Someone Actually Reads This Thing

From: Michael Sande
To: Mark Rutkowski
Subject: Re: My blog
Date: Tue, 18 Jul 2006 09:34:43 -0700 (PDT)

Your blog is very interesting and professional. I'm
impressed. And I didn't know you had taken up scuba
diving and were now hanging out with diving TV stars.
You're leading quite a fulfilling life. By the way,
that will all come to an end when the baby is born.

You know, I was wondering if you had a going-away
party at C&D. For some reason, no one told me
anything about it, and I suspected that you might be
the kind of person who would refuse to allow such an
event to occur. I'm sorry that I was wrong -- I would
have liked to be there.

How's the job transition going? And how is your wife
feeling?

Hey Mike,

In fact, I did have a going away party which I had absolutely nothing to do with arranging. I thought you were away that week so I didn't e-mail you. Sorry! It would have been nice to have you there. It was a drunken mess, as all of those affairs tend to be. The new job is surprisingly like it appeared on paper; 9-5 with an hour for lunch. I tried going to see my supervisor at 5:05 the other day and I was told by a bemused porter that he had already left. Evaluating coverage, liability and damages for construction defect claims in California is about as interesting as watching grass grow but I only have to do it for seven hours a day. My hope, and from what I've heard this is not an off the wall hope, is that I'll be able to transfer to the international division and my child will then be able to grow up speaking Chinese, Vietnamese or French. I think I have a couple of years parsing policy exclusions ahead of me though before that happens. You would be amazed at how low the stress level is compared to litigation. I now actually sleep on Sunday nights.

Becky is ok, although she is tired much of the time. Fortunately she not too crazy. Yet. In a spurt of panic precipitated by upcoming fatherhood I have been trying to get our financial situation in order but it is like herding cats.

I realize my dream of diving on the Andrea Doria will probably be superceded by diper changes and trips to Hershey Park (I will never, ever go to Disney World, that place seriously creeps me out), so I am cramming in as much diving this summer as possible. I'll be heading to Dutch Springs, an old quarry in PA that has been turned into an amusement park for divers; they sunk a few old helicopters and boats and its an amusing (not to mention refreshing) place to spend a hot summer day.

How is your wife? How far along is she? Since our kids are going to be around the same age we should all go to the park and do whatever 38 year old men do in the park with their kids. I'm posting your letter and my response on my blog because I only have the energy to come up with one witty bit of prose per day and this was it.