After a fabulous Halloween, it’s time to settle down. I am back at my desk and as always, there’s a load of work to be done. With the Halloween spirit playing havoc all around, hardly anything got done. My desk is still filled with Halloween decorations and left-over candies. They’re the best! So I’m staying back late for a couple of days to make sure things go through before the Thanksgiving holidays. Enough about me, let’s talk of someone and something more important than my spooky desk.

Remember the dream Fred had? It may have slipped some of our minds, but it has not lost any importance or effect on Fred’s mind. He’s serious about the resolve he has taken to initiate some change wherever possible. So he has come with a plan that is not only noble, but will also make real impact. The sheer simplicity of the plan is amazing. He made some new friends while he was campaigning for Obama and a lot of people were impressed by how much he knew and his enthusiasm for positive change. He was offered to join a lobby group in Washington D.C. for Veterans. He was really happy that Obama won and it gave him a renewed enthusiasm. He’s willing to fight for real change. When I quizzed him why he did so, he told me that this was the best time to do something for these war veterans, especially with the recession cutting into their social security checks in a big way. “We have to rebuild America and take care of the soldiers who are coming back from the war zones,” said Fred.

I wanted to know more. So Fred told me how he planned to mobilize his friends who are veterans to talk to their representatives and senators. He’s getting them to do some fund raising for the veterans of all wars, especially the ones that are going on now. He wants to collect as much money as he can to help veterans. I think it’s a brilliant idea and timely as well. “With the economy going the way it is,” Fred said, “it’s not easy to get veterans back into society and get a job. They have every reason to get worried.” Since he’s going to be with a lobby group, he can make real change, campaigning for bills and statutes that is going to effect the veterans directly. Fred has taken up a brilliant cause and with his grit and determination, he’ll surely make headway. I am really inspired by the energy level of this amazing man, not to mention the wonderful work he continues to do for the country. I am so proud to have him as a friend and am really encouraged by him. Enthusiasm is really infectious folks.

Cathy has filled up Adrian’s life in more ways than one. She’s back from her never-ending series of conferences, conventions, seminars, etc. Anyway, the long and the short of it is, she’s back with more than just a bang. They are going out on dates every other night and would you believe it, after every date Adrian would come back home and thank Kong! He’s crazy! He’d say, “It’s all for you Kong, my buddy!” My best buddy Adrian talks to my dog more than he talks to me! I don’t know what Kong understands, but he wags his tail like an old man would shake his head on being told that he’s right. He loves the treats Adrian gets him though. He LOVES them Greenies for sure!

Adrian picked up some forget-me-not flowers on his way to meet Cathy. Cathy was delighted to have them, but when she asked Adrian if he knew why they were called forget-me-not, Adrian was stumped. Poor soul, he had no clue. I bet he never thought why a flower was called what it is called. Cathy didn’t mind though. She told him that medieval legend story that has a knight who picked up these flowers to gift his lady love. They were walking beside a river and when he tried to give it to her, his heavy armor tilted his balance and he fell into the river. As he got swept away, the knight shouted, “Forget me not! Forget me not my love!” until his armor took him into the depths of the river. That is how the flowers got its name.

Cathy implied that Adrian was her knight-in-shining-armor and that was much more than Adrian was expecting. He is delighted to have found love in his rather irregular life. Knight or not, heavy armor or not, he is happy he could make his lady love feel special.

Talk about lover boy knights, guess who’s taking love lessons?! Rick! I know we all see him as the Marlboro man or the ultimate macho guy but he’s been getting inspired by Jeffrey and Kate’s wedding plans. He has slowly developed this secret desire to settle down with Kaitlin soon. He was holding the cards closely to his chest, but they came out, face up, when he asked Jeffrey questions that was so not like Rick. He apparently asked Jeffrey what he should be doing to plan things so that he can settle down as soon as possible and how to be more romantic.

Jeffrey didn’t embarrass him or anything, he doesn’t know him well, so he thought the questions were normal. He casually mentioned them to Kate. Kate was like, “Rick asked you about settling down? He was talking about romance? Rick? Our Rick?!” In fifteen minutes, calls and text messages went out and everyone knew what Rick’s been up to. The beauty of technology I tell ya! When we all met at our weekly get together dinner, we were all smiling at him, but we didn’t tell him anything. EVERYONE was observing what he would do without really telling him or appearing not to notice things. I have to tell ya folks though, there has been a remarkable difference between the Rick that I knew before Kaitlin, and after Kaitlin. Of course she was glowing with satisfaction too. It’s good to see things working out between the two of them, crazy as the couple maybe.

At the end of it all, we were very proud that Rick had changed so much for the better. Kaitlin was heard praising him as well. That’s another rarity. Have we run out of our doze of Rick-Kaitlin fights? Only Time can tell.

‘Barbs of loneliness’. Yes, that was the phrase. In the recent past, this phrase has been going around my brain like a rat trapped in a box. But the fact is that I have forgotten who it was that put this phrase in my brain. Was it Megan? Unlikely, because it is some days since I talked to her. Mrs. Bradley? No, she was too busy with the transfer of her roses to Frank’s green-house. Was it Steve then? It could be. It may sound shocking to you, but I am not, especially with all the philosophical waxing that Steve is indulging in lately. Don’t you believe me? Sample this.

Irina called up Steve to check up what he did during Halloween. Steve, I knew, stayed away and so did Irina. Steve is supposed to have cheered up Irina by sharing her loneliness and empathizing with her. Yes, he’s the one who used that phrase to define for Irina what the both of them are feeling this festive season. Irina was very touched with Steve’s kind words and is now all praise for his depth of mind and understanding of the human psyche.

I was aghast. Steve and human psyche? What’s happening to my friends?! Steve is doing the philosophical wanderings and Rick is learning to waltz! Anyway, the good part is that Irina did take it to heart from whatever this techie-turned-teacher had to offer and is visibly cheerful afterwards. I guess the ‘barbs’, as Steve put it, are not so painful anymore. So far, so good. Knowing the crazy bunch my friends are, this sense of static and calm is very unnerving. This is not the cynic in me speaking, this is the one in me who has to take charge each time there’s a crisis. Or maybe it’s just the calm before the storm? I’m scared to think about it!

The Zen quote this week had to be one on empowerment, because that is what buzzword seems to be. Self-dependency is the only constant in these tumultuous times, so here’s one by Judy Garland to prop things up for you: “Always be a first-rate version of yourself, instead of a second-rate version of somebody else.” I can’t say that better. Be true to yourself and everything else will fall in place.