Today my wife leaves for Aruba with a group of women we call "The Posse." (Think of The Red Hat ladies.) I must admit that I am a bit unsettled.

She just retired, and she has a bit of carefree down-time coming. We need to take seperate vacations. She runs towards people, I cannot stand people and I go the other direction. My body simply rebels. One of the first times we went to SD we went in a truck. I was having fun, we stayed in a great hotel, terrific food--and I was sicker than a dog. My stomach tied itself in knots and I set the world record for diarrhea in Rapid City, Biker Division.

Yes, it's a hassle to run the house alone while she's gone, but I adapt--somehow not this year. I feel childishly resentful, and for no reason. I contacted all my top-flight clients and I broke sales records, her trip is fully funded. The bikes are running great. The dogs have eaten every mugger and postman down to the bone, no thrill killing which is also a world record. I even got my Havoc boots back from a rebuild at the cobbler and they look brand new. Even the work-outs are stellar.

There is nothing, nothing, nothing going wrong--except in my brain. Yet I have anxiety that keeps me up and jaggles my nerves. I know for a fact that some 'banger or poser is going to get his faced chewed off during the next nine days.

I have polished both my (re)newed boots and Spinner, the wife gave me ample gift cards for the gas station and for latte' drinks at Barnes and Noble, the refrigerator is full, I'm going to carry my favorite Zero Tolerance knife, I'm heading over to the shop later this afternoon after the loonies and the posers leave, and I had an exceptional bowel movement while reading a new article on Sportsters.

I do not wish to accompany my wife to Aruba, that's not it. This makes the +two dozen times she's traveled with the girls, that's not it. Just got a clean bill of health from the doctor, and I actually enjoy having my teeth cleaned, that's not it. I even found out the new progressive shocks for Spinner are only half the cost of Betty's, that's not it.

What gives?

It's called Separate Vacation Anxiety.
OR
You miss your ol' lady Bro.

LOL. She just left at 2:00PM CST. In fact, I just wiped down Spinner from an afternoon ride and the motor was still warm. She ain't been gone that long.

This has to be "Anxiety of Potential Anxiety."

But I had a good lift, great chicken chef salad, short but enjoyable loop, free latte' at the shop before the Thunder Runners all got back, and when the mutts gobbled down a nameless transient they did it over a sewer grate just like I taught them. Very relaxing afternoon, and I'm better.

I'm hoping the morning yips were from a fitful sleep and strong latte' this morning over the newspaper.

Yeah, I miss my ol' lady. I wish she was here droning on about the stuff she usually bores me with, whatever that is, who listens...

What a difference a day (and a good night's sleep) make!

Oh, the mutts were up last night a bit, restless. They missed their mom, and I had to toss them "processed meat" for a calming midnight snack, and you know how much they prefer a 'fresh kill.' But we all got back to sleep for an additional four solid hours.

Now, the forecast shows that the entire state of Wisconsin is due for thunderstorms, and that's not necessarily a bad thing. I've been burning the candle at both ends and I need to slow down a bit. I probably need a long, slow lift and lots of cardio, and I do have that B&N card my wife gave me for latte' and bike magazines.

My wife will be gone for nine days, and I feel the length of that stay is a good thing--for her. We find that the hustle of traveling makes getting there and then returning quite chaotic. This makes the first and last days of the vacation tense. We refer to these travel days as "the bookends" and I think she needs to lay in the sun and enjoy her friends.

And I need to get Betty out and stretch her legs a bit. Besides, my kidneys need a good rest on those progressive shocks! A few calm days will do us both good now.

Thats the main reason a vacation has to be a minimum of 5 days, the day on each end is really work, then at least 3 days in between to really relax. I prefer a week but 3 days helps quite a bit.

She'll be back before you know it, usually just about when you get the hang of having some fun.

Oh, I was a real party animal today. I slept later, all of 30 extra minutes. I had my usual two cups of latte' fix and went to the gym. Knocked myself silly on both cardio and shoulders. Had more latte' at B&N. The weather here is hot, muggy and thunderstorms.

No bikes today. Even the mutts are napping, and when they don't stalk it's hot!

I remember those days from when I lived in upstate NY, can't say i miss 'em...
Out here in the desert southwest, it just gets hot like oven hot. Like the heat off that sporty just plan hot.
But since there is little to no moisture/humidity in the air its easy to keep cool if you keep hydrated. I drink close to a gallon a day. If it's really hot, I'll put the sprinkler on and sit in the lawn chair with the dog and chill out. Not many thunderstorms here though.

I've been drinking today, myself. But for me it's the humidity. I feel like I'm out of breath outside, and the air here just stinks today.

I remember the humidity being so bad that you needed a shower right after your shower.

It's early morning now, and I just got the weather forecast on my cell from the TV station. We're to get thunderstorms. Not much of a surprise, the ground was wet when I went out to get the newspaper. Must have been very light, because neither the mutts nor I woke up. However the sky sure looks dark and threatening now. It's going to be a bad day for more heat and humidity.

I'm still a bit groggy from getting up. The latte' hasn't hit, the sharpening was done last night with a "Harry Potter" movie playing in the background. Nothing else was on, my hands were coated with swarf and I'm not that interested in the world of myth and legend, that is, unless a poser is buying me drinks at a saloon.

Anyhoo, looks like a boring day. Only two errands, both outside in the heat. In a truck...