On Tuesday and Wednesday I take my "heroin hangover" look to work: Unshaven for many days, hair gelled out at weird angles, and long sleeves in the middle of the summer (to cover the needle track marks). People tend to leave me alone. It is what I need as I'm up each day just after 5 to go run before work and I'm able to get home each night and lift weights. (September is a serious month!)
On Thursday Person F_F visits Long Beach and we go have a nice dinner. Except that it is interupted by a phone call from Person T* and Person E_F (who I have the softest spot in my heart for). Neither call is actually taken, but I can see their phone numbers on my mobile.
At the conclusion of a good week of running, lifting, and work, I pause for a breath of frsh air and spend a quiet Friday evening at home.
On Saturday I get out for the beach loop ride and equal my best time from about 10 years ago. The "serious September" training is already paying dividends.
I get over to the running shoe store to buy new running shoes. When the lady brings out my 9.5 Nike Air Moto's, I set them down and start taking them apart. "Excuse me, sir. What are you doing?" the lady asks.
"I need to make sure that my orthotics fit in the shoes so I have to take them apart." I can see that she is puzzled, but I can't understand why because this is a running shoe store and surely many other people wear orthotics when they run. So I continue with, "I have custom orthotics that correct an excessive pronation in my natural gait cycle. This puts me into a biomechanically-neutral orientation and helps to prevent lower leg and knee overuse injuries."
The lady just throws her hands up in the air and says, "Well, you better put those shoes back together if you don't buy them." But I do buy them because they feel great! I later go for a long walk in the shoes to break them in and they feel great!
I actually get in a long nap on Saturday afternoon to help rebuild cells and tissues broken down during the "serious September" program that I have started in on. Here's an updated
Later Person J_VKPI calls and I'm headed to pick him up and head to West Hollywood. Person J_VKPI is late this time and I give him a warning about slipping into his old habits. Person F_F is at the club when we arrive and we hang out and listen to music. Present at the club is a cute young indeterminant ethnicity girl (CYIEG) with the cutest eyes and smile on the planet. (She has her hair dyed white - let's face it - it wasn't blonde or platinum or anything. It was white!) and that makes it hard to tell her ethnicity. Person J_VKPI decides to go home with a friend so I hang out and enjoy myself. Later, as I'm gently yet firmly pushing and shoving my way through the crowd, I come face to face with the CYIEG. "You have cute eyes. VERY cute eyes!" is what I say to the CYIEG.
The CYIEG responds with a great smile and responds, in a friendly and sincere tone, with "Thank you very much. You're so nice" as her eyes are 3 inches from mine and her cheeks 3 inches from mine.
An alternate commentator provides the next few minutes.
up to 612 beats per minute. His blood pressure is fluctuating wildly. His repsiration is chaotic." have buckled. He has symptoms of severe shock. Is there a doctor in the house?"I absolutely melt as I see the eyes and smile of the CYIEG so close. And I continue to stare and smile at the CYIEG throughout the evening. I'm home in bed near 2:30 am on Sunday morning.
Sunday I'm up before 7 am for the Aquarium ride, a trip to the grocery store, the Portuguese Grand Prix for motorcycles, a few phone calls, and I'm ready to go skating. Whereas the Saturday morning ride was driven by my thoughts of the cold fruit and ice cold nonfat milk awaiting for me, today's ride is driven by the hot, spicy soup, french bread, and diet Coke waiting for me at the end of the ride. Later I get out for a good session of skating.
Later on Sunday afternoon I drive up to an area near Arlington and Washington to visit Person F_F. I enjoy looking at the very old architecture on the houses in the area. We have a nice dinner that is interupted by Person C_C...um...that has already been used, so let's try Person C_CT. I later have three more conversations with Person C_CT as he wants to borrow Nopey for an art project. I'm in bed and reading the newspaper by 9pm on Sunday evening as I prepare for another fun week.