Spending time with the Philosopher

So, the Philosopher came to visit for the weekend the Thursday before last, and I had a really good time...So good that I'm going to visit him in a few weeks for the weekend. We've been e-mailing and Skyping pretty regularly since we first started talking, and there is a lot of joy in getting to know another person.

I stole this from the Philosopher's Facebook page. I really like this picture of him!

So, after 5 weeks (to the day), of talking via Skype and text and e-mail, he flew in.  I made him dinner (chicken curry over spaghetti squash--a really good recipe!!!), and we watched Blazing Saddles.  My niece joined us for both, and it was really nice.  Then, we went for a walk.  Poor Ginger took a while to warm up to him, but she did finally quit barking at him, even if she wasn't sure what to make of this person in her house.

Friday didn't go quite like I planned, as I started the day by locking my keys in my house...Thankfully, my niece had gone to the gym that morning, so I was able to get back in without making her late for work, but it was kind of embarrassing to have to text the Philosopher that I would be later than planned because I did something that boneheaded.

We spent the morning at White Sands.

It was a perfect day to be at White Sands...not too hot, and partially cloudy most of the morning. 

The clouds look a little bit like cotton candy.

My favorite picture of him from the weekend.

Attempting to surf the sand dunes. I got a few good runs: the Philosopher, not so much.

Falling off the sled.

Finally to the bottom of the hill!

Then, we had a picnic in Alamogordo at one of the city parks there.  It was fun to sit and talk and learn more about one another.  

Next, a trip to Coas--no trip to this part of the country is complete if one is a bibliophile!  Then, back home in order to get ready for the evening: Dinner theater!

This was the play we saw: I liked it, anyway.

I specifically asked the Philosopher to dress nice for the dinner theater, and he obliged. Sadly, I forgot to take a picture of the both of us together.  I did have my niece take my picture, though.

All dressed up and ready to go!

I probably should have taken off my fitbit, though...

Then, a quick trip up Scenic Drive to the lookout near the top of the mountain.  I was surprised at how busy it was--there was no parking, and a couple of food trucks at the lookout, but the view was gorgeous.

Saturday, we went to Adoration at the Monastery downtown, but, unbeknownst to me, there was a group meeting there for communal prayer at the same time we were there.  I was expecting the usual quiet time with God, and instead we sort of participated in an all Spanish prayer group for most of our time.  I believe Robbie Burns says it best:

But, Mousie, thou art no thy lane,  

In proving foresight may be vain;  

The best-laid schemes o' mice an 'men  

Gang aft agley, (from http://www.robertburns.org/works/75.shtml)

And, our plans went "agley" quite a bit on Saturday, for the afternoon was supposed to be for going on the tram, and it was shut down due to lightning.  Then, we were rained in for close to an hour as a gully washer rolled through town and shut off electricity at my house until almost 11pm that night.  

At least the rain was over by the time for the baseball game, and we were able to eat at L&J's for dinner.

My dinner: Chicken Enchiladas with a side of Guacamole.

Enjoying dinner. 

Mom and Dad were sitting right in front of us.  It was nice to enjoy the game together.

Sunday comprised of Mass, eating lunch with my sister, an then going to Chili's to enjoy the final for the World Cup before the Philosopher had to fly home.  I'm glad he came and I look forward to seeing him again.

Since then, we have continued to Skype and talk, and that has been good, although I'm finding that the perpetually turned on world that we live in is quite the temptation.  The Philosopher works from home, so I'm sure that I'm a bit of a distraction at times with the occasional text or message via Facebook--I'm trying to be circumspect about how often I say hi when I see him online, but I'm not sure that I'm succeeding. I'm also coming to realize that working from home can be both a blessing and a curse--it gives insane amounts of flexibility, but it also means that work and leisure can easily bleed over into one another, for there are no clear contextual clues to mark the end of the work-day. I suspect that is why the Philosopher will usually go to the local coffee shop to work rather than do so from home. Of course, that was also true when I taught, since grading takes over your life at certain times of the semester.  

And, I count the days until I will hop a plane to go see him in his natural habitat.  I had a lot of fun planning our time while he was here, and look forward to seeing what he will plan for us while I'm there.