Different Kind of Progress

S

ince I was halfway through the first set of finals, I figured I was ahead of the game, so yesterday--Friday the 13th--I went to school to pick up the exams of two students who asked that they take the Lit Exam later--If a student has 3 exams in a 24 hour window, he has the right to ask for an alternate time and the professor is strongly urged to oblige. Being the understanding sort, they often turn to me as the professor of choice.

So I went to school to pick up their exams. I figured since I left for the city it would be a good opportunity to take the family out, so we met at a place called Rock Bottom Brewery in Ballston. It a nice little place that brews its own beer on the premise. To the uninitiated, the bar seems to have that sweet smell of stale beer, but it's actually yeast for the brewing. As you walk toward the dining section, the aroma of fried calimari or roasted tomato and basil pizza or blackened salmon or any number of delectable dishes wafts from the open kitchen.

Wow, has it really been a year since we've been here last? I thought as M, her two sons and I sat at a table in the bar and ordered a round of Pale Ale brewed that very day. We decided to graze and I ordered salmon fish and chips, ahi carpaccio, fried calimari, sirloin chili and beans, salad and such. We had a great time. Maybe too great.

It was an opportunity for me to bond with the younger son with whom I have had a number of issues over the past year, so it was good to talk about a lot of things on his mind and mine in a casual, non-threatening environment. Well, one ale led to another and by the time I decided to check my watch, I realized that we had been sitting there for six freakin' hours! Don't even ask me how many beers we had or how much it cost. My headache is the only thing I can focus on at the moment.

Still, it was worth it.

Bonding is a good thing, and I'm glad we went out. But today is today, and someone's gotta pay the credit card balance, so its time to get back to work. Unfortunately, the print on the rest of the exams I planned to grade today seem a bit blurry...