Dinner with the Matt and Tracy (and Malachi)

September 11, 2002

So this is how much of a jackhole I am. It’s been close to (if not more than) 5 months since Chelsea and I went our separate ways. In that time, I hadn’t talked to or seen Matt, or Tracy, or Malachi. Tonight, I hung out with them for the first time in almost half a year.

Jesus. How jerky am I?

I showed up, and we all fell to talking like no time had passed. Definitely a good night. :) Tracy had made some killer lasagna, along with some garlic bread. Malachi is now walking! Last time I saw him, he was still rolling around in his crib. He’s chatting away, making facial gestures and swinging his arms all around.

I guess I need to say that, with the exception of The_Spectre, Matt and Tracy know the Simpsons like the back of their hand. I forget about it, at times. But I can throw out the most obscure reference, and they both laugh and friggin’ GET IT. It’s sorta scary when we all get together – it’s like a whole different language.

We caught up on a lot of recent events, talked about Malachi and smoking and being parents and Chicago and art and the whole creative process. It was incredibly good to see both of them again, and I can’t believe I hid myself away for as long as I did. More than that, I can’t believe how easily and quickly Matt and Tracy welcomed me back without a moment’s hesitation.

We spent the rest of the night hanging in the living room with Malachi, and watching him "show off." He was incredibly vocal, and just a small bundle of energy moving quickly from toy to toy. He also seemed to be really comfortable with me, which made me feel fantastic. Something about getting approval from a young child makes me feel good – that this tiny, innocent being has decided that I am someone worth of his attention and time… that’s just plain flattering as hell.

And apparently, Malachi really, really likes the weather. He’s able to turn on the television by himself, and he’s fascinated by meteorologists and weather reports. When the map of the US came on, he started moving his hands around, his arms swinging up and down. We thought that perhaps it was because meteorologists tend to exaggerate their arm movements, since they’re half-looking at a monitor and trying to demonstrate things that way. Malachi had us in stitches the whole time.