For most of the working world, today is special.  It’s not only Friday, but also the beginning of a three-day weekend.  For me in retirement, it’s just like any other day.  I was aware that it was Friday only because the trash and recycling containers were street-side in the neighborhood next to us.  Fridays are the day that I routinely have lunch with friends at Buffalo Wild Wings, so I continue to look forward to this day of the week.  The Cubs will be playing on the big screens, and it will be the first cold beer I’ve had in several weeks.  I’ll run some errands afterwards and fill up with gas, since surely prices will start to escalate after Harvey hit Houston.  It just goes to show how we are all connected in this world, when flooding and losses 2200 miles away mean higher prices here in Portland.  We’re all in this together!

My hard-working wife hopes to enjoy some time with the dogs during her long weekend.  I will run with the pack the next three mornings, and follow her lead on things to do.  After all, it’s her weekend and she deserves the time off.  We’ll probably go out to dinner tonight.  Tomorrow night is a fundraiser, and Sunday night we’ll probably do a movie and eat popcorn.  The weather continues to be perfect here in Portland, as another month has come and gone.  When I said, “I’ll see you in September,” well, it’s here!  I’ll get to be a home body most of  the month, while she’ll make a business venture to Washington D.C. and return to entertain a visiting niece.  We also have plans to end September by making the short drive to the Coast for a party that our travel agent is hosting.

My busy wife just made business plans to go to New York City in October, so we’ll extend into the weekend and see some Broadway shows, including the pricey Hello Dolly with Bette Midler and David Hyde Pierce.  Thanks to our good friends, we’ll also get to go back stage at the famed Shubert Theatre, and hopefully meet the performers.  Speaking of travel, a last minute change in corporate meeting dates will cause us to reschedule our trip back to Indiana that was originally scheduled for early October, but we’ll sneak into Los Angeles for business and weekend fun instead.  I had no trouble cancelling all of our hotel accommodations and rental car plans for Chicago and Indiana, with the exception of the Quality Inn, one of our only options in Rochester where my wife’s mother lives.  They’ve taken the consumer unfriendly approach of no changes or cancellations, so I’ll continue to hassle with them once we settle on a new travel date.   It’s hard to believe that businesses can survive without adapting to the needs of the customer.  Only in small town America!

Early November may be our only choice to get back to Indiana, since we’re already scheduled to be there for Christmas.  Plus, I already screwed up any hopes my wife may have had for a family Thanksgiving by agreeing to go to the PK80 Basketball Tournament here in Portland.  She’s had to deal with “Turkey Tournaments” before in our marriage.  We traveled to Maui in 2008 for that Invitational when Indiana was a participant.  It’s just another reason why she hates most sports!  The Phil Knight (PK) 80th Birthday tournament will be a one-time basketball event featuring the top Nike programs in the country, so it may not interfere with Thanksgiving dinner in the future.  However, Indiana will be back in Maui in 2020, so we may need to put the turkey on the back-burner once again.