Spent most of the afternoon yesterday on my knees behind a heavy-duty desk that held recording equipment. My job was to pull cables, announce what was on the label, and then pass it through to the owner of the desk, my friend, Larry, to plug into the new gear he had acquired. He software, Pro Tools, had outstripped the old gear and it was time to come into the 21st century. The two new pieces of gear replaced one outdated piece of gear, but it also allowed him to dump several other smaller pieces. So, we ended up with fewer wires to run and a cleaner desk. He fed me supper.

After we ran the cables, I helped him install the software that supported the new gear. That was fun, too. I like knowing how things work and seeing how software engineers come up with solutions to problems. Being a writer of manuals, however, I saw lots of soft spots, particularly because they always assume a certain level of knowledge that often isn’t there. Still, I have learned that if you wonder if a piece of software can do something. chances are a software engineer has had the same thought. It’s up to you to find out where he put the solution and how he described the problem.

Anyway, it was a good day and today promises to be another. My grandson will be here this evening. I have a weekend of festivities planned for him. There will certainly be pool time and visits with friends who have children of the same age. I suspect we will have fun, mostly because I think he will simply enjoy hanging out with me. I know I enjoyed hanging out with my dad and grandpa at that age watching them work, just being a guy with the guys. I didn’t need to be entertained. I was happy to be with men I loved, although at the time I doubt I knew the meaning of love. It was my dad and grandpa. I was attached. I didn’t really know why, nor did I care.

John W. Wilson is the author of The Long Goodbye: A Caregiver's Tale