Baseball, Birthdays, and Beachfront

Wednesday, August 23rd, 2006: The alarm again? Yes, I set it. The sounds of New Hampshire's 95.7 FM woke me on this morn at 9:30. I prepped myself for a day in the sun at the ball park.

I met Luc at his home in South Manchester at 10:30am. We hopped in the Mini and headed to the home field of the New Hampshire Fishercats near downtown Manchester. We ditched the car at Autodesk and made the short walk to the park.

We waited at the main gate whilst the national anthem finished. At its end, we were allowed in and directed to our seats along the first base line. Luc scored the tickets through his employer. I am not quite sure how he swung it, but they were fairly nice seats.

The stadium was nearly empty. On the day of the game, the Fishercats were in second to last place in their division. That combined with the fact that this was an 11:00am weekday game, they did not draw much of a crowd.

We took in a bit of the game and at the same time checked out the assets of the players that manned first base. Fine seats indeed!

There was supposed to be a contingent from Luc's place of employment in the same section we were in. But they were nowhere to be found. During the third inning, Luc called his manager only to find that the staff present was in the suite rented by a wealthy vendor of Luc's employer. They sent down an escort and brought Luc and I back to the suite.

So much for the assets. But, this was a fine alternative. Free food and drink was available in the suite. There were 12 to 15 of Luc's friends and coworkers already there enjoying themselves. I was introduced to many of them and found out Luc does just as little work as Allan and I had already expected.

Here goes the diet. The first item we were offered was ice cream sundaes. Of course we said yes, even though we had yet to have any food remotely resembling lunch. A short time later, the lunch wagon arrived. Luc and I took in a couple of hot dogs.

The fun and frivolity continued through the ninth inning. Though it was a winner of a day, the Fishercats did not bring us a win. They lost 7-4 to the Reading, (Pennsylvania) Phillies.

We returned to the car at Autodesk. I gave a quick call to one of my best gal pals, Roxanne. She came out to give me a big hug and a hello.

After dropping Luc back at his house, I returned home around 3:00pm. I had good intentions of doing a little landscaping. Instead, my body made contact with the couch and I was out for a good two hours. So much for lawn care.

Another one of my best gal pals, Sean, arrived at about 6:30pm. Thirty minutes later we arrived at Lui-Lui in Nashua for Brian's 40th birthday. There were about twenty of Brian's closest friends and family present. It was yet another really nice evening - more great times with great friends.

Thursday, August 24th, 2006: The day began with the composition of an email sent to wish my brother a happy birthday. He travels for work and was in Yemen for the celebration of his 39th year.

Today was a day for getting things done around the house. I took care of the laundry, bills, and the lawn care that I slept through yesterday.

In the evening, I met up with Sean for a late dinner. We shared quite a few laughs over dinner at Chili's in Manchester. He cracks me up!

During dinner, I received a call from my dream lover, John. He was free for the weekend and had some frequent flyer miles to burn. I welcomed him and he booked his flight. He would be arriving Friday morning.

For those of you that do not know him, nor ever had the oppurtunity to meet this fine man, I will give you a little background information. John and I met online (surprise) several years ago. At a critical point in both our lives, we made what would become a most memorable connection. I had been unemployed for several months. Then one of the most unthinkable acts in American History occurred. Everybody needed somebody to love. There had always been a special bond between John and I. After a bit of discussion in the Fall of 2001, we decided to give living together and dating a try. John moved to New Hampshire from his home state of West Virginia and shared with me the three best months of my life. He then returned to Dartmouth to focus on school for the Spring 2002 semester.

Friday, August 25th, 2006: I arose at 8:30am to get some errands done and pack my bags for a weekend at the lake. John was arriving at 10:30am. His flight was a bit late. He arrived at just about 11:00am. I picked him up at the terminal and we flew out of the airport and made our way North.

