Anticipation

I am in a state of anxious anticipation.

Thinking about the word anticipation reminds me of the song which reminds me of the ketchup commercial which reminds me of another ketchup commercial and another song.

Twenty some years ago, I walked into my favorite watering hole called Malarky's in Bethesda, MD. It was packed, Thursday, and that bewitching hour between after work and evening when things get interesting. I was meeting a couple friends. One was a nice guy but bad tipper from Johnstown. He did not tip the bartender when he got his first beer. Mistake! And when he wanted another one - no surprise - he could not get his attention.

This was the height of the yuppie revolution where happy hour was king. It was tough to get close to the bar but I had been taught by master yuppie martini hounds and always tipped handsomely. That gave me the luxury of simply glancing from the middle of the crowd at the bartender and having my scotch on the rocks appear in 5 seconds flat. My friend from PA whimpered with pleading eyes when he wanted another bottle of brew.

I would get into the bar zone, working the environment with smooth precision. This particular night, I was scanning and day dreaming. The sounds of people lying to each other came to a thundering roar. The music in the background was barely audible but caught my attention. "Boo bee boo." I heard the boo bee boo of a familiar tune. "Where do I know this song from?" I could not get my mind off the boo bee boo and listened hard. Then it just popped out - "That's the ketchup commercial!" I am dating myself, but do you remember when Jon Astley's song, "Jane's Getting Curious," was used in a Heinz Ketchup commercial?

Ketchup has nothing to do with tonight's anticipation. Tomorrow begins my prep and build up for the coming three day weekend - my writer's retreat. I am getting together with three talented and interesting people this weekend. We relative strangers are sharing a house on Whidbey Island.

To think...
Create...
And write a book (or begin one)...

I don't know what the topic of the book will be and I have no idea what is going to occur.

This feels luxurious! Taking three days just to think and create together. I have not been this excited in a long time. My expectation for who I will be is high - I am going to be animated Lisa. Insanely engaged Lisa. Generous Lisa.

Blogging will be light for a while as I turn the focus on high beam. I am prepping for a mental marathon. The anticipation is palpable. I am like a seven year old on the night before exploring Disney for the first time. The rides! The sounds! The stories! The magic! E-ticket all the way!