On Tuesday, September 20th (four days after my 28th birthday), Wes Phillips sent me an e-mail:

Joan and I are going to Barcelona from Oct 16-28 and need to figure out how to handle the cat thang. The easiest solution is to find someone we trust to house sit. I don't suppose you'd have any interest would you? There'll be a reasonably good hi-fi, the home theater downstairs, and a well stocked fridge (Mmmm, beer.) Plus DSL internet, of course.

The blog was then only a few days old, and, right away, it occurred to me that house sitting for Wes would be a great opportunity for me (and the blog) to become better acquainted with high-end audio. I was (and am still) very much concerned about Stereophile’s audience: How will they react to the blog? Will they find it at all valuable? Or will they find it absolutely worthless?

So, when Wes asked if I’d be willing to house sit, I knew for certain that I would do it:

Thanks very much for thinking of me; I'd be happy to do it, as it seems like a really wonderful opportunity for the blog.

Besides, I was honored that Wes had asked me. It seems to me that one of the greatest gifts a person can give to another is their trust. And here was Wes, not only offering me his trust, but a bit of his knowledge and experience. Not to mention his beer.

And all I have to do is feed the cat, sit down, and listen.

Tonight, I’ll be going over to Wes and Joan’s place for dinner:

We're cool with dinner, I think. Pork chops, sweet potatoes, purple kale, and cheesecake. Does that work for you?

Does that work for me? Holy moly, right now, I can’t think of anything better.