I like doing dishes. I like having things clean and in their place (translation: I'm rather obsessive-compulsive about my kitchen), and the washing of dishes is a classic exercise of that impulse. I find it relaxing. I had finished washing some dishes after making pancakes for Lindsey and myself, and I was seized by an urge to take a picture of the drying rack. Towns and universities have often paid artists lots of money to create sculptures which turned out to be silly, ugly or overreaching, so I figured my sculpture of clean dishes was a better deal.
Various materials are represented: stainless steel, steel-cladded aluminum, porcelain, nylon plastic, borosilicate glass and enameled cast iron. Perhaps NC State will pay me $75,000 to put it in the middle of their library.
I'm giddy with joy at my back's recovery. I can get out of bed! I can stand upright! I can put on my own shoes! Back pain thwarts most expectations of a good day; never take a happy back for granted. That being said, I plan on going over to Durham today and wandering around a bit. I've lived in North Carolina for over two years, and I haven't visited Duke's campus yet. I want to see the chapel.
This evening, Lindz and I will be attending my employer's corporate holiday party. I work in a small outpost of a rather large company, so I will see lots of people who work at larger, more prestigious facilities. The basic points on corporate holiday parties:
1)Free food and drinks on The Man's dime
2)The opportunity to chat with coworkers whose company I enjoy, without being interrupted by work
3)The opportunity to watch people get drunk and disgrace themselves
4)The opportunity to appear at a social function with my lovely, successful and charming wife, which makes me look like a total stud
5)See #1
Today has the makings of a good Saturday. Lindz and I have already had more social interaction this week than we normally do; an alumni wine tasting on Thursday provided a lot of pleasant conversation and tasty wine. We met and exchanged phone numbers with a nice couple who have some things in common with us. We have become accustomed to a quiet, homebody life (although we complain of boredom sometimes), so it was unusual and exciting to find ourselves chatting and drinking with a bunch of young, interesting people until after midnight. We were tired the next day, and it was amusing to think of how we had done that sort of thing all the time in our previous lives. In college, it is unusual to not start partying by Thursday night at the least. We've allowed ourselves to be a bit sedentary and unsocial in our habits; perhaps we are coming around to a period of comparative extroversion. With my tendencies of enjoying dishwashing and organ music, I'm almost a nightclubbing rock star anyway.
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