Sunday, 20 April, 2003
Visiting with family / Juggling
Debra registered for the convention today, but nothing really happens until Wednesday when she attends an all-day judging school. Thursday starts the conference sessions and plant entry for the show. Today we visited some of Debra's family—an uncle that she hasn't seen since she was 4 or 5 years old.
Visiting with family can be exhausting, especially when it's your spouse's family and you have absolutely no knowledge of the people they're talking about. Fortunately, I got along well with her cousin and we sat around drinking beer and talking. A couple of Debra's nephews were there, too, and I took the opportunity to introduce them to juggling—a skill I picked up 20 years ago when I was working the night computer operator shift at a bank. Too many people walk away from juggling after only five minutes of attempting it. That's unfortunate, because most people can pick up the basics after just an hour or two of concerted effort. It's a great way to spend idle time, and it's a good conversation starter as well. I hope the kids will continue practicing.