"Define Normal"

"Define Normal" is written on a popular Skydiving t-shirt.
According to Ellen Goodman, "Normal is getting dressed in clothes you buy
for work and driving through traffic in a car you are still paying for, in
order to get to the job you need to pay for the clothes, the car, and the
house you leave vacant all day so you can afford to live in it."

So, I guess I'm back to normal.

Epilogue
It's Tuesday, and I just spent my first day at work in just over 4 weeks.
One of the kids who used to work for me coined the phrase "Yippee it's
Tuesday!" It makes reference to the fact that every Tuesday we get our
shipment from Home Hardware. First we unload it all, then we sort, price,
and put it all away. My job is sorting and pricing. Every Tuesday for the
last 20 years I've stood in the same spot in front of a large table, slicing
open box after box after box, sorting and tagging whatever I find within.
The only time I move more than a couple of feet from my spot it's to fetch
another box. My version of "Normal".

The party is over, the travelling is done, it's time for reality to intrude
once again into the continuous party known as "Crazy Larry's Excellent
Adventure". I've accomplished much in the last few weeks. I travelled from
Ottawa Ontario to Ottawa Illinois, to Burnaby, to Montreal, to Newfoundland,
and back to Montreal again. I started with a fast ride through The Park,
then Dan's Stag, Nathalie's deck is finally painted, I've been to Summerfest
(all too briefly but I was there) helped set a new Canadian POPS Record, was
part of a Team that earned that long-sought Nationals medal in 4-way that
for so many years seemed out of reach, Camped with Doug Forth and 34 of my
friends, made it to The Rock for Dan and Cheryl's wedding, and Nathalie and
I finished it off with a 2 day tour on 2 wheels.

I did some smuggling, some snuggling, some partying, some packing, danced
like nobody was watching (okay, I danced and hoped nobody was watching),
drove fast and took chances, flew, frapped, flopped, and even flopped around
a few times, although the new medication seems to have that under control.
Got scraped, scratched, bruised and beaten, and more than a few people tried
to kill me, but that was mostly unintentional.

To all those who have joined me for parts of this summers adventure,
thank-you. To those who have lived vicariously through these emails, you're
welcome. Having somebody else along for the ride just increases the fun.
(According to Garth people look forward to receiving these updates out of a
sense of morbid curiosity.)

To all the people who have supported Nathalie and Debbie in their pursuit of
Jump For The Cause by buying a calendar or making a donation, thank you.
When I walked into Mile High last Wednesday with an arm load of calendars,
not a single person said no, and I sold every one I brought. Nathalie was
blown away by the generosity of people who are in many cases strangers. If
there is anybody I missed who would like one, I'll have some at work, just
drop by and I'll fix you up.

People keep telling me I should be a writer, and it is something I've always
wanted to do. Here's the way I see it. I wrote this, you read it. As far as
I'm concerned, I am a writer. Thanks for reading.

There's another popular skydiving t-shirt that asks the question "Why Be
Normal?"
Good question.
Crazy Larry