The Salty Sailor: August 2008

Today my boss returned from vacation. Last week without him was a little stressful because it was the week of our user conference and we were short staffed a few days. Well basically we were short staffed 4 of 5 days last week. So to show our appreciation of his being away I thought it would be a good idea to mess with his desk. I searched online for office pranks and came across a rather tame option of newspapering his desk. So Friday morning Lori and I set to work on "dressing" Zach's desk for his return. It was surprisingly quick and painless other than the small issue if turning our fingertips black with newspaper ink. Zach does not ever show any reaction to anything. No matter how hard you try to get a rise out of him he is always perfectly even tempered. I think he might be a robot. Never the less I was certain I would see some sort of reaction today. But no, once again I was disappointed as Zach very calmly began undressing his desk. Oh well, it was fun while it lasted. Here's the pictures.

-Amy

****Sorry kids, I am getting errors trying to upload the pictures right now. I will try again tomorrow.

This weekend we had an impromptu going away party for Cort and Brooke. They are moving to my old stomping grounds of Long Beach California. In fact it sounds like they will be living right across the street from my very first apartment. I miss Long Beach, it gets a negative reputation but its really a fantastic town. Long beach is so eclectic. It's full of so many different cultures and personalities that every time you turn a corner you experience something new. I left a piece of my heart in the L.B.C. and I still feel the pain when I think about my life there.

OK, so back to the original subject....

Cort and Brooke are moving to Long Beach. Cort will be working towards his Masters degree and Brooke will be teaching. We had a little get together to say goodbye this weekend. It was another opportunity to bring old friends together before we all go on our separate journeys. We Bar-b-cued at Melissa's house and spent some time just enjoying each others company. I'm lucky to have met some really wonderful people in my life who each bring a different vision of the world and a different philosophy to share. I'm even more lucky that I've been able to befriend the people who accept me and love me for my vision and philosophy. If I ever had the talent to be a writer I wouldn't need to use my imagination very much because there are so many rich characters that make up my friends. Anyway, We spent the night talking and drinking and telling stories of days past and even some hopes for the future. Wes pulled out his guitar and created some ambiance and we all sang a line or two at the end of the night. Brooke serenaded Cort a little with Wes' accompaniment. It doesn't matter that I see my friends much more rarely than in years past because when I do see them its as if we were never apart.

Tomorrow is the big day for Cort and Brooke. They'll be packed and on the road. I haven't let myself get down yet because I know I'm going to be in Long Beach in three weeks anyway so we are going to get together for brunch. I am going to show them one of my favorite places in Long Beach and I've made them promise not to go there until I get there. I am so excited to be able to show some of my Utah friends a little bit of what made me happy in Long Beach. It feels good that I finally get to share something that I had to experience alone. I can't wait.

Anyway I'm sure I'm boring everyone with my sappy internal thoughts. It's strange that I say so much on this blog that I can't say in person. The people that love me the most are the people who have accepted that I have a Hard Shelled prickly personality and often say things that seem harsh and hurtful. But they know I never say anything to intentionally hurt anyone. I just am not capable of putting a sugar coating on my opinions before I share them. Blah Blah Blah. I'll shut up now.

Here's some pictures of the Bar-b-cue

-Amy