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January 16, 2025.
Dear Tobi,
Happy New Year. Yes, I know it's the middle of the January, but January is long. I mentioned yesterday at work that we're halfway through January and a coworker said we won't be halfway through January until March. I liked that. I know she meant winter, but I kinda like the way she said it better. Kinda. That word has slipped into my vocabulary over the years. Written vocabulary, too. Like sorta. Kinda, sorta. Should be words. You taught me a word, too. Long ago. Wanna. You used to write wanna in your notes and letters. Alright, nevermind. I get easily sidetracked.
I'm back at the coffee shop on a rare day off work. I've been working too much. Nothing else to do, right? It's winter! I just had tea. English Breakfast today. I'm working my way through their tea list. The last two I didn't particularly care for. Keemun, and Darjeeling. The first Chinese, as you could probably tell me a thing or two about. The second, Indian. Maybe I was just drinking them wrong. Black. Well, they are black teas. But should I have used milk or cream? I liked the Apricot black tea and Peach black tea, but I wonder if I can even tell the difference. Yeah, the fruits taste similar but noticeably different, but in tea? I wonder if anyone would know the difference. "Barista, you gave me apricot when I specifically said peach!"
I hope you had a nice Christmas. I had the saddest Christmas ever. I just wanted to move on from it, but the airport kept playing Christmas music well into the New Year to remind me how sad I was. I'm still very sad.
More later, if you wanna know. I hope all is well with you.
Dave
October 11, 2024.
Dear Tobi,
You are right, the date was wrong. September, not August. I miss August. I miss September! The days are still warm, but it cools off when that sun goes down. Jacket weather which is comfortable, but I still prefer those balmy summer nights. How's the weather in your neck of the woods? Much warmer, I would imagine.
So you were in Colorado? I was, too! It's been a few years since I've run the Pikes Peak Marathon. They've moved the date from August to September. I don't know WHY they did that. There have been years where it was snowing and hailing at the summit. In August! Why would they chance it moving it to September? I ended up not running as the forecast was uncertain and they kept delaying a decision until the night before the event. And then they delayed that decision until the next morning. It didn't look good, so I thought I would use that insurance I paid at registration to get my money back and maybe try another year, as I was already uneasy about it with my lack of training this year. It was a good decision as the next morning sitting in the boarding area awaiting my flight I got an alert on my phone saying they were turning runners around at Barr Camp, five miles from the summit. That happened to me once. In August! Although I was almost to the A-Frame, near treeline, when they turned runners around that year. My lack of training could easily have taken me to Barr Camp and back, but that's not really the point of the race, no pun intended.
Still, it was nice seeing the mountains again. I drove to Royal Gorge. That was impressive! And on the way back to Manitou Springs I saw something crossing the road that I've only seen once before, in the Domenican Republic. A tarantula! I remember asking the cab driver, "Did I just see a tarantula crossing the road?" He said yes, that he had one in his kitchen just the week before. So I asked the Google this time, and sure enough, there are tarantulas in Colorado. Creepy! They have a very distinctive walk. There was no question in my mind. Have you seen them in Colorado?
It's that time of year again where I confuse the baristas. Riley just a few minutes ago sees me back in line and getting a head start asks, "Double Americano, Dave?" "No, make it a large iced tea, black with lemon." I go between hot and cold this time of year. "Make it lukewarm!"
I thought of you Wednesday, flying back from New York. I looked down below to see the familiar outline of Lake Michigan coming up, remembering the best latte with you on that shore overlooking the lake. Speaking of the Great Lakes, I've seen it before from the air. There's one with a strange unnatural shape to it. I haven't quite figured out which one it is. I don't think it's Lake Ontario. I don't think it's Lake Huron. Whatever it is, it's eerie.
Alright. Bad joke. Time for me to sign off.
Love you a latte,
Dave
August 27, 2024.
Dear Tobi,
Hey, I like the bird pics you sent. Very pretty. There are a couple in there that I really like. Has anyone told you lately how beautiful you are? You should send more. More bird pictures.
Here's one from a few years back. Note the Web-footed, turquoise-crested sappidilly in the pine tree behind Brian.
Another beautiful day here in Madison, Wisconsin. I was sitting by the lake earlier reading a book. Well, books. One is not yet published. It's by Rebecca Ryder, a friend of mine. She wanted me to read through and offer any criticisms, advice, whatever. The Dream To End All Dreams, Draft 9. No, the "Draft 9" is not part of the title, it's just the latest draft in her endless editing process. It's heavy reading. Introspective. Maybe a bit too heavy. And introspective. So, I've been alternating between that and something a little more lighthearted, a book by Alan Zweibel. Bunny Bunny. Gilda Radner: A Sort of Love Story.
