This wouldn't be such a problem except that a lot of times I just yak on and on about things that don't matter. Much like this blog, I tend to speak what's on my mind, regardless of how trivial it may be. Pat is the one who puts up with the majority of this. There are times when I leave his house at night and wonder how he put up with me all day. On the other hand, maybe Pat and I are such good friends because we can listen to each other for hours at a time.
I started to think about this over the last few days after spending a few hours with my friends Clayton and Ken. Clayton is notorious in our circle for not talking much, and over the years Ken has also become quieter. I don't know if Ken feels like there's nothing left to say, or what. Sometimes it's impossible to draw him into a conversation regardless of the topics I bring up. Clayton, on the other hand, will readily talk if you find a subject that interests him. Otherwise he clams up.
I don't bring up my friends and their talking habits to embarrass them, but to show how I am different than they are. I hadn't seen Ken or Clayton for some time each so I wanted to talk with them both and catch up. I kept bringing up subject after subject with them, more often with little to no response. I'm sure that I started to annoy them both at some point, with me hopping from topic to topic in seeming desperation. While I acknowledge that good friends can hang out together without having to talk incessantly, I appreciate verbal communication more than I do its absence. To me, not talking is some sort of tacit acknowledgment that there's nothing left to be said.
One of the reasons I do so enjoy being around my friend Laura is that she also enjoys a good conversation. When she and I are together, the conversation flies all day long and ranges over all manner of topics. It's a way of exploring each other, finding out more about each other. To me, that's what friends do. My friend Lee Ann is similar— when we're together we are constantly talking.
How about that for a random topic to lead with?
Nothing much has happened this weekend to report on. I was working in my storage unit yesterday, re-arranging the boxes therein. I'm quite please with the amount of stuff I'll be able to store. While I would rather throw more stuff out, throwing things away is problematic and/or expensive. I'm sure I will make a few more trips to the county landfill with old clothes and other items, but I would like to minimize the number of trips I do so. I will be happy if I can make one trip each morning this week and then call and end to that routine. Since it costs me nothing more to keep my storage unit full versus half full, I plan to store more than I'd originally planned. That will probably cost me another $60 or so in boxes, but that's it. Since it will all be boxed, it should be easy to move it all when the time comes for that.
I'm thinking I will take my current computer with me as well as my most recent two or three previous ones. Because of the lack of space I currently have, I've never cleaned them out or gotten all the data off them that I want. I should be able to clean them up and dispose of them properly in NC. So, my trunk is going to be full of computer equipment as I cross the country. That will leave me the back seat for a suitcase of clothing and a few boxes of books or other items. I don't want to make my car too obvious by over packing it.
My new 'official' departure date is 21 SEP 09. If everything goes as planned, two weeks from this very moment, i should be several hundred miles away, maybe just having gotten a room for the night. By leaving a week early, I can take a few more days for the trip— one or two— and keep a margin for schedule disruptions. Keep your fingers crossed for me.
Back soon!
"I don't mind you thinking I'm stupid, but don't talk to me like I'm stupid."— Harlan Ellison
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