Chaos theory in print

I wanted to write something wise and profound this week, but it's not going to happen. I know that even as I type these first words.

I wanted to write about a very busy four days due to two very different trips (one for my son, one for myself). I wanted to write about my wife finally deciding to go on that long trip late this month. I wanted to write about the 40th anniversary of Woodstock. I wanted to write about the first anniversary of B's first letter to me (which was yesterday). I wanted to write about John Hughes' passing--a rare Hollywood filmmaker who seemed to understand young people.

But there's really not much time this week to reflect thoughtfully on things. My son (from near Detroit) is visiting for a couple days--he arrives this evening. He doesn't visit often--usually, just around the holidays, and then he's gone again. Then the county fair is this weekend, and I will be spending much of the weekend there. And the board that I serve on has its annual meeting Saturday morning; I, as president, have to write a letter to the members. That board has a regular meeting early Wednesday morning. Then I've got the football scrimmage Friday morning out of town. And I've also got to write the editorial and track down the girls volleyball coaches for season previews.

This is going to be one bloody long week.

So here it is. Chaos theory for a while.

The first trip (Thursday and Friday) was to take my younger son to Green Bay. Essentially, it was a shopping trip for him, and I was his chauffeur. We made our regular stop at the Green Bay Packers Pro Shop, Best Buy, a shopping center, a video exchange place and finally the NEW Zoo north of Green Bay. NEW=Northeast Wisconsin. He paid for the motel. I covered most of the meals. We got back home late Friday afternoon.

The second trip (Saturday and Sunday) was a solo trip to a little farm near Appleton, which is now a private place for people to camp and swim. Oh yeah, it's clothing-optional, too. My friend S and her husband are regulars there and said I could sleep in their tent, so that's what I did. With temperatures in the upper 80s (a rare warm spell this summer), I made a beeline to the pond once I arrived and enjoyed that for a while. Later, S and another woman gave me a very relaxing backrub. (By the way, S did remember to return my Crackberry.)

We had corn and brats for supper, plus potato salad and pasta salad. After that, we sat around the campfire, talking about this and that, listening to the radio and enjoying a bottle of mead (honey wine) S had brought along--once we managed to get the cork out without a corkscrew.

Yeah, we're wild people. Everybody was in bed by 10:30 p.m. or so.

On Sunday morning, it was clouding up with rain on the way, so we went to town for a breakfast buffet, returned, packed away the tents and went on our way. I got back home in mid afternoon. While I was gone, my wife was entertaining her youngest sister and her husband--they had gotten married privately the day before. The three of them had a good time on Saturday while I was gone, and I got to see the them Sunday before they left.

I'll skip Woodstock until life gets calmer (if it ever does). Just so you know, I was not there. I had been at a music festival in Milwaukee maybe a month earlier (we lived in the suburbs), and I had heard about this big festival coming up in New York. But I was working and didn't have my own car. So all I know about it is second-hand.

But God, I wish I had been there!

That brings up a different 40th anniversary. It was right about that time that a girl I knew from high school called me and asked if I wanted to go on a blind date with her, her boyfriend and a girl she knew from work. So I agreed. I guess the girl and I got along OK. She is downstairs now, watching TV with the kitties.

She made her final decision about that trip to Branson, Mo., late last week--she sent in her check. So now we have to take care of a few things: She has to get a cell phone, so she can call me from far away, and she needs an AC charger for her Ipod. She will be gone for a week, and I and the kitties will be soloing while she's gone.

I will miss her a lot--but I really wanted her to go on the trip. I've been trying to get her to open up her world and have new experiences and just ... live a little! While we're still young. She is 10 months younger than me. In many ways, though, I think I am much younger.

The first anniversary of B's first e-mail to me was Monday. I still have it. I wrote her, marveling at everything that has happened between us in the last 12 months ... and wondering what will happen in the next 12. She will be out of town for a medical appointment part of this week.

OK, is that chaotic enough for you? That's my life, at least this week's edition of it. Next week? Should be a lot quieter.