calm before the storm

This past Sunday was fun, as we got to see Jenn and Paul during their southern vacation swing. We ate Ethiopian from Lalibel and had dessert at Love Café. It was great to see them, and fun to share a couple of DC eateries with them. They so seldom go on vacation, so it’s great to see them not worried about work or other day-to-day stuff.

But most of my time has been spent getting ready – physically and mentally – for the trip to Utah. Mom’s hip surgery is on Thursday, and sprite and I are flying out there tomorrow. At least the bike is coming with me, though I need to partially disassemble it to fit it into the PPTC travel case (no biggie, really). The bike will get one more spin with the usual crowd tonight, barring rain, after which I’ll clean it, pack it, and prepare for the trip.

And one of this trip’s goals – other than the obligatory keeping mom from hurting herself and doing a bit of house work – is to get her on the internet. She’s been pestering us (mostly in a passive-aggressive way, but more directly of late) that she misses out of so much because she “doesn’t have email, or the web, or any of that stuff.”

So last night I went out and bought something that’ll help her with the on-ramp to the information superhighway. More to come on this front – wish me luck in teaching a complete technophobe how to hop, skip and jump on the digital domain.

It’s always tough going back to Salt Lake City. I grew up there, and have a lot of fond memories of the place. But it’s not the same place I inhabited in my youth. I’ve grown, the city has grown, and my relationships with the places and people is inherently different. It’s tough to keep my head above it all, and I hope I manage during this fortnight-long venture.