Yesterday turned out to be a pretty good day over all. I few former colleagues and I decided to get together for lunch at a more upscale Tex-Mex place about 30 min from my work. I know for most people that seems illogical but my plan was to work from home the second half of the day since my wife would be out running errands (and we cannot be in the same house when I am working from home...she has trouble understanding the "working" part of "working from home").
I met Shannon and Gary at Casa Milagro at noon and we were seated immediately. We ordered and in a short time our food was served. The brisket taco platter I ordered was very good (the rice and beans were pedestrian but the brisket was awesome and the tacos were not soggy at all) and we spent the next 1.5 hours eating, talking and catching up. Everyone seemed to enjoy their meal. The location was Shannon's idea, as her out of state parents eat there every time they come in to visit and love the food. I had to admit that it was not as uppity as I had thought and the lunch menu prices were reasonable (my meal was $12 including tip).
Gary was not aware of my diagnosis so he was quite speechless when I told him. He event went as far as to say, "I am at a loss for words". He even sent me an e-mail later that afternoon telling me if I needed anything at all, just to let him know. I knew he was a nice guy but that act of kindness was very touching...we are not "close" but did hang out on coffee breaks together when he worked here.
Shannon already knew since we have been keeping in touch so she was not surprised although I think the condition of my left hand caught her off guard. I do a good job of hiding the inefficiency of the limited appendage so most people do not know until it is pointed out to them.
I like both Shannon and Gary. Gary is a quiet guy from Shreveport,LA and is one of the few people I have ever met that uses a knife and fork when eating a sandwich. I guess he was raised a little differently than I was. he does not come across as better than anyone else, but he does prefer the finer things in life.
Shannon has lived in Colorado, Louisiana, and Texas and in a few months will be moving to Washington state to be closer to her family. She is one of the most independent women I know (she don't need no man at all ...poor grammar intended). She has a very big personality and it can rub a lot of people the wrong way. I was one of the few people sad to see her go, prolly because she was not a sheeple and questioned stupid decisions and was not quiet when others would back down. I am going to miss her when she leaves.
Lunch with those two was a highlight of my week. We have made a pact to go out to lunch more often until Shannon moves then Gary and I will still prolly get together once in a while as long as I am still able.
The next event I am really looking forward to is my trip to WV, although telling mom and my extended family about my ALS will not be pleasant, the time with friends will be, I am planning on swinging through VA on the way back and hanging out with my buddy who lives there. I am going to take him geocaching and he is going to take me to the gun range (I have never fired a handgun before). We hope to be able to meet up with our former roommates for lunch if that is in the cards. I expect it will be an eventful trip.
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