The week leading up to the July 4th weekend starts out slow. I'm overtrained and physically hung over from recent activities. On the Monday before 4th of July weekend, I feel horrible all day long. When I get home I lift weights hoping that a bit of exercise will help me feel better. Later I teleconference in to the ResourceScout meeting because I don't want to go anywhere. Later Person N_V calls and needs to come by for some paperwork. When he comes by he's upset with me for dropping stuff off at his apartment without telling him. Both of us carefully choose our words and tone of voice during the 10 minute discussion that we have. There are no raised voices but there is certainly tension on both sides.
On Wednesday night after work I fit in a session with the weights as I try to stay active yet not go further into an overtrained state. Later I mow the front and back yards and fertilize both. Afterwards I note that today is an 18 month celebration of sobriety.
I take Friday off from work to extend the 4th of July holiday. On Friday I get out for a good almost 30 mile ride, trim and edge the lawn, feed the roses, and grab a quick shower before brunch. After reloading the energy supply, I head for FedEx (who wants $60 to mail the package) and then to the post office (who want $14 to mail it). And then I continue on to buy more paint for the house and to look at exterior doors. They don't have the types of doors that I want so I leave and decide to look online later. But now it is nap time. A good 90 minute nap almost refreshes me, so I lift weights and go for an hour long walk. i can tell that today will bea typical day when I retire. Except that the phone is ringing from Person L_S, Person J_Boeing, and Peson T*. And Person Jay wants to go clubbing. But this has been a long and productive day, so I just spend a long time on the phone with Person L_S.
On Saturday I get out for a good aquarium ride and watch qualifying for the French Grand Prix. Later I pick up Person M_M at the train station and we head to the 2004 Anime Expo. We spend the majority of the day there walking around, shopping, and taking pictures of people in costume. (Many, many pictures of people in costume in raw form (untouched) can be seen
After the Anime Expo I go home and lift weights for just a few body parts - not all. A quick shower follows and now I'm headed to West Hollywood to party! Person J_VKPI is one minute early and we get to the club earlier than usual. To start with there are very few people, but we are patient and the crowd starts filing in. The music is very good tonight with only one or two hiphop songs played the entire night. There are a number of acquaintances present who keep me occupied when a few people want to make offers and I don't want to hear the offers. But late, just after 1:15 am, Person Y_J is pushing and shoving his way through the crowd and i stop him, introduce myself, and we start talking. Person Y_J is nice. Person Y_J gets my phone number as it is time (1:45am) for Peson J_VKPI and me to leave. I'm laying down for sleep before 3 am on Sunday morning.
I'm up near 7 am on Sunday to go for a walk, buy the newspaper, watch the French Grand Prix, and then head out for the acquarium bicycle ride. A few errands later and the phone is ringing - it is Person Y_J. So we have another nice discussion and pretty soon he is headed over to my house where we continue the discussion, take part in other activities, go for a half hour walk together, and grab dinner. When we go back to the house we watch the motorcycle race from Brasil and when a Japanese rider wins, for the first time in this class, we get to hear the podium interview in Japanese. And Person Y_J is excited that he gets to translate for me. But then Person Y_J is confused (and I am subsequently confused) when the Japanese winner dedicates the win to Dajiro Kato whos birthday would have been today. Person Y_J is confused because he doesn't know/understand who Kato is (which I explain to him) and I'm confused because it was always announced that Dajiro Kato dropped into the 10 day coma on his birthday in April. Do all people from Japan have two birthdays? By 9 pm I am dozing off towards sleep and I let Person Y_J know that he should go. We agree to get together again on Thursday.
On Monday I'm up at 6 am to paint a bedroom and a hallway, go cycling, re-load the glycogen, and then do some vitamin and window cover shopping. Later I get out for about an hour skate as I have a liesurely skate today (as opposed to a fairly serious workout skate). At the end of the skate there's a cute ChiChi staring at me and so I go over to her and ask her why she doesn't have inline skates on like her two friends. And we have a brief conversation amongst the four of us during which I get invited to Hong Kong to visit. I have to pass, but it was a nice offer.
After the skate I return home to find Person N_V's car in front of the house. So I pull over, call Person N_V, and ask him to leave by 4pm as per our agreement. After a "Do I really have to leave by 4?" question by Person N_V, he agrees to leave. I drive off to visit Mom and Dad and the kids for a few minutes until about 4:20 pm. Person N_V has honorably left for the day.
Near the end of the 4 day weekend I realzie that this is the frist July 4th living in this house that I didn't have to comfort Nopey from the fireworks and noises.