Day 302– February 3, 2015

Sunday afternoon, I drive bleary but happy the ninety minutes from San Francisco to Sacramento. I’ll stay a couple days with Ruben before he hosts more guests and brings in a new roommate.

For years, Ruben has taught American history at Sacramento State and Sacramento City College. I always wanted to watch him teach, so I’m quite enthused when Ruben invites me to his class on Monday morning.

Ruben explains the Gilded Age for fifty minutes to a class of forty college students. I learn about Thomas Edison’s light bulb as the killer app for electricity, the introduction of poverty in America during the 1880s, and the rise of the Robber Barons. Ruben lectures so enthusiastically and knowledgably that I wish I could take his class.

I know so little about my friends. We eat, drink, and run around together, but how do we spend our working hours? I’m so happy to see Ruben strong, competent, and in his element. I’d love to watch my other friends at work.