Nashville on a Rainy Day

I needed to get out of town to ponder a personal issue. Little One and Pupps 2.0 were with the Mom o' Jud, so I headed north to Nashville.

I rented a budget motel suite (using mostly points from business travel) and settled in to do some reading and studying. I had a nice lunch at the Wild Cow, a vegetarian restaurant in a fun little part of town. My server was very pregnant, but polite. I enjoyed a little spot of pinto beans, some grilled vegetables with a ginger miso sauce, and some fruit.

Dinner was a quite affair at the room. The heat only worked in the bedroom part, and not the office side. The front desk said that they couldn't fix it, but could move me. I was too tired to pack up and trudge to another room, so I bundled up and stayed put. It wasn't that cold, but it was cool.

When it came time to retire for the evening, the bed was very cozy, soft and warm, and the pillows were fluffy and not the stiff cheapos I had expected from this value hotel.

The morning broke gray, cold and drizzly. My thoughts of a morning walking in parks and along the river in the cool sunny air were dashed. I ate a muffin from the hotel breakfast while I read the morning news and checked email. I made plans to meet a friend near a restaurant by the Vanderbilt Medical School, the Pancake Pantry, a local favorite for the last half century.

The parking was horrid, and the line for the restaurant wrapped around the building. Neither of us had thought to bring an umbrella, nor had we any desire to stand in the drizzle when a coffee shop, Provence Breads & Cafe,  beckoned from across the street.

We dashed across the busy street, trying to run between the raindrops. As we opened the door, we were greeted by the smell of freshly baked breads and pastries and the unmistakable sounds of lively coffee-shop conversations. It was like being welcomed home. I ordered a breakfast panini, which was two slices of sourdough bread with scrambled eggs, local bacon, local organic tomatoes and a local chevre. My companion ordered a ham/bean cassoulet. We also ordered a warm bread basket and coffee.

Our brunch came swiftly, and we enjoyed it at a leisurely pace as we enjoyed the buzz and liveliness of the cafe. Soon our meal was over, and we parted. I purchased a few rounds of bread to enjoy later in the week.

I headed up the street to visit a local bookstore, but my time was running short. I did visit centennial park and the Parthenon, but I must come pack on a sunny day in the spring or summer to enjoy the town more fully.

A Look across the Pond

I have been dreaming of late about taking a holiday to the British Isles. I have dreamt of such a trip at various times throughout my life, but rarely have I felt like I was in a position to act upon my desires. This year may just be the year for Jud to make the trek.

Unfortunately for my plans, but thankfully for the economy of the UK, the summer Olympics will be in London. I would think that this might have a ripple effect, as people coming from the games may venture out into the countryside and then the local inhabitants may leave the city to avoid the larger than normal crowds.

For many years I read and studied Roman Britain, "from Vectis to the Wall" if you will pardon me for borrowing a line from Kipling. I read Caesar's accounts, struggled with Tacitus and the minor historians, and then devoured the writings of Peter Salway, Theodor Mommsen, Rostovetzeff and Syme (thank you Professor Gerberding for pushing me all those years!). I know that one could spend lifetimes wandering across the UK and seeing the ruins, studying and not seeing it all.

So I asked an internet friend, the wonderful Welsh author Clare Dudman, for some suggestions about touring Wales, and she provided copious suggestions for me to ponder. I think that if I can manage the time away from work, and the funds are sufficient, that I will visit Wales in the fall.

There are the Roman ruins at Usk and Caerleon to visit, and then a trip to Cardiff is surely in order. I hope to find a small cottage to rent, or perhaps a converted barn or mill, something small, in a village not too far from the sites I want to see. I want to roam the hills, smell the air, and walk in a land that for too many years I have only read about it books and seen in pictures.

Well, I will close for now. I will spent some time tonight in John Davies' A History of Wales and then dive back into Tacitus (a translation for now - sorry, Professor Gerberding).

Six days on the road....

It has actually been more than six days. More like two weeks. I am eager to end this road trip tomorrow night when I roll home around 2300 hours.

I am feeling a little melancholy today, as it is my dad's birthday. He would have been 72 years old. Even though he has been gone for some years now, and the pain of his passing has eased somewhat, I wish I could see him one more time. Sitting around talking politics, about the books we have been reading, drinking and talking and arguing late into the night. I wish I could hug him tightly, and tell him I love him, and to hear him tell me that he loves me, too.

I miss you, dad. And I love you.
Your son,
Jud

The Night They Drove Ol' Dixie Down

And the people were singing.....

I am not singing tonight. Too tired. Maybe in the morning I will be singing a different tune. College football is back. In days gone by I might have been excited, reading the newspaper about the latest goings-on on the various campuses, listening to pundits on talk radio, but no more. I just can't get into it.

Everybody Hurts....

sometime. Michael Stipe had it pegged. My pain was in rare form today. I had eaten my normal granola and lactose free milk for breakfast, drove Little One to school and went to the office. I had my back brace on, and had taken my first handful of Advil for the day. By nine, though, I popped one of my prescription pain pills.

About 2 hours later a co-worker came up and was talking with me about an issue we are having with an office out west, and I apparently passed out. It caused quite a commotion. It happens every few months. Pain is trigger for my vasovagal response. I have become accustomed to these spells, but they do tend to freak out those around me when they occur.

It's the end of the world as we know it....and I feel fine!

So the process of severing the legal bond that still exists between myself and the NQEW has taken a step forward. My attorney called this morning and informed me that she is filing today. So, I would imagine that once the NQEW is served there will be a flurry of activity where she will call Little One every night and make efforts to see her in an attempt to make up for years of apathy with a few months of parenting.

It's not the end of the world, and something that I should have done realistically many years ago. But it has been a little over two years since we separated and it is time for closure.

I found out a long time ago,

It's a long way down the holiday road.

Or so sang Lindsay Buckingham. I need a vacation. I need to take my Little One on a vacation. But it is not to be until Christmas break, probably. School resumes on the 15th of August. I am hoping we can take a weekend trip to some coastal area before it gets too cool. Perhaps September, after Labor Day.

I am nice and busy with work, but I am also trying to explore some training opportunities to more fully develop my resume in case things change. I am also considering the option of leaving the white collar, corporate world for the world of a free-lance contractor, a white collar for hire.

The current project I am on here is rife with such folks. And they are paid outrageously. In their defense, they are working without a net: no insurance, no 401k, no retirement plan. All of this they must provide for themselves. No career track, either.

Some of them eagerly jump at full-time jobs within the company if offered. Some say they want to quit the grind of business travel. Others want the benefits. Others want the certainty of a career, and not a 12-month contract and then another job hunt.

I think the lure is stronger than the reality for me. My Little One needs me at home. I need to be here for her now. Perhaps when she has left the nest I will try the traveling life and see where it takes me. For now I am content to be a company man.