A Good Day
After spending a couple of weeks out of town working, it was good to have today off. I caught up on some sleep, ran a few errands, reconnected with an old friend (after about 2 years), and went to a late movie with a good friend.
This past week has been a smooth, yet difficult one, to be kind. I spent 3 days with a group of, let's just say, interesting people. (I'll decline from using the group's name to protect our business relationship.) This past week was their annual statewide gathering and we provided their projection needs as well as produced a short video slide show of one of their more important functions. Aside from that, and the wonderful feedback we received from those in charge and those assembled, it was a strange time. From what I can gather, the main purpose of this event was to formally introduce people, thank everyone for saying wonderful things about you when you were introduced, dress up in fancy evening wear, and report back on similar - though smaller - gatherings across the state. And there I was right in the middle of it. Exposed. In a way only a cameraman can be.
I found it hard to sleep. With the rather uncomfortable bed, the spirited late night conversations that echoed through the entire hotel, and the haunting images as I dreamt of being in that room sitting through a never ending series of sessions which accomplish absolutely nothing. (It reminded me of my General Conference experience of dreaming about debating petitions, stemming from nonstop committee meetings, plenary sessions, and speaking only in Robert's Rules for two weeks.) That definitely does not put one in a restful state.
I felt somewhat claustrophobic the entire time. My camera position placed me on the aisle with participants on all sides - well, three sides mostly, though during some of the grand processions I was completely boxed in - and I didn't have much room to move. I felt entirely under-dressed and like I was constantly being watched. Thank God it's over!
So anyway, back to what made today good... At this horrendous event, I ran into the mother of an old friend from high school. We didn't go to the same school but we were both a part of our conference's CCYM. We became fast friends because of the excellent meshing of our senses of humor. We're certainly not a lot alike in many other ways - he's a heavy metal guitarist and I'm not so much, etc. - but we were inseparable at meetings and events. Let's just say that we caused a lot of trouble. Anyway, his mom told me that he was back in town working and I decided to drop in to surprise him. And he was shocked. We were only able to catch up for about an hour but we're definitely going to set something up for later next week.
Afterwards, I drove across town to meet up with another friend to see The Weather Man with Nicholas Cage. I was somewhat expecting it to be a somewhat corny, feel-good movie but I didn't anticipate just how funny it was going to be. I don't really see Nicholas Cage as being a comedic actor, though he always has some humorous lines in his movies, and there was some real depth to the character too. There were some portions that I think it could've left out but it was certainly an enjoyable movie.
All in all, today was a good day. Just what I needed. As I've said too many times, I've been longing for friendship. Not to diminish the meaning of any of the relationships I have with any of my friends out there, I'm glad that I have added another to my circle. (Though, when considering local friends, it's now somewhat more like a triangle when it used to be a line segment.) There have been some downers this week too: the husband of a person I've worked with passed away suddenly and I missed the funeral because I was out of town, and my dad's childhood home was pretty much lost in a fire. But, in an attempt not to end everything on a negative note, with all the ups and downs in this cycle of life I feel as though I am beginning a gradual incline and it is a welcome change from the lows of the past weeks.
I can't wait to see what the next steps will bring.
