[Tim] I'm Just Living the Dream!
Julie's brother, Brett, told a funny story during his visit last weekend. He's a general contractor by trade and a generally personable fellow by disposition. Over the years, he has built up positive relationships with any number of contractors, subcontractors, and materials providers.
Apparently, he was in his paint guy's shop some time back and was engaged in idle small talk at the counter. The paint guy asked him how things were going -- knowing that Brett had been making a number of trips from Ohio to New York City and back to work on his brother and sister-in-law's home renovation. Brett, to this day, doesn't know what possessed him. For whatever reason, he was feeling particular hammy, so he responded by flinging his arms wide and declaring loudly, with a big grin on his face, "I'm just livin' the dream!"
At that point, Brett realized that there were at least a half-dozen other contractors in the shop milling around picking up paint supplies or waiting on their orders.
He got some funny looks.
For whatever reason, this story really stuck with me. I must have reenacted it or told the story ten times over the past week. I was in Austin for work and then wrapped up the week at the 12th Annual Columbus Day Party! just outside of town. So, I was doing a lot of catching up, and a lot of that catching up was with people who had no idea that we'd relocated to Ohio.
Somehow, "I'm just livin' the dream!" continues to be the best way to summarize my current situation: we landed in a house and a community that we thoroughly enjoy, the kids like their new school (and we like the fact that a school bus picks them up and drops them off), we're getting to see more of Julie's family, I'm having a ball at my new job and really enjoy the people there, and I'm still getting back to Austin on a regular basis. Even the negative aspect of being on the road once a month and being away from Julie and the kids has a silver lining, in that it's a regular reminder -- by Tuesday night, usuually -- as to how fortunate I've been to marry someone who is so wonderful...and then to collaborate with her to produce our entertaining little circus of kids and dogs. I've been borderline desperate to get back home by the end of a week in Austin.
So, yeah -- just livin' the dream!
Apparently, he was in his paint guy's shop some time back and was engaged in idle small talk at the counter. The paint guy asked him how things were going -- knowing that Brett had been making a number of trips from Ohio to New York City and back to work on his brother and sister-in-law's home renovation. Brett, to this day, doesn't know what possessed him. For whatever reason, he was feeling particular hammy, so he responded by flinging his arms wide and declaring loudly, with a big grin on his face, "I'm just livin' the dream!"
At that point, Brett realized that there were at least a half-dozen other contractors in the shop milling around picking up paint supplies or waiting on their orders.
He got some funny looks.
For whatever reason, this story really stuck with me. I must have reenacted it or told the story ten times over the past week. I was in Austin for work and then wrapped up the week at the 12th Annual Columbus Day Party! just outside of town. So, I was doing a lot of catching up, and a lot of that catching up was with people who had no idea that we'd relocated to Ohio.
Somehow, "I'm just livin' the dream!" continues to be the best way to summarize my current situation: we landed in a house and a community that we thoroughly enjoy, the kids like their new school (and we like the fact that a school bus picks them up and drops them off), we're getting to see more of Julie's family, I'm having a ball at my new job and really enjoy the people there, and I'm still getting back to Austin on a regular basis. Even the negative aspect of being on the road once a month and being away from Julie and the kids has a silver lining, in that it's a regular reminder -- by Tuesday night, usuually -- as to how fortunate I've been to marry someone who is so wonderful...and then to collaborate with her to produce our entertaining little circus of kids and dogs. I've been borderline desperate to get back home by the end of a week in Austin.
So, yeah -- just livin' the dream!
posted by Gilligan @ 6:50 PM
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