We were headed to Story Land. Story Land is an amusement park in New Hampshire's North Country. It is not Disneyland, but for $22 it is a day of thrills that can't be beat. This was NOT a romantic getaway that John and I had planned. I already made plans with my Aunts, Mary and Allison, to meet them and my little cousins who were in the area on vacation.

We arrived at the park at about 1:15pm. John dropped me off whilst I snuck in to surprise my little cousins, Annie, Patrick, and Brendan. I spent the day with the family, did the rides, and shared quality time with them.

John spent the day in North Conway. He found himself some wireless internet and a place that his cell phone worked. He was technically working today, even though he snuck off to New Hampshire. He did his best to piece together what appeared to be eight hours worth of work in only four hours.

My Mini returned with John at the wheel at about 6:00pm just as the gates to the magical Story Land were closing. I bid a fond farewell to the family and jumped in the Cooper with my boy, John.

We were headed to the cottage of my roommate and good friend, Peter, located in Center Ossipee, New Hampshire. Peter, already in the north country, was doing some outlet shopping and spending the hard earned money from his first paycheck in a very long time. Peter has been away on an actual sabbatical, not a sabbatication.

John and I found Peter in North Conway. We met at Brooks Brothers at just the right time. We saved Peter from spending the last of his cash on a new suit.

Dinner was in order and we made our way to Merlino's Steak House. Peter and I ordered twin prime rib and John grabbed a burger and a beer.

After a nice meal, we made our way to Peter's cottage, affectionately named Wonderful-Nice, in Center Ossipee. It is such a peaceful spot - a little piece of heaven. Peter gave John the nickel tour and then we shared cocktails and conversation until bedtime.

Saturday, August 26th, 2006: More relaxation was in order. We started the morning with coffee and a light breakfast. We got a couple of necessary trips out of the way. We made our way to the grocery store, and more importantly, stopped at the New Hampshire State Liquor Store for some gin.

We donned our bathing suits, grabbed a beach chair, and planted ourselves on the shores of Leavitt Bay on Ossipee Lake. It was partly cloudy and was not the most perfect beach weather. We made best of it, and once the gin and tonic started absorbing into our bloodstreams, everything became perfect.

Several gin and tonics later, it was naptime. Peter crashed on the porch whilst John and I cuddled on the hammock. In the several years that I have been lucky enough to join Peter and our friends at this special spot, a nap on the hammock had never been quite this delightful.

Our grumbling tummies made their presence known and it was time to throw some burgers on the grill. I fired it up and prepared the meat. The boys got the rest of dinner assembled and then we broke bread together.

After dinner, we shared more quiet conversation and a game of cards. We played Rummy 500. The game was close, but Peter took the faux kitty with 520 points. John was a close second with 495 and I trailed with 475. We then moaned and groaned our way to bed around midnight.

Sunday, August 27th, 2006: It was up and out early as John had a flight to catch and I had a rehearsal to attend. We made the 90 minute drive to Manchester at 8:20am. I gave John a big squeeze goodbye. He scooted into the terminal as we drove away. Peter's presence was a welcome distraction from the tears that usually ensue.

Peter rushed me in his PT Cruiser to rehearsal with Aksara. Six of the Chorus boys and I are rehearsing four numbers with this local women's group. We are going to be special guests for their upcoming concert in early November.

Luc graciously gave me a ride back to my house in his fancy new Honda. Peter was already home gathering his things for the week ahead to be spent in Ossipee. It was my turn to do the same.

After paying an overdue cell phone bill (oops) and doing one load of laundry (I was short on clean undies), it was time to return to the north country. A quick visit to the Manchester homestead became an extended visit as I attemped to pack for eight days away. That exhausting task led to an hour long nap. Peter was already snoozing whilst he waited for me to get my act together.

This brings me to now. I am sitting on the couch at Wonderful-Nice, laptop warming my thighs and fire toasting my feet. Whilst I listen to the Heartland Men's Chorus and compose this blog entry, I contemplate so many things that I am thankful for - a loving family, great friends and a good life.

P. S. I love you, John.