myself cracking one of those genuine, involuntary smiles; not the spur-of-the-moment-say-cheese-I'm-taking-your-picture smiles.
My central nervous system comes to life and "like riding a bicycle" it starts firing all the right signals until I'm feeling happy again for the first time in a great while. You see, this is one of those friends with whom nothing but fond memories are made. Similarities are exploited for maximum enjoyment and differences are few and far between, although discussion thereof is lively, educated, educating, and above all, respectful. This person has the character to draw thousands of people together from all across the globe on one team striving to be the best. The type of person you start to find yourself missing when not around.
We stand there speechless for what seems like hours. "We must catch up! What have I been doing? What has my friend been doing these past 5 years? What was my life like back then? What have I missed?" are the thoughts that race uncontrollably through me; not in a nervous manner, but more of a "Hey I've never done this before. Is this my taking inventory of myself? Have I really aged enough and so rapidly that I now have YEARS rather than days or weeks of my life upon which to take stock?" I guess so.
We start chatting it up little by little, exchanging information about each other that could easily be Googled--not that I have--but little tidbits about professions and marriage and parenthood. All public record, as I like to call it. Not so much an awkward engagement, but I'm comfortably and satisfyingly content enough with the reacquaintance itself that listening to my friend verbalise an EULA would've sufficed as conversation.
My friend interrupts. A Crackberry emerges from a pocket and finds its way to an ear. A finger comes at me like a "Please wait" progress bar signifying of course that I should stand by while other matters are addressed with which I don't bother to concern myself. Instead images start flashing in my head of my old "dungeon"--the basement where all my computing was done 5 years ago. Conversations I've had come back to life. One-liners from back then trigger vivid recollection of history, events, happenstances, memes. Were there memes back then?
I've long since moved out of that dungeon...that house...and that life. My what a life it was. It was hell. It really was. HELL. Sure there were some great joys and some great life lessons but there are plenty of times where I think I would've traded those 5 years of "learning through suffering" for "revelling in ignorance"--or would I?
I decide not to burden my friend with the previous thoughts at the risk of sounding like a major bummer...or would I?
...
...
...
There was no airport
no magazine
no skylight
no Crackberry.
However, the friend's name? amdusers.com
The smile? Real.
I'm back.
After 5 long years. I have to get resituated. I apologize if the post seems a bit corny and outlandish, but I decided to open a small pipeline into the heart & soul, hence the title, and it's there now.
:)
You last visited: 10-02-2003 at 11:15 PM