I left Phoenix at 8:50 a.m. and arrived in Seattle by 11:20. I picked up my rental and drove to Gwen's in Kenmore. I had a sore throat and worried I was coming down with another cold. I'd already been sick last month and wasn't prepared for about bout of the flu. I had too many people to visit and too much to do.
I hung out at Gwen's until 5:30, then went to Kathryn and Tom's where the gang was having dinner, everyone except Kevin, Steve and Amanda. I arrived at 6:15 feeling very sluggish with a sore throat, but I managed to stay until 1:50 a.m. We had a great dinner and played games and poker. The dinner conversation was lively and memorable. Neal's daughter Kara wanted to know if we were as insightful about ourselves when we were her age, even though we weren't asked penetrating questions on our college applications like the ones students were expected to answer today. It was an interesting question which sparked a lot of discussion. The most poignant response came from Kathryn, who said the ways in which an adult figures out how to end certain cycles of behavior that cause pain is one of the great benefits of experience and a life fully lived, from which no 17-year-old can yet understand. Kathryn said she thought she knew so much about herself and the world at 17, but years later realized she knew nothing. At's part of the grand perspective of life that makes each stage so interesting. Kathryn and I seemed to be the only two who shared this perspective of figuring out issues later in life, which our teenage years seemed so underdeveloped they no longer seemed relevant. Karin wanted to know if anyone else felt the way we did. No one said so. I liked that moment best. It was a great evening. I just wish I felt better.
We played Celebrities and Wits & Wagers, then poker. I had no cards until I pushed with AJ, only to be slow-rolled by Neal's AA. I left at 1:50 and went to bed dead tired at 2:20. I didn't wake up until 10:30 the next day, sick as a dog.
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