The big news is that love has once again entered Randy’s life. Her name is Bethany Sage. We met at the monthly Tivoli Tuesday Talkies film discussion group last fall. I noticed her insightful commentary on the cinema, character development and film craft. She was smitten by my knowledge of John Sayles’ work and keen fashion sense (as hard as it is to believe, I’m not kidding). After a couple of the group’s meetings, I gave her my email address and a few days later she invited me to the Symphony’s Christmas concert. The only time we haven’t seen each other for more than a day since than, has been when I’ve been out of town. There has been an easy comfort between us from the start.

So who is this woman? Well besides making me think, laugh, and the third thing, she’s kind, caring, sensitive and thoughtful of others. Sort of the anti-me on those accounts. An INFP to my ESTJ for you Meyers-Briggs-ers out there; Ying meets Yang.

She’s the eldest of 5, grew up in University City and went to Villa Duchesne HS. So yes she is Catholic (Do I get extra points for corrupting them or is it that they get extra points for corrupting me. It’s not clear). Despite my best efforts the religion thing hasn’t been an issue, possibly because politically we’re in sync. I’ve got 7 years on her age wise but she generally seems more mature than I do in most social settings (Anyone surprised?). She got degrees in French and Psychology at Washington and Jefferson College, an hour south of Pittsburgh. Being overwhelmed by the sheer numbers of crazy people in France that needed help, she switched careers. For over the last year she has dedicated herself to the indemnity protection needs of the institutions that give stability to our proud nation and standard of living (i.e. insurance broker for AON Risk Services). Well, how many of us are doing what we first set out to do anyway?

Like me, she’s already several years past her starter marriage, the end of which was free from much ugliness and strife (probably because like me, she got the dog, Maddie). To hear her speak of her ex, he doesn’t seem that bad but I wonder. Especially given that her family appears to think I’m OK, despite my indifference to Notre Dame, football, golf and lets not even go into cats or musicals.

CATS AND DOGS LIVING TOGETHER

Since things were going along so well, we decided to risk the scorn of Fallwell and company and merge our homes together back in September.[1] So far it’s been pretty Shagadelic, now that there’s more than one who’s randy at 602 Tuxedo. Yeah Baby!

we've adjusted to having two of everything and are moving forward on some redecorating. Most of the changes around the place are kind of refreshing after 8 years having it all to myself, though I was sorry to see the Spencer repeating rifle leave its place above the mantle. As we merged stuff. I was amazed at how much one gathers and has no need of. We got rid of lots of things and are in a rather non-materialistic mood but I’m sure we’ll snap out it and become good Capitalist again.

The critters are getting along fine. Bert and Maddie go out on leashes together and Brazil doesn’t run in terror every time the dog barks (…anymore). We haven’t got any Hallmark images of them all asleep together but winter is coming and this is a drafty house, so I’m betting it’s only a matter of time. Besides its nice to have a dog around again so I don’t have to pick up spilt food.

Have Laptop, Will Travel

Work is pretty similar to last year as I concentrated on only one project, Dugway Proving Ground, UT. I’ve got at least another half a year of research and analysis to do on the chem./bio. weapon playground. Fortunately I was assigned ten dozen bombing and gunnery targets in northern California for a little variety.

Despite a limited site list, I still got to travel a fair amount sleeping in 15 states and traveling through another 3. Work sent me back to San Francisco and Washington DC several times, where I got to linger and visit friends in the area. Research also sent me to Denver where I got to go skiing in Keystone with a few Rolla pals. One of 5 trips to Salt Lake happened to coincide with the Sundance Film Festival where I saw 6 features and 41 shorts over 5 days with my an old college roommate and 20+ others. On another SLC trip, I followed the Pony Express Route for a ways to Great Basin National Park, NV where hiking amongst a grove of 3,500-year bristle cone pines convinced me my place in time seemed was small. The next day I slept on the continental divide with my feet in Montana and my head in Idaho at Lemhi Pass, where Lewis and Clark crossed the Rockies on 12 August 1804. For one happy moment, it belonged to me alone. JOY.

Bethany and I’ve traveled together several times too, first joining the Sage clan for trips to Indianapolis for the christening of Bethany’s godchild and South Bend for her sister’s graduation. The real vacation test came with our camping trip along the Grand Circle of Cedar Breaks, Zion, the Grand Canyon's North Rim, Monument Valley, Natural Bridges, Glen Canyon and Capitol Reef. Having passed that one we decided to push the envelope with a 2,500 mile 10 day trip of the Mid Atlantic states. We visited UNC-Chapel Hill with the Sunday Dinner group, the Military Ocean Terminal Sunnypoint, NC to visit some transplanted co-workers at their beach condo, Frank Lloyd Wright’s Fallingwater and Pittsburgh, Dayton and Indianapolis to visit Bethany’s family in those locations. It was a success and we were talking to each the whole time. In between there was the neighborhood camping and float trip at Meramac Springs, where we had a slight mishap but Bethany kicked her opiate addiction after 3 harrowing hours. Overnights to Innsbruck were also nice and renewed my faith of what 4th of July fireworks should be as opposed to how they do it at the Arch. We just got back from a weekend in San Francisco, courtesy of an airline Golden Ticket that was set to expire from her pop.

The Home Front

In April, the neighbors got together to replace damaged slabs of sidewalks as per the city’s request” (a third of my slabs were tagged). It was a lot of work but kind of fun in a community building project way. I poured new steps to the front porch, er sunroom, at the same time. Later Bethany helped me build a stucco handrail wall next to the steps, which was probably a bigger test of our compatibility than the vacation one. It worked well but we’ve avoiding testing it too much by taking on lots of other big joint projects. The stained glass window and tile floor got blown off but are on the top of the docket except from some repainting.

Grab Bag

I’m still going to scads of movies but haven’t kept up with writing criticisms any more.

My mother retired after over 30 years of teaching and she’ll hopefully join me on one of my trips to DC now that she has lots of travel time.

The Devil Dogs made playoffs legitimately, which seems odd after years of mediocrity. We tanked in the first round, which is comforting in a Blues hockey kind of way.

As you can tell by the opening photo, I had too much fun at the Soulard Mardi Gras to hold another party on that date. The next Photo Scavenger Hunt will be probably be 10 March so as not to conflict with St. Pats and the Dogtown parade the following weekend. We have a way psyched green dining room for the occasion.

Well that's it for what may be my last solo year-end letter,

Randy