I work through the post Las Vegas stockpile of work at TRW and at home throughout the week. There is a series of desperation phone calls at work on Friday as certain people may want an extraordinary amount of work performed before I leave for Denver/Boulder on Tuesday and I say that I will try my best. But a later phone call rescinds the decision and I can have my weekend free of TRW work.
Speaking of the Denver/Boulder trip, I receive email confirmation from AmEx (through TRW) that I have a hotel to stay in Boulder for a few nights next week. But I notice that I have no airplane flight and no rental car. I guess that they are expecting me to ride my motorcycle or bicycle to Boulder for the meetings.
On Saturday morning I take the motorcycle in for a tuneup and to re-map the fuel injection in order to maximize the performance of the new carbon fibre exhaust pipe. Today I do the usual put bicycle in truck, drive truck to motorcycle dealer and leave it there, get on bicycle and go for a ride that ends at home, jump on motorcycle and drop off at motorcycle dealer, and get in truck and drive home. I like performing this shuttle operation because I get to ride the bicycle and it is independent of other people's schedules if I asked someone for a ride. Besides, I'm saving all of my favors from friends for when I need a serious favor.
On this day, as I'm starting the bicycle ride from the motorcycle dealer (that eventually ends at home), I hear police and fire sirens coming up behind me and the police cars and fire trucks go speeding past. As I approach the San Gabriel river trail I see that the police cars and fire trucks have stopped near the river trail and people are cautiously proceeding down towards the river. I get onto the river trail and look back towards the commotion and see a dead body lying in the concrete portion of the river bed. I turn away and get out of there as quick as I can - not wanting the police/firemen to stop me and ask if I saw anything. A couple hours later, after I've finished the bicycle ride and taken a quick shower, I jump on the motorcycle to go to the dealer. As I approach the area I see that the freeway exit is closed, the San Gabriel river bike trail is closed, and a number of surface streets are closed as the homicide/accidental death investigation continues. I avoid a lot of the traffic because I have the motorcycle and I can split traffic and go to the head of the long lines of cars. The motorcycle service people say nothing about the incident but they do agree to re-map the fuel injection at no charge (because I have a magnetism and charisma that they like...and because I bought the motorcycle there).
Here's a link to the Press Telegram coverage of the dead body:
On Saturday afternoon, deciding that 13 days is enough time for anybody to recover from a fractured bone in the wrist, I lift weights. I have to use reduced weights for all of the lifts and it hurts like h$&%, but it feels good to lift again. I follow this up with about an hour walk of which Nopey comes along for the first 12 minutes. During the walk I run into a guy in a wrist cast and we start talking (because he sees my wrist brace). After a few minutes it becomes obvious that the guy wants something more than a conversation so I eventually excuse myself and finish the walk. On this Saturday I am in bed and trying to sleep by a little after 10pm.
Sunday morning I lift weights again and watch a couple of motorcycle races. Then deciding that 14 days from the rollerblading fall that fractured my wrist is enough recovery I go rollerblading. Of course I use the wristguards that I purchased the previous day for a ridiculously low price because they were on sale. (And I purchase a pair of Person M_USC for when we skate again.) During the hour of rollerblading you can see the top of Catalina Island off the coast and through all of the ships that are parked in Long Beach harbor - a result of the longshoremen's strike. I think about heading over to the port and checking out a longshoremen bar or two, but think better of it.
Later I get out for another long walk and this time there is nobody that stops me to talk. I
think about an old song:
A year has passed since I wrote my note
I should have known it right from the start
Only hope can keep us together
Love can mend your life but love can break your heart.
It turns out it is one week short of a year that I met Person Whatshisname for the first time. But I think about all of the things that I have been through in the past year and cannot feel bad/sad.