A friend of mine at work the other day mentioned that he was gathering a group of guys to get together, get drunk, and then go to a strip club. Someone asked if I would be attending, to which my friends responded: “I think he’ll be at home with his wife and kid” (correct answer, by the way). At this point I jumped into the conservation and said to my friend: “so where will your girlfriend be for this?” “At home with the cat, I guess,” he surmised in a somewhat guilty manner. Then, as if to defend himself, he said: “Man, it’s not even about the strippers.”

I think Louise Gluck would recognize this portrait of the man engaging in “guy time,” while the dutiful wife or girlfriend prepares supper at home. I love the way Gluck re-imagines The Odyssey as basically the same thing. I especially love the Greek soldiers in "Parable of the Hostages" - standing around and hoping the war doesn’t end soon because it keeps them away from home with a good excuse. It wouldn’t be nearly as easy to skip out for the night for “guy time” if one was at home.

And I’m not trying to poo-poo “guy time.” It can be about genuine camaraderie instead of strippers. I even enjoy the occasional dude date myself (wholesomely). However, 20 years is a long time for Penelope to wait. I remember once reading an interview with Billy Graham where he was asked what his biggest regret was. His answer was that he spent too much time on the road as an evangelist and not enough time at home with his wife and kids. Interesting, huh? The thing that brought him the most success also made him the poorer family man. Listening Odysseus? Tiger Woods? Matt?