JimK's Journal

Sunday, July 5, 2009 - 4:50 PM

I had a very good time at the birthday party yesterday. It was a relief getting away from home, if only for a few hours. It is amazing how something like that can help to elevate my mood.

My niece's husband, Randy, was in tip-top shape as the two of us did some verbal sparring about iPods and auto racing. My niece, Kathy, gave him an iPod for his birthday, so we kidded back and forth about the fact that he has already downloaded movies onto his iPod, while I am still having difficulty trying to get music onto mine. He is supposed to come see me sometime this week and put some type of attachment onto my computer, which will enable me to download both music and movies.

They live in a three-level house, but I am only able to get into one room on the lower floor, which is one reason I do not go there very often. In fact, this is only the second time I have been there since they moved to that house somewhat less than a year ago. Their dining room is on the second floor, but Kathy and Randy carried the dining room table downstairs so that I could eat with them.

I felt comfortable and relaxed with them, and was able to crack a few jokes now and then. At one point, after I had made a joke about my sister, Kathy looked at her husband laughed, and said, "That's what I love about Jim." I felt even better after that.

Kathy and I are going to lunch on Thursday. I have been promising to take her out for more than a year, so I think it is time for me to live up to my promise.

I have three nieces, so Randy thought that he would put me on the spot by asking which one was my favorite. I told him it was Kathy. She "glowed" upon hearing that. Randy then asked which of my three nieces’ husband's my favorite was. I told him that I guess it would be him, but later on, I jokingly "demoted" him when he said that I must have been alive when Beethoven had been born.