A buttered roll, face-down in the skillet and toasted until slightly brown, upon which you then plop an immodest glob of honey: that's perfection.
Hanging with your dad and your little brother, watching and commenting on an episode of "House," enjoying an hour of Just Us Guys: that's happiness.
I'm in a strange period right now; my body seems mostly back on track, pain-wise, but my wallet still needs until the end of March to convalesce. My two jobs are fairly quiet in nature, as I just hunch over a keyboard and tap-tap-tap away. I feel ready to go, but can't leave right away. Because my job doesn't require me to commute, I do it from home, which means-- especially since the renovation is done-- that I have time to just hang.
I'm not sure how much just hanging I did while living in Korea. I spent a lot of time by myself, but very little time just hanging with my Korean and expat friends. Most of us led busy lives on the peninsula; even my own down-time was mainly at night, when I would get home late from the office. My buddy Tom was often busier than I was, which meant that we didn't meet up that often, despite working together in the same office for a year. My buddy Charles lived outside of Seoul for most of the time I've known him, so I didn't see him and his wife all that often, either.
Now here I am in Virginia, with one of my best friends about an hour south of me, another about an hour or so north of me, and a third in Pennsylvania, about four hours away. All three friends are married; two of the three have families. Just hanging with them requires planning; the activity becomes an event in itself. That's what happens when you grow up and people go their separate ways, I guess.
I'd like to think, though, that despite the infrequency with which we see each other, we all still hang out in spirit. Somewhere out there is a metaphysical TV room, a place where the guys can get together and watch a game or a movie, shoot the breeze, and just chill.
Or maybe there's no such room. Maybe all we've got is fuckin' Facebook. Man, that's a depressing thought.
_
Marathon
12 years ago
2 comments:
Yeah, you left Korea pretty much right after we moved to Seoul, didn't you. When you come back, much hanging will be done.
Speaking of "House," My wife finally got me to watch "Sense & Sensibility" the other day (actually a pretty good flick), and halfway through we are introduced to an acerbic and witty gentleman with a wife who talks non-stop. It took me a moment to recognize him, but then I laughed aloud and said, "Oh my God, that's House!"
And it was--it wasn't just Hugh Laurie, it was the same sarcastically witty character that he now plays on "House." Funny thing is that the film precedes "House" by nearly ten years.
Hi Kevin -
You're certainly "on the mark" with the skillet toasted roll lathered with honey. That's real comfort food.
And yeah, hangin' with Dad and lil Bro is right up there, too.
You've got your priorities right.
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