I slept in until 3PM. Apparently a lot of people here slept in more than usual. Could it be due to the ridiculous weather? It was 79 degrees today. Wowsers. Gabe and I sauntered off to Wade Oval for a little pickup Ultimate (he sat out due to wonkiness of the knee).
Ken and I tried to play tennis, but night intervened. We took a quick gander at the courts near MLK, but the lights were out of operation and the nets weren't installed. It was all for the best, however, because we came right back to the house and gathered together Harold, Jerry, and Gabe for a mission to Michael's Diner in Shaker Square. Yet another 24-hour establishment for my personal database. Standout foodstuff: burger weighing two-thirds of a pound. Get in my belly!
Prompted by my minor cough, Harold related that I should stay the hell away from him. Not meant to be rude; it's just that in his line of work, he can't get sick. Harold's paid to have a clear, deep radio voice: he's a news reporter for WTAM-AM. He drove us downtown and gave us a tour of the station. One room was filled with computers, connected in various and doubtless highly sensitive ways in the back. In the front, a single cable connected two jacks, the delicate visual irony instigating chuckles from Gabe and me and fully worthy of a photograph. There was a library of sound clips on 8-track tapes, apparently no longer used because clips can be summoned instantaneously on computer. I made sure to turn Harold's name plaque upside-down on our way out. A zany madcap funster, me!
Sheira is 23 today. When we lived together in a house that was much bigger then, I used to chase her around, trying to poke her in the shoulder. Now we're young adults striking items off of our chosen agendas, too earnest to be childish around each other, but with plenty of room to be playful. The mind-shaping events that occur in our lives follow independent schedules. Some lessons she learns first and tries to share with me, and some I with her. One of the lessons I've learned is that advice doesn't work — that while I generally believe what is advised, it lacks meaning until I learn for myself by experience. This limits how much we can teach each other, but it means we know what lessons to look for next.
Despite the numerous significant differences between Sheira and me, we've always fundamentally liked each other. She's studying to be something I once wanted to be: a doctor. She'll be a good one. I'm glad and proud to have her as my sister.