I leave work sharply at 4pm PDT and I'm on the Los Angeles River bicycle
trail by 4:45pm. Even if the wind is a bit gusty, it is a good bicycle ride. I
pretend to be Peter Lutenberger riding the Giro d'Italia bicycle race - riding
a mountain top time trial. This whole pretense is quite ludicrous because:
1) I have the frontal area and coefficient of drag of an 18 wheel Mack truck;
2) Peter Lutenberger is a pure climber and probably wouldn't be doing well
in a time trial;
3) Peter Lutenberger has dropped off the scene and isn't even riding the Giro
d'Italia this year.
But I still get down in an aerodynamic crouch position every once in a while
and pretend anyway. (I love pure climbers!)
After a shower and frozen pizza, I drive to the Wednesday 8pm NA meeting in downtown Long Beach. This is the NA meeting with the hardcore junkies. There is a reasonable crowd. I stay through the break and realize a bit late that this is probably a mistake. As everyone is sharing their experiences, the moderator of the meeting eventually starts staring at me. I continue to look down at my shoes and not make eye contact. The silence in the meeting is deafening as I realize that, slowly, everyone has come to stare at me. Eventually I lift my head, make eye contact with the moderator, and feebly answer "Yes" when asked if I want to share with the group. "My name is Ray and I'm an addict".
"Hi Ray!" everyone exclaims.
"This is my...um... second Wednesday night...um...NA meeting. And my...er...story is similar to...um...to John's. I lost...um...a few years of my...um...life to...(sniffle as I fight back tears) crystal, cocaine, and heroin. But that was...um...a long time ago. Like years. I was completely...um...clean during all of...(another sniffle) 1999. But I...um...started drinking again this year and I...um...am...um...drinking more and more. My emotional life is...um...in chaos because I cannot keep...um...a girlfriend or a boyfriend for...(tear wipe)...for more than a few months. And I started...um...having the same emotions and...(long pause)...feelings that I had when...um...I started slamming heroin the last...um..the last...(sniffle)...the last time. So I thought that I ...um...would come to these meetings for...um...for some learning and...er...support so that I can get back to...(sniffle)...being sober again. Thanks for listening."
At the conclusion of the meeting, the moderator tells me about the horrors of heroin and admits that she contracted hepatitis C from sharing needles. I respond that I know the danger of it and that's why I'm here.
After the meeting, I drive to the Frat House and get a 7-Up. And settle in for an hour of music prior to the 11pm drag show. Sabrina, the HVAC, appears tonight as a boy! Sabrina, er, Tony and I have a good discussion about work and music and clothes and other things. She, er, he tells me that he knows most of the people that come to the club and that I should be asked to be introduced to someone if there is anybody that I find attractive. The 11pm drag show starts promptly at 11:45pm. After a few acts, I leave. And get to sleep near 1:30am.