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On Monday I spend a fair amount of time at the DMV renewing my driver's license. After many years of being able to renew by mail and not subject myself to the long lines, the DMV insisted that I come in. But I'm able, as expected, to pass the eye test without glasses or contact lenses and being able to remove that restriction from my license was worth the lines. We'll see how bad the picture turns out.
On Monday night we have another ice hockey game. After getting out to 3-0 and 4-1 leads we barely hang on for a 4-3 win. Why is it that we continue to make stupid plays, like losing the puck in the neutral zone, when dumping the puck down deep is so much safer and easier?
The week flows rapidly as testing at work takes
place. The majority of questions directed towards me at work and
in my neighborhood are:
1) How was Japan? (To which I answer fantastic, great, or fun.)
2) You've lost more weight? (To which I respond saying emotional
trauma will do it everytime.)
On Friday night, after a long week of testing, I get out for a run. And I just keep going until I quit just short of 8 miles. After doing the laundry I collapse into bed near 10pm.
On Saturday I get out for the Aquarium ride and go grocery shopping. When I've finished shopping and I'm returning to the truck I note that some guy is trying various keys in the door lock of my truck. As I walk up to him he just says, "How are you doing?" Until I put the groceries in the back of the truck without saying anything and I wait for his response. Which is, "Oh, I'm sorry. I thought it was mine."
I don't give him the benefit of the doubt with a sarcastic, "Right! So where's your's?" He looks around the parking lot and does find another Toyota truck that looks sort of the same as mine, but not quite. As I leave I take a circuitous route home in case he's really out Toyota truck shopping and wants to know where I live.
I continue my Saturday with qualifying for the German Grand Prix, some errands, washing and waxing the floors, trimming trees and cleaning up underbrush, dusting the entire house, and other little things. The vacuuming will have to wait because I'm tired. So I go for an hour walk instead.
Later I'm headed for K-Town to pick up Person J_VKPI
for the important and critical Saturday night clubbing. Person J_VKPI
calls and says that he is lost and doesn't know where he is. I can feel
myself getting upset as I'm driving. I'm flipping through the channels
and on comes the Beatles "Hey Jude"
And anytime you feel the pain
Hey Jude, refrain
Don't carry the world upon your shoulder
For well you know that it's a fool
Who plays it cool
By making his world a little colder
Thus I take a deep breath and tell Person J_VKPI that I will pick him
up wherever he is and we can talk about his boyfriend troubles on the
way to the club and at the club.
At the club are the usual acquaintances. I strike up a conversation with Person N_C and pretty soon the three of us are chatting along like old friends. And somebody comes up to Person J_VKPI and I tell Person N_C, "If this is Jason, Person J_VKPI's boyfriend, then we have a problem". Of course it is Jason. Person J_VKPI and Jason have a discussion that only gets the mild attention of the club's security people. I certainly hope that they don't recognize me from before! But Person J_VKPI sticks with his heart and pretty soon Jason is leaving - not alltogether happy. But we continue our evening of fun even if Person J_VKPI is very confused.
At the end of the evening we're standing together - Person N_C and I are holding hands and Person J_VKPI is using both of our shoulders to lean on and stay upright. And we leave the club together because we're parked in the same general vicinity. After I drop Person J_VKPI off I continue home and drop off to bed after 3am.
I'm up a bit after 7am to go for the Aquarium ride and watch the German Grand Prix. Later Person M_C cancels his visit to work on a website so I get out rollerblading. There's a strong wind against me going out but I get some serious speed coming back towards the truck. It's a good skate! As I'm driving home and flipping through the radio stations, what comes on the radio again? The Beatles "Hey Jude". So I listen to it again and find a bit more peace in a complicated emotional life.
Later on Sunday I put on the Beatles "One" CD that has all of their number 1 hits. I start with "Hey Jude" in order to get some calming. And then, because I know I have to do it, I move over to "Let It Be". This is a bit emotionally overwhelming for me, so I go out for a run. Operating on four hours of sleep I've had an hour bicycle ride, an hour skating, and over an hour of running. I am tired. I am officially tired!
After a quick shower I put on my kimono (courtesy of Toshi-san and Marriko) and a pair of Nike Air Pegasus running shoes, eat low fat ice cream, and relax.