Content-type: text/html Ray Manning

Monday, March 24, 2003 7:35 AM

A Long Weekend


The three day weekend starts off with a bang as Person M_USC comes over on Thursday night and we spend time watching the war in Iraq and not watching the war in Iraq.

On Friday I see the chiropractor early, drop the truck off for an oil change as I get out for a 20 mile ride on the mountain bicycle, and then return home to continue this long and productive Friday. Today is the day to clean out the garage so I take everything out of the garage, wash down the floor, and (later) put everything back in its place when the floor is dry. As the floor dries I mow and edge the front and back yard with Nopester being allowed to run wild in the neighborhood today. In the midst of mowing the back yard the lawn mower breaks and so I drive off to Tanaka Lawnmower to see if he has replacement parts. I always choose Mr. Tanaka first because I like to patronize small mom/pop businesses and because of the ChiChi that works there. The ChiChi isn't there today, but Mr. Tanaka has the parts that I need and soon I'm back in the business of chasing Nopester around the backyard with the lawnmower. I also perform the first pruning of my roses since they were planted - I hope I didn't mess them up. By 3pm I am tired and so I sit down and watch the war for a few minutes. But this is depressing so I do the laundry. I try for a nap right near 5pm, but I'm interupted by a phone call from Dr. K who wants to know the logistics for Saturday's bicycle ride or skating session. And now that I'm awake I go lay some fertilizer down in the front yard and have dinner of steamed vegetables and diet Coke.

This day is not over. Or is it? Person H_V calls and announces that he left Long Beach yesterday and has moved to Oregon to look for work there. Person J_VKPI and I talk and I realize that today is his birthday. "Well, I'll owe you until tomorrow. I'll pick you up at 10pm." I am so tired now that I watch the Malaysian qualifying session and collapse into bed.

On Saturday I meet up with Dr. K and we ride for about 90 minutes along the ocean and the Los Angeles river trail. He shows me his new Z car after the ride - it is nice! And now I have a very quick shower before heading over to lunch with Person T*. We end up at a place that we've been to before and even though the place is empty, the waiter seats us at the exact same table that we had before. After lunch we go walk for a couple hours before going back to Person T*'s house. We end up in places that we probably shouldn't, but we end up having good discussions and good fun.

And now I'm headed back to Long Beach to take a shower and pick up Person J_VKPI for some clubbing. Person J_VKPI is ontime again - he has turned over a new leaf. (Actually Person J_VKPI was a few minutes late last week with Person H_V but that was because there was a power failure at his apartment. Thus he gets leeway.) We get to the club and find that there is some special anniversary party going on and the place is crowded. Person M_P walks in and we have a cordial, if distant, conversation. It is a fun evening and I refuse all offers because I have enough going on right now as it is. I'm laying down in bed after dropping Person J_VKPI off at his apartment just before 3am. Nothing has ever felt as good as laying down tonight and passing out, though not before reviewing a couple of the better offers, "Ray, take me now", "Ray, I love you", and the non-verbal offer from the guy who looked like a defected Iraqi military man who had spent the last 3 months in the desert without a shower.

On Sunday morning there is already a voice mail from 6:25am. I ignore it for now as I watch the Malaysian Grand Prix and get out for an hour of cycling. A few telephone calls are returned prior to an uneventfull hour of rollerlbading (even if I did get out on to ChiChi ridge today). And now the telephone starts ringing in ernest: Brandon, Joe, Person T*, and others. Person T* and I have a heart-to-heart talk that leaves both of us emotionally frazzled.

This long and prductive weekend ends with me fighting off the slightest fever at 10pm on Sunday night.

The slightest fever is gone on Monday morning. But this Monday morning commute is one of the occasional times when my eyes keep tearing up - a purely random event. Thus as I commute to work and face light and heavy mist from the weather and heavy tearing in my right eye (and light tearing in my left eye), the best that I can do is 106 mph. And I look like I've been crying inside my helmet by the time I arrive at Northrop Grumman with the tears running down my cheeks.