Out Like a Lamb

CAPTION: "So what do you think we ought to feed the Reinertsons?"

 

We had dinner with Jeff and Janey at their house last night. Big Deal. We try to have dinner with Jeff and Janey at least once a year. You know typically it's women at this age that keep social relationships alive? And Peggy and Janey do have some tennis ties. But in this case its Jeff and I who are the driving force.  We've been friends since the mid 70's when we worked as journalists in the same market. On many levels our friendship just doesn't make sense.

I was reared a city boy, Jeff a country kid. My dad was a Los Angeles County fireman, Jeff's was the Morgan Country Sheriff. His life career choice drifted towards public relations, mine stayed with news.

(It's a little known truth that news people and pr people sneak out and have drinks after work in anonymous sleazy bars. You also find liberals and conservatitives consorting with each other in these same establishments. And believe it or not? Print and electronic journalists are often caught tipping a few together in back booths of these dens of iniquity.)

Anyway, Jeff and I have somehow been able to deftly hop around issues that should have, by all rights, divided us. What has kept the friendship going I think? It's true we've helped each other through some critical life changing events. But more important than that, I think, has been a mutual insatiable irreverance for just about everything on the planet.

Let me give you a for instance. I was once the Public Affairs Director for a radio station. In essence that means, in addition to news responsibililties, it was my job to get 7 hours of public affairs programming on the air a week. Let me tell you, that is no mean feat. It doesn't take very long at that rate to run out of non-profit organizations (FCC Regs at the time) with an intelligible spokesperson. So, and I'm not kidding here, I was not beyond chatting for a half hour on the air with the head of the American Cheese Association.

Now you always like to have something in the can (recorded) for those times when someone cancels, or there is a technical problem with a tape. Well that happened one week when Jeff was dropping by the station for lunch. I think he was working for the health department at the time.  Anyway, I blurt out my frustration to him saying I need a half hour with somebody right now. So we share a glance and a common spark is lit.

"What's an interesting health issue going on right now?"

"Narcolepsy."

"Think you could fake it?"

"Heck, yeah."

So Jeff became a sufferer of Narcolepsy,  and the Morgan County President of the Narcolepsy Society. In addition to nodding off a couple of times during our interview, we were able to incorporate his role as head of the selection committee for the Miss Colorado Beauty Pageant, which was in fact at the time, being held in  his county.  Jeff tells this wonderful story of the pain and embarrassment he suffers falling asleep during the Swim Suit competition. 

I can tell this story now for two reasons. First, the ownership of that station changed five times since that interview.And I now think the call letters have gone to the great alphabet in the sky.

But more importantly? Something came up and we never had (got) to run it.

This is one of those long routes to getting to any point. But two days before dinner, Jeffs calls and says , "I hope you guys like Lamb."

To be fair at this moment I'm thinking he is going to suggest some mideast eatery where you sit on a pillow and eat with your fingers.

"No we don't like lamb. Not the way most people cook it."

(To be fair to myself I had no idea at this juncture he was going to be the cook.)

Now I'm just guessing here, and this is not a judgement call, just an observation. If Peggy and Janey had been on the phone the conversation would have been loaded with careful probing and tap dance responses with no one wanting to hurt anyone's feelings. Jeff?

"Well I guess we'll have STEAK then."

Well as it turned out we had steak and lamb, and for the second time in my life, I liked the lamb. Yeah, Peggy and I both had some of both. That's it.

You know there may not BE a point to this story? I've been semi-retired for five years now. Jeff has joined me in that status this year. So I had hoped my brain would somehow tie this story into going "into retirement like a lamb, not a lion." 

Nope! It just is not going to happen.  Oh, well.