A (Re)tiring Day

So I may or may not ever be a contestant on a TV game show ever again, but in real life, I'm still counting my blessings and my recent good fortune.

I was a very proud wife at Jim's retirement party today--the accolades kept coming, along with the pizza with varying toppings.

He is so obviously still revered, treasured, respected, and so missed by all his friends and colleagues.

I never knew nerdy guys(and a few women) could be so sentimental but they were ..extolling his virtues and making Jim laugh. Without even using their laptops to do so. Every word was sincere and heartfelt.

Jim was really in some great company, working for an even greater company, for those forty eight years. The admiration and respect was palpable.

We then had a terrific dinner with our dear friends who are the opposite of the dreaded small talkers..I could have continued our stimulating and deep conversations long after dessert plates were cleared, but we had theater tickets for a local production of "Can't Run, Can't Dance."

The plot was a little convoluted in the first act, by the second, we were all mesmerized, laughing, gasping, and thoroughly enjoying ourselves, wondering if any injuries were real from all the staged violence and slapstick humor we witnessed.

But the real thrill for me came after curtain call, when I spoke to the playwright in the very uncrowded lobby.

I told him how much I enjoyed the play, but more importantly, how fan-girly(I didn't use that word) I was to be shaking hands with a major cast member of my favorite television show of all time.

I shared my experience of going to LA in the summer of 2024 with Jim and Evan, and how surreal it felt to be on the Warner Brothers lot, and taking the tram that delivered us to the fictional town of Stars Hollow, Connecticut, and the front door of none other than Lorelai Gilmore herself.

I got all goofy and dorky at this point, asking him if he still sees any original cast members("only when there's an event planned, like a reunion show or a fan festival") and then I blasted him for being so mean to Rory Gilmore, but I sounded so stupid when I said it, like I actually believed he was Mitchum Huntzberger instead of talented actor/writer Greg Henry.

He's not an a-hole..he just played one on TV.

But he did real scenes with Lauren Graham!

And Alexis Bledel!

Melissa McCarthy was his co-worker! (But I don't remember them being in any scenes together off-hand)

I talked to someone who was on GILMORE GIRLS!!

I think it's time to spin that wheel again, while my hands still work and my lucky streak is still intact.