I've been invited to New York to a book release event by my friend Eric Idle, for his Spamalot Diaries. He's the creator of the Broadway musical. Alan Zweibel is moderating, so I thought I should get to know Alan a little better before flying out to see them. He wrote a novel years ago, which I read, called The Other Shulman. 26.2 chapters, one for each mile of a marathon. It was a story that involved this character, Shulman, who was going through some personal crises, so he trains for and runs the New York City Marathon, which Zweibel himself has run. I just finished his autobiography, Laugh Lines: My Life Helping Funny People Be Funnier. Fascinating story. I'm in awe. Often, you don't think about the writers behind the actors. He was one of the original writers for Saturday Night Live. For the first five years. He wrote with and for Gilda. They were extremely close. Often on the edge of true romance. Or maybe it was true romance. His book Bunny Bunny really is a sort of love story. It's written as a conversation between the two. Sadly, she died back in 1989 of ovarian cancer. If you're curious, YouTube her last public appearance on It's Garry Shandling's Show. The TV series was created by Garry Shandling and Alan Zweibel. The first five or ten minutes, when Gilda comes through the door is both funny and touching.
Anyway, enough about all that. You know what? I heard a song the other night over the airport intercom that immediately transported me back in time to Toronto. Was it 1983? 1984? It was a song by Blondie. I remember hearing it in Toronto and you saying. "My mom likes this song. She likes Blondie." I know, stupid little memory. But over the years, every time I've heard it, I think of that.
...
I don't think her name was Blondie.
Love always,
Dave
August 23, 2024.
Dear Tobi,
Thanks for the note. Yes, do send a photo from Texas. Wish I could see you at DFW. It's just a two hour flight away, you know. I think they have a Starbucks there.
Here's that photo of Brian you asked about. It looked better at the visitation.
Of course they have a Starbucks at DFW. They have many. Probably several in each terminal. Might even have one on the train that takes you from terminal to terminal. There's probably even a Starbucks in Starbucks.
...
I miss waterskiing,
Dave
August 16, 2024.
Dear Tobi,
You say you don't remember Tim? He used to come visit us on weekends at Wisconsin Academy. He didn't attend W.A., but since he grew up with Brian and Eric, he would often stay with them in the dorm on weekends. That's how I got to know Tim. You might remember the time Tim and I came out to Los Angeles. Tim wanted to see California, I wanted to see you, but I don't think you wanted to see me. We went to Disneyland. Not sure why. I have a picture of Tim and I in California that he sent. You might have taken the photo. I used to do a lot of waterskiing with Eric and Tim. Sometimes Brian would come along. I have some nice photos that Eric sent. Maybe I'll show you those later, but here is an awful photo of us (well, good one of Tim and Eric, awful of me).
And here we are forty-ish years later. We haven't changed a bit, have we! :)
Nice seeing Tim and Eric again. Sad that it took a funeral for us to reunite. But alright, here's another, going back in time to those waterskiing days. Brian would rarely join us on the water, as he didn't like going in the water. But occasionally he would come along for the ride. Here's one of the two of us. It was touching seeing this one on the screen at the funeral.
I'm going to miss Brian.
They're kicking me out of the coffee shop. Nothing I did, of course. It's just that time.
More photos later, maybe.
...
ykily,
Dave
August 9, 2024.
Dear Tobi,
I've been meaning to drop you a line the last two weeks.
About three weeks ago I texted Eric and Tim. You know, two of my old Milwaukee pals. Because I work nights, it wasn't until like two or three in the morning, after work, while unwinding. I didn't text Brian because in the past it would always wake him. Light sleeper, I guess. He's always been the most responsive of the three. "Dave, so nice to hear from you," he would text back. "But not at three in the morning. Give me a call tomorrow!"
I wish I had texted Brian that night, too.
I did hear back from Eric the next day.
And then a week later I heard again from Eric. With the sad news. Brian had passed away. He didn't show up to work, so someone went to check on him. They found him sitting in his chair. An autopsy concluded that it was a hemmorhagic brainstem stroke.
The funeral was yesterday.
I'm glad I attended. At the visitation, in the church, before the service they had a projector set up scrolling through photos of Brian's life. And I was touched to see a lot of photos of me in there. One that I had sent to Tim after hearing the news. Funny guy, he put it in there. It was of me and Brian on Eric's boat, me holding an oar, sort of recreating that American Gothic painting. You know the one, the sad looking couple and the pitchfork? They said they would send a thumbdrive of the photos. I hope so.
Rollie texted me and Eric some fun photos from our days at Wisconsin Academy.
It was SO NICE seeing both Eric and Tim again yesterday. It's been way too many years since I've seen either. In fact, I didn't even recognize Eric, at first. i saw Tim mingling, talking with others in the crowd. He saw me and winked. I stood there looking for Eric, not realizing he was standing right next to Tim. Had he not spotted me first and come to me, I don't know how long it would have taken me to recognize him.
Before I left, we had a nice photo op, the three of us.
Maybe I'll upload a few photos here in the next few days.
<3 always,
Dave