Content-type: text/html Ray Manning

Monday, June 7, 2004 8:58 PM

The N_V Birthday Weekend


On Wednesday morning there is a break in traffic and I again pretend to be Valentino Rossi pushing the Yama MotoGP motorcycle for all it's worth. I look down and see 149 mph on the digital speedometer and decide that that speed is probably a few nights in jail. But it gets the day off to a good start. After work I head out the door for a long run. This one ends up at 7 mile - the longest since the ruptured L4/L5 discs back in November/December of 2003.

When I go to sleep on Wednesday night I put the mobile phone in silent mode because I want to be undisturbed. I wake up at 2 am to get a drink and see that there is a text message from Person D_F. After the drink of lemonade I answer the message and go back to sleep. When I wake up just after 5 am there is a voice mail from Person N_V. My friends know that there is a possibility that I'll be awake until 2 or 3 am on clubbing nights or awake at 4 or 5 am to run or trade the Nikkei.

I'm at work a little after 6 am on Friday so that I can leave early to "babysit" the termite people in the afternoon. Ont he way home their is a little altercation with a CHP officer. When he starts making accusations about the way that I was riding my motorcycle it turns into a shouting match between him and me. After a while order is restored and the results are not good for Ray. Anyway, while the termite people "foam away", I work on the computer, sand the living room trim, and go for a 5 mile run.

On Saturday I get out for a good 25 mile ride before meeting up with Person M_M to go to the anime expo. Except that we get to Anaheim and find out that it is July 4-5 - not June 4-5. We've both read the website as June instead of July. On the way home we buy more paint for my living room. I drop Person M_M off at his home and go apply the first coat of the living room paint.

For dinner I drive over to Subway to pick up a veggie sub sandwich. On the way there I get the sense that something is about to happen - it is a sixth sense of riding and driving. I scan the horizon and look for avenues of escape when I see a lady coming out of an alley on the left and she doesn't even think about stopping. She's probably missing her favorite television show and is going to take the right-of-way no matter what. It takes the full capacity of 12 inch Brembo brakes to get slowed down and I'm still not going to miss her. As I get close I manage to utilize the all wheel drive and World Rally-inspired handling of the Subaru STi to crank the sterring wheel left - sliding a bit sideways - and managing to steer into a driveway on the left and just barely miss the lady's car. I rapidly back out of the driveway and block the lady's escape. And stare at her for 10 seconds. She senses that I'm not going to move, so she backs up, makes a left turn, and hurries home to see her television program.

Later I get out for a long walk in preparation for the evening's clubbing. There are communications with Person T*, Person M_C, Person Dao, Joe, Brandon, and Karl (from Florida). Instead of going to a Long Beach club tonight I go back up to West Hollywood and meet up with Person J_VKPI. I mention to Person J_VKPI that we have known each other for exactly two years this weekend - both of us recalling our first date at Denny's and the subsequent activities. On this night the music is reasonable and only a few acquaintances are present. A few people come and introduce themselves to me and I deflect their desires with, "I'm just hanging out listening to the music". This seems to work. Person P_P and I introduce ourselves to each other because we've both seen each other around here a lot and we both always have smiles on our faces. Later, as I'm leaving with Person J_VKPI to drop him off at his apartment, I have to explain to Person P_P that we are celebrating two years of friendship. I'm in bed by 2:40 am on Sunday morning.

On Sunday I'm up early to get out for the hour long aqaurium ride, give the living room a second coat of paint, and get cleaned up for a visit from Peson Dao. We have a nice lunch and a nice visit. Later in the afternoon, later than I usually go out, I get out for about 40 minutes of rollerblading. I run into the neighbor's son and his son and we have a little conversation about their new house in Belmont Shores and other things. His last words are, "Say Hi to my Mom for me".

Sunday night is a quiet time with only two phone calls from Person A_P. A good night of sleep begins near 10:30 pm.