I’m back safe in Brooklyn, after a long day spent waiting on mechanical problems in Kansas City and running through the airport in Cincinnati. I made my connection with 5 minutes to spare. To my utter amazement, my checked duffel bag made it from plane to plane in the 10 minutes it took me to run from concourse A to B in Cincinnati. They have a magic that I do not pretend to comprehend. I completely expected to wait for hours at JFK for my bag to come on a later flight, but no. Not only did it arrive safely with me, but I must have waited a grand total of 2 minutes to retrieve it from the baggage claim.
It was a long week. Fortunately I had a wide variety of activities to cheer me up:
- Friday I went to the new stadium at Harrison High School to see a football game with my sister.
- Saturday I was able to attend a reception for my friend Kevin and his new wife.
- Also Saturday I went to the Boone County Fair with my nephew Austin.
- Wednesday I went to see Tina Turner in Kansas City with my mom
That last experience was a pleasant surprise. Mom bought her tickets on a lark and was having doubts about being able to do a mid-week show with a 4-hour drive. So I offered to go with her and do some of the driving, and fly out from Kansas City. The show was tremendous. I had no idea that a 68 year old woman could deliver those songs, in all those costumes (yes, a Thunderdome re-enactment was staged with full dress), and in high heels. It may be the best arena rock show I’ve ever seen. And I’ve seen the Rolling Stones, Aerosmith, Van Halen, Nine Inch Nails and KISS.
So I was given plenty of distraction from the fact that an old friend is gone. Thanks to all who left comments and who emailed me. It was great to see all the folks I haven’t seen in many years.