Wednesday night – YANGAP

August 26, 2010 johncohn

YANGAP (Yet another Going Away Party).. this must be our fifth in the last couple of weeks.

This one is for good friend Nate.

Tomorrow he joins Devin. Angus. Ales, Chris, Ian and Eric out at Montana State. Nate has always been a special freind. He was one of Sam’s best buds.. he and his family have always been there for us.. He has Sam’s name. (in Mayan) inked on his arm.. maybe that’s why I feel his leaving particularly deeply.

It’s fun and sad seeing these guys all hanging on to each other in these days before they start school. You know that they’ll all stay close .. it’s still hard for them to leave..

Wow.. I’m tired !.. More tomorrow..
Nite all, nite sam..
-me

Tuesday night – work/life

August 25, 2010 johncohn

I worked solid today without even the tiniest break.. and it felt good .. . I worked last night fro 10-1AM.. then slept till 7.. ..Around 7:30 Seth and his family dropped by on his wy back to college..

Then a quick run with the dos.. then on the phone onutil about 6:30 without a break. I make a real point not to discuss the nature of my work here .. but i’m involved with soem exciting stuff these days.. the 9 hours of phone calls. with . india, england, sweden china, new york went by in a blur.. I had hoped to go in for a face to face meditation meeting at lunch.. but I couldn’t even get a break to go downstairs

I like working at home.. I usually hunker down in the bell tower.. It’s a great office. it’s about 50 feet in the air.. far from distractions.. far from plumbing too.. / Here’s where I usually work.. pretty simple.. a chair, my cell phone my laptop and something to drink

Here’s the bell we ring for important occasions.. I hung it the day before our wedding in 1986.

Here’s the view to the north.. we overlook the confluence of the huntington and winnoski rivers.

Here’s the view to the east.. our neighbors house and the ridge beyond the winooski

And the veiw to the west.. over our yard.. and to the left, Robins mountain

… and to the south.. over our roof line and beyond to the back field

Here’s the grate in the floor I pace over..

.. and the 45 foot drop underneath it

I love my little workplace..

The only other excitement in my day was voting in the primary.. I skidded in just befor ethe poll s closed.. I love voting in our little town.. they ask you your name thoguht they already know it.. they tell you how to mark the ballot.. though you’ve done it this way for years.. I got in the voting booth not knowing who I’d even vote for.. Democracy is fun and mysterious

OK.. not much more to report.. again the house is full of kids.. one more almost goodbye party.. I’lll miss it so much when they all go..

Speaking of go.. I gotta go.. It’s 9:15is and Diane and I are going over to wish Kathy and Lou a happy 25th anniversary..

more later.. nite all nite Sam
-me

Monday night – Ltitany

August 24, 2010 johncohn

This has got to be my favorite time of the year.. .. just as fall starts to kick in. The days are still hot.. but not too hot.. The nights are cool .. but not yet cold. My feet freeze when I run in the morning.. but I need AC on the drive home. The air is soft .. no bugs.. Even as it rained today it’s nice. This perfect (for me) weather puts me in a hyperspace-y mood.. I sat at my window at lunch and tried to come up with metaphors.. or were they similes.. well.. they were like similes in any case..:-)
It struck me as funny that someone sent me a YouTube video of a 3 year old kid reading a Billy Collins poem about metaphores.. It’s called Littany

For the record.. her’s Collins reading it himself.. it starts about a a minte and 54 seconds into the video

I like it when my day has nothing more to cover than kids poetry…
It’s like a not so summer day

nite all.. nite sam
-me

Sunday night – endless goodbyes

August 23, 2010 johncohn

Another goodbye party.. This one for a good friend Devin.. he’s off to Montana State tomorrow. He’ll be one of about a half dozen kids from Richmond who are now in Bozemann. Devin has been a fun presense in our lives for many. many years.. He was Sam’s good friend.. and he and his mom Peg, have been one of the core group of kids who’s hung out with us often after these past several years. Peg’s just moved to Ohio.. but is back helping Devon with his prep to leave..

It seems like the whole summer has been one good bye

after another.. All the kids who were in Sam’s class are heading off to

new lives.. and you can see they are holding on to each other.. and

their families.. and to us.

It’s fun to watch.. and hard at the same time. Sam would be heading out

now too, presumably.. that’s always in our minds.. but it doesn’t make

the other kids leaving any harder.. or any easier.. just different. ..