It is always a good thing when I get to hang out with my friend Shayne. Shayne is a wise father-figure type that I have come to accept as a close confidant. He is funny, generous, and knowledgeable about a great deal of things--all characteristics that I lack--and yet he can be crude, cynical, and a bit of a smart ass. I hated to see him leave the library when he did, but we managed to remain in contact and now that my tenure at the library (or at least, at the specific system) is over; I have a bit more flexibility to meet up with him and simply shoot the breeze. Anyways, I met him for lunch yesterday and had a great conversation about the ignorance of our former library employer, our current career paths, and life in general. Afterwards, we hung out at his place and he gave me (for free) a ukulele because during our time together at the library; we had discussed how I had never learned to play a musical instrument and how I wanted to learn to play the ukulele because of its odd size and the laid back vibe one gets when listening to someone play the ukulele. (I also wanted to try and charm Emily, but that never came to pass and it never will.) I have had a difficult time of it in recent weeks, but I can always count on Shayne to have some useful words of encourage as well as a sympathetic ear. I'm blessed to have a friend like that--hell, I'm blessed to have friends like that. Anyways, aside from some more drama surrounding the elephant sleeping in the living room, today was a solid day and I hope that I'm able to commit to learning the ukulele without driving everyone up the wall.
