Last week before travel to Texas

We have our airline tickets to Texas -- departing early next week on 11/20 but that could change if the baby comes early.  R is still in scorched earth organization mode -- working with her organizer sidekick to re-organize the house to create more space.  At first I was skeptical but now I'm a convert -- the two of them have transformed the garage and lower level pantry and they are working their way upstairs.  They should hit the upstairs in the next few weeks, including our closets which are a disaster.  The house re-org effort has created an abundance of items -- clothing, household items, etc. -- that we have donated to a local charity that is affiliated with the organizer.  I would definitely not characterize our mood as "relaxed" but we're also fairly methodical and organized.  R described us a "freaks" but that's not true every moment. :)

One thing that didn't necessarily contribute to getting ready for our trip but was a great diversion:  I got an e-mail yesterday from a friend from California who I literally have not seen since we were 10 years old.  We were childhood friends and then lost touch after he moved to LA to become a professional keyboard player.  To make a long story short, Loren is now playing keyboard for The Who's East Coast tour and he asked if I wanted to attend the show and meet him afterwards.  As busy as I am both at work and preparing for TX, it seemed like a really interesting opportunity so, with R's blessing, I said yes.  I was joined by Marc S, a good friend from DC who is an avid concert-goer.  We had an amazing time.  The seats that Loren left at Will Call were literally in the front row center of the Verizon Center, so we were 10 feet away from Pete Townsend and Roger Daltry.  The show was great and the best part was seeing Loren up there playing keyboards and smiling ear to ear.  It had been his lifelong dream to play in a huge band like the Who.  He was great and we were giving each other thumbs up during the show (that's how close were were to the band).  Afterwards, Loren met us and took us backstage where we got to hang out with some members of the band, including Roger Daltry.  It was great catching up with Loren and we promised to do a better job of staying in touch.  I took a few photos that I'll try to post later.  That's it for now.  Trying to finish the week strong in terms of work and packing.  Then we're off to TX early next week! As Tom Petty said: the waiting is the hardest part.