Moving On With the Master

I am more than sure I’m going to like this move into Worcester. I played hooky from work yesterday morning so I could be there when the all-important cable dude showed up to reconnect us to the world. Some things just cannot be delegated. He showed up right on time, just after I reassembled the jigsaw puzzle known as our master bedroom bed with the “expert” running advice from my favorite Panamanian.

Buddy Wending his Way Through the Basement Jungle

He had us up and running in short order although the massive TV and its accompanying sound system seemed to throw him for a loop. I told him not to worry – it has daunted numerous victims. He played with it for a half hour until I repeated the instructions my favorite son had passed on when he did the initial set up on Sunday. The technician initially disregarded this advice but that’s ultimately what worked. My techno guru progeny shines again and I had the walls shaking in short order. It was like reconnecting to the world as first the phone and then the internet returned.

The best part of the day though was after he left and I drove into work in a little under six minutes! I even came home for lunch. As stated above, I’m going to like this Worcester experiment. After work I did journey back to Charlton to continue work in the old house. It was strange. I’ve made that drive literally thousands of times but yesterday it felt different, like I was a visitor instead of returning to a place I lived. I guess on some level, be it intellectual or emotional, I’ve disengaged from the old place.

All the Pictures are Down

That disengagement received a rocket boost when I returned home to find my wife in the backyard with our next door neighbors. We sat in the backyard and shot the breeze while Buddy the Wonder Pooch roamed as far as his tether would reach. He seems to be adjusting to the new restrictions on his freedom well. The highlight was a rabbit discovering there was a new sheriff in town when he casually hopped into Buddy’s range. A spirited chase ensued to the length of the chain. The rabbit ended up intact, if excited, in the neighbor’s yard where he settled down for a staring contest with a very frustrated Buddy. Sitting in the back yard with such good friends was a great way to end the day. Definitely liking the Worcester life.

In the tumult of the past week I failed to report finishing off the latest book by the Master (I’m not worthy!) Stephen King’s Finders Keepers. This is actually a sequel to his last book Mr. Mercedes and features many of the same characters. It’s a straight forward crime story with the usual bevy of well-defined heroes and pathetically evil villains. Even with everything going on I found time to wade mercilessly though King’s usual high standard of writing. He expertly and seamlessly weaves two story lines forty years apart until they intersect for a thrilling conclusion.

A noted reclusive writer, think Salinger, is murdered by a low life fan in the 1970s who also steals his unpublished works hoping to find out what happened to a beloved character created by the writer. He ends up in prison after burying money and the writings but before he can read the work. He spends the ensuing thirty years consumed with the need to find out. Meanwhile a young boy finds the buried treasure and uses the money to help out his family until the needed confrontation when the murderer is released on parole. The heroes of Mr. Mercedes then take the stage to assist in corralling the evil. The best news after sprinting through Finders Keepers and falling in love with yet another flock of characters from the Master – this is the second book in a trilogy he plans to publish! Color me psyched!