crappy...

mood. i really don't feel like working today so maybe if i blog it'll improve my attitude...it can't hurt.

i see that i promised to blog about mike. hmmm. mike is a pima indian who has worked with me in field before. he's not classically trained but he has a good eye for detail and is always willing to help. he's about 6' tall, 200 lbs., has long, jet black hair (although some of it is graying), and likes his beer.

we have an inside joke regarding someone's keys. many years ago, we worked at a site that was not far from his friend's house. well, we were lucky enough for the guy to let us stay at his home while we were in field. it was downright palatial. a two-story mountain home with a wraparound porch, a great view of boulder, a sauna, and a 5-foot deep hot tub. man, it was heaven.

for the six weeks of the survey, i was keeper of the keys. just two dirty brass keys on a plastic green key chain. it was a welcome convenience because we wouldn't get up to his house until after he had left for work.

after a long hot (or rainy) day in field, we'd come home and kick back w/ some beer and work on some notes or just watch the day turn into night. that is, if we hadn't stopped in town for some pizza and beer ;) it was during this survey that i had gotten to know mike better. we had already known each other for about six or seven years, but only in a social (i.e., beer swilling) setting. sometimes after the other guys were asleep, we'd hang out in the living room, listening to music and just talking. he kinda reminded me of my older brother, sandy.

well, after the survey ended, i still had the keys in my possession. i think we were all supposed to go to dinner up in boulder but i had other work commitments...so i remained the holder of the keys. and since the guy lived up in the mountains, we never saw each other to coordinate the key return (yeah...that's a cop out but he seemed okay with it ;). i guess we both knew that if i wanted a soak in that killer hot tub w/ the awesome view, at least i didn't have to break in...

anyway, it was mike who was the "go-between" to return the keys. after all, it was his friend who owned the house and they hung out regularly. so the few times a year i'd see mike, he'd ask me if i had brought the keys. at first, it was a sincere, "damn, i forgot 'em." after a few times though, it became a running joke between us and ended up being, "keys?!? what keys?"

unfortunately, the running joke about the keys has run its course. last week, i got a very unexpected email from one of our mutual friends, saying that mike had died and that his memorial was in three days. i was more than stunned. although i had seen mike in the spring, i had no idea that he was sick. i was expecting to see him for some wings and beer in the fall...

this video is for mike. i hope every day is like saturday in the park for him. i heard that he suffered the last couple months and i just hope his last six words weren't, "Spencer, where are those DAMN keys?!?"

btw, we have a connection to this video. although it was made in the early 70's, mike and i ended up mapping the structure and property where the video is taking place...but 25 years later :)