9 seven 2018

A late evening recap of the day and forecast for the weekend follows. Now pay attention for I am only going to do this once and I don’t have much surplus time to coddle or answer silly questions.

I got up at 3:28 and all systems were firing. I tried all of the get-back-to-sleep protocols and nothing worked so at 4:29 I got up and began the bring-in-the-weekend party.

An agenda or itinerary developed and fell into place nicely. This was first Friday so Mass at 8:00 and I signed up for an hour (1) of Adoration from noon to 1:00. Mass & the rosary were no issue completing both and from here I stopped in to Minuteman Press (MMP) to discuss a few jobs I have pending with them.

I didn’t want to hang around too long just get the business done and get back on the trail.

The new MMP graphic designer Lauren is good & getting better. She gets my projects and what I am trying to do and usually nails it the first time thru. Which is great. She is getting married on March and what a shame.

I had called Donnie immediately after Mass while heading to MMP & he was in Dallas at an estate sale buying some wood. He was all excited as it sounded like a motherlode of chunks of prime wood for carving very cheap.

From MMP I headed to McKPL but I got there early before opening so I strolled up to the Heard-Craig Center for the Fine Arts and had a chat visit with the Executive Director Karen Z. I told her I was very upset with myself for missing the program Wednesday at the Heard. A local art historian gave the monthly presentation on stolen and recovered pieces form the Nazis.

She told me that the Heard was doing an exchange program with a gallery and group of artists in Germany and they were ramping up a ‘relationship’ and a video conference to coincide with the McK & the REAL Oktoberfest at the end of the month.

I got an invitation to the breakfast Tuesday 18 S so that was a little win.

We also talked briefly about some MAST business and miscommunications which is somewhere between sad & tragic. She is willing and wants to participate but has not been approached. PC chairperson who I pinged SPECIFICALLY to contact her at the Heard about using the site for MAST because or for logistics has gone unfulfilled. He said he would and it will not be happening without constant prodding.

Karen also worked in the corporate world, same employer as I, and is doing a bang-up job running the Heard. She clearly ‘gets it’ running and making organization behavior happen.

Wrapping up now I head back the few blocks to the library and now it is open. I had Oblivion (my book) so I am reading to kill the 35-45 minutes before heading back to Saint Michaels.

So my reading time is winding down, traffic in the library is light and very tall Mom who is apparently homeschooling a couple of pre-teens lingers in the area and then this elderly, no, VERY old gentleman comes up the stairs and passes by.

He’s tall, slightly hunched, shorter shorts, marginally indecent, but acceptable due to his age and he is slender. A slightly faded bright orange tee shirt with white lettering, all caps, ‘SINGLE AND AVAILABLE.’

I smile at the thought, the boldness and courage of such a thing and get back to my reading as he disappears back into the stacks.

Shortly he comes back with a thick book and takes his glasses, which are tied at the bows around in the back of his head I guess to keep from losing or misplacing them and begins to read. You’ve seen them.

My departure time is approaching so I go over and approach him.

‘Excuse me.’

‘Yes ?’

‘How’s that shirt working for you?’ I give him a little awkward smile for now suddenly my foray seems invasive, silly & stupid. But I have reached a point of no return and can't turn back.

‘You’ll have to speak up I can hardly hear you. I am hard of hearing.’ he informs me rather loudly.

Now I am over my head. This is a LIBRARY for crying out loud.

So I repeat the question, a little louder but NOT (quite) shouting but again apparently not loud enough.

‘I still can’t hear you.’ he says maybe 10 dB louder.

I say to myself that I am a fool and an idiot and WHY ME ?

Exasperated and looking for a worm-hole out, I concede defeat and say ‘I like your shirt and point to the lettering.’

We connect. He smiles for now he gets it. ‘I get a lot of compliments on these shirts.’

THESE SHIRTS? HE has MORE THAT ONE !

‘Advertising doesn’t cost. Advertising PAYS.’ he says with a stained-toothed smile. ‘I only go to church and the library and I get a lot of comments on them. People want to take a picture and yes, I have meet lots of ladies.’

Suddenly I dropped the idea of requesting a picture with the old dude. He obviously had me beat.

‘Nice.’ Or words to that effect and I backed away as gracefully as I could manage again wondering why I seem to find these loose nuts whenever I slow down.

The weekend …

Second Saturday on the square, Mass and start attacking the wood-working & art projects.

Today’s image could have, perhaps should have been the Old player but that didn’t happen and now you KNOW the rest of THAT story.

Single & available is a half-truth.

So what's the 'moral to the story' ?

Don't talk to strangers. You just don't know. They could be REAL strange.

So class, as commander Klink would say ... Diss-MISS !!