Milo the Rockstar

My fingers took a month off clicking away at computer keys, documenting the details of my life. No regrets. August was a month spent living life, leaving very little time for much else.

After a long, slow summer of grasping at things I’ve missed (i.e. friendships and relaxation) my life finally catapulted back into the craziness that I truly love.

Namely, travel.

The past three weeks took me to places I love (and some that I don’t :)) and gave me time with people I adore. My first stop was Indianapolis. Indianapolis is a hidden treasure in the heart of the midwest. If you think Indiana is all farmland and corn, you must check out this culturally metropolitan city. My favorite part of this trip was re-uniting with my Ohio buddy Brad.  Brad and I share so much in common: coffee, wine, taste in movies, Dostoyevsky and similar views on Christianity and spirituality. I love to just talk with him.  He makes me laugh and he makes me think.

Then I went to Tulsa. Dislike.

It cracks me up every time we fly from Dallas to Oklahoma.  The 20 minute flight seems silly, but I’ll take all the air miles I can get. Next time, though, I won’t order inflight coffee.  I burned my tongue pretty badly in the 45 seconds they give you to drink your beverage.

So Tulsa.  Not so great. Remember when Chandler Bing had to move to Tulsa and made fun of the honky-tonk culture?  He wasn’t far off.  But what did make this trip so great was, once again, all the friends I got to see after months of separation. And it’s amazing how much fun you can have at a redneck dive bar when you are with good people. Oh and the $1.50 Killians helped too. Cheers to Preston, Zach, Parker, Beets, and Josh. I miss you guys more than you know.

The best part of Tulsa? Leaving.  Not because I was literally getting the hell out of dodge, but because of where “leaving” was taking me.

Chicago.

This was my second visit to Chicago. My 12 hour layover in the city last year left a pretty bad taste in my mouth.  But when Brandon said, “Hey, I gotta go to Chicago for a conference. The hotel is paid for, you should come” I didn’t blink an eye.  And it worked out perfectly that he was arriving in Chicago the same day I was flying out of Tulsa.  A quick phone call and my flight was re-routed.

Until this year, Brandon and I had a pretty terrible track record of following through with all the wild trips we talked about taking. But 2010 has seen us more than make up for all the vagabond dreaming suppressed in our imagination. 2 continents, 3 countries, and 4 Alpha World Cities later, we’ve been on a pretty good roll.

Brandon is my definition of a “best friend.” Simply put, he is my favorite person in the world to be around. He’s a rock and he’s a brother. There are no pretenses.  I can be obnoxious, quirky, and stupid and never have to fear that he will turn his back on me.  Even when tested, he will prove that he is always there for his friends.  To know him is to understand this. He puts God and family first, and those of us lucky to come in third place know that it is a solid place to be in the life of Brandon Skaggs.

So I still haven’t made up my mind about Chicago.  But even if it was just a temporary spot on this earth for us to hang out, it’s already won bonus points in my book. Thanks Chicago, for big beans, baseball, and brief bouts of bro-time with my buddy Brandon.

September 5, 2010
Categories: Friendship, Life, Travel . . Author: Richard Muske . Comments: 2 Comments