NaBloPoMo: Empty

We dropped Zack off at the airport last night, and this morning the house feels strangely empty. It's always that way after a guest leaves, but somehow it's more palpable this time. Maybe that's because, from Friday through Monday, our house was filled with nonstop chatter and laughter from these two guys. They had the best time, and I don't think I'm overstating it by saying it was John's Best Birthday Weekend EVER. Both Friday night and Saturday night, John and Zack sat hunched over our coffee table, putting together... putting together... well, to be frank, I'm not sure what it was. All I know is that at one point, a faint electrical fire smell filled the room, prompting John to say, "well, that didn't work!" And both nights I slipped off to bed, completely unnoticed and unmissed, which is exactly what I'd hoped would happen, Scout's Honor. At one point on Friday night I looked over at them while they were working furiously on The Gadget, and I couldn't stop smiling. I would have taken a photo of the two of them, but I thought that would interrupt their brainwavery, so I opted not to. Sunday, The Gadget having been finished, we took Zack to Blue Highway Pizza, otherwise known as The Best Pizza In Gainesville (Well, Except That It's Not In Gainesville). That evening we hung out and talked, and I was none too surprised when the evening slowly devolved into hysterical giggling about the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences (whose acronym is PNAS... I'll let that stew for a minute). Monday was mostly focused on getting Zack to the airport, and everyone was understandably subdued. We'd had an awesome weekend, but we all wanted it to last longer. (Right, Zack? ...Zack?) Once we got to the airport, I couldn't help remarking out loud that it felt like Zack had just gotten here, and everyone agreed. John and I had a quiet drive home, talking every now and again about how nice it was to see Zack. When John remarked that he'd forgotten to tell Zack something, that he just didn't have enough time, I knew exactly what he meant.