R-E-L-I-E-F

Relief, because my big event at work is OVER. Thank goodness. I had been thinking this day would never come. All of my dreams, when I was able to fall asleep, have been about the event. Now that it's done with, I feel relieved. I do feel a sense of accomplishment, things went pretty well. Most of all, I feel kind of free - as in, I've fulfilled my obligation and now I can think about moving on without any guilt or attachment. I left work today at about 5:15 p.m. and felt really weird about that. Yesterday, my day was just getting busy at about 5 p.m. and that's after having been at the office since 8:30 a.m. I worked until midnight last night so leaving while it was still light out was really strange. Tonight I'm doing whatever I want, which is basically nothing. I got some Thai takeout and turned on the TV. I was searching for something mindless and entertaining and found That 70s Show on Channel 4. Followed by King of the Hill. Perfect! And the wine I bought at Boeger on Saturday went great with the spicy red curry. I have been relaxing on the couch for exactly 1.75 hours and it feels GREAT.

I hope to have some good and interesting news about work-related changes SOON. In the meantime, I'll be content to leave work before darkness falls. Sometimes I don't know what I would do with all my free time if I didn't work so much. How pathetic is that??

E-mails That I Want To, but Don't Send

See Conference Hook-Ups for reference



Hi Mark,

I realize there is a slight chance that you have been kidnapped by aliens in the last month since we saw each other in DC, but most likely, that is not the case. From my recollection, we had a good time hanging out together. I am wondering if there’s something I did or said to offend you, because I also recall that you said “I’ll call you tomorrow” but that was a month ago and my phone has not registered any calls from you. In fact, I’ve even deleted your number from my phone so I wouldn’t be tempted to call you. So, what’s up?

Cheers,

Michele

Hello Mark,

What the %$#@ is wrong with you? I believe you even asked yourself this question when we were hanging out in DC, because you were wondering why you haven’t bothered to keep in touch with me. I have been asking myself the exact same question (about you, that is) pretty much since we met three years ago. Three years.

Sincerely,

Michele

Hey Mark,

I realize that I am not perfect. I understand from a comment you made that you are looking for “perfection” in a woman. Now, that could mean that you are looking for the person who is perfect for you, or it could mean you are looking for perfection in general. I would just like to let you know that a)there is no such thing as perfection, b)you yourself are far, far from perfect and c) I am also nowhere near being perfect and, finally, sorry to burst your bubble but d) NO ONE is perfect.

Best regards,
Michele

Dear Mark,

In the event that you actually have been kidnapped by aliens, please disregard the above messages! I just want to let you know that in case they release you soon and you're able to get home and see this message, I am still available. Yes, I know - you might assume that in the last month I would have been snatched up by some other guy since I am such a great catch. So, if you are back on Earth, you can call me. Or text me. Whatever works for you. I really did delete your number, though, so I can't call you. Well, I could, because I could just look up your website and get your number there. But I won't. I am curious to hear about your period of captivity with the aliens. Maybe I'll do a write-up about it in my blog.

Hope you're well,

Michele

They Call us the Whale Riders

As all the locals know, Sacramento has been caught up in a whale frenzy for the past week or so, ever since two wayward whales, a mother and her calf, made their way from the San Francisco Bay into the Delta and finally to the Port of Sacramento. Marine experts have been called in to figure out how to lure the whales back to the Bay, and eventually the ocean. But they seemed content to just hang out in the Port. For anyone not familiar with the area, the Port is a good 80 miles northeast of the SF Bay. The news story has gone national and even international, with articles on CNN and the AP wire.

The police were discouraging people from visiting the levies to whale-watch this weekend, citing “danger.” Of what, I wasn’t exactly sure. In any event, I had no plans to try to see the whales – I’ve been really busy with work and whale watching isn’t one of my hobbies. Regardless, everyone is pretty curious. I heard that my friend Patrick was taking his bike out to the port to see the whales so I gave him a call and had him meet me in Old Sac.

We headed to the port and sure enough, there were hoards of curious onlookers. We were very smart to bring bikes. It was a long, dusty walk to get to where the whales were. Initially, I was really bored and thought I wouldn’t last longer than 10 or 15 minutes. I just wanted to get a glimpse and get out of there. Then, the whales started moving – and quickly. A Coast Guard boat started following them and soon a whole fleet of vessels, including two tugboats, had created a kind of barrier and seemed to be herding the whales westward, back toward the Delta and in the direction of the Bay. Patrick and I, along with a portion of the crowd, followed along on the levy and on the lower trail near the river. Every few minutes, the whales would breach and the mama whale would blow water out. So cool.

We ended up riding our bikes all along the levy to a point where the police had it barricaded off and wouldn’t let anyone pass. By that time the whales were still making their way in the right direction. We turned back around and encountered a couple of news vans, who were way too late to get any footage. We stopped and talked to the Fox station guys and the reporter asked if he could interview us. Why, certainly! He interviewed me first, then Patrick, who actually said “We call ourselves the Whale Riders.” I was trying not to crack up and was proud of Patrick for saying that, on camera, with a straight face! Hilarious. So now I’m calling everyone and telling them to check out the 10 p.m. news to catch a glimpse of the “Whale Riders.”