Content-type: text/html Ray Manning

Monday, July 12, 2004 8:58 PM

Four Weeks Later


I try to make the work week a generic week of walking before work, going to work, working out when I get home, doing a few things around the house, and then relaxing before bedtime.

During the days on Wednesday and Thursday Person N_V and I get into an email argument where we go back and forth over the move date of Person N_V's office and computer. After being told that moving out this coming Saturday is "impossible", I hear back later that it will happen. But it was a struggle the entire way.

On Thursday night I'm painting the hallway and the phones are ringing. But I don't answer because I want to get the hallway painted. Finally as I take a break from painting I pick up the voice mail messages. One is Person N_V with the typically inconsiderate, "I'm coming over right now to get my computer because it works out best FOR ME". I call Person N_V and tell him to just move everything on Friday as planned, but he's hearing nothing of it. So I clean up quickly, put on different clothes, and leave the house for a long walk. I don't want any part of this. When I approach the house about an hour later (is was a good stress-relieving walk) the house is empty of people. This is good.

On Friday I go walking before work, have a non-productive day at work, lift weights, and get ready to hang out with Person Y_J for the evening. We go for a long walk along the ocean in Long Beach and have a nice dinner. Later we relax as we watch television. Person Y_J is leaving just after midnight.

On Saturday morning there is a text message that comes in on my mobile phone at 4:10 am. This is followed by Mom and Dad knocking on my door (as expected) just before 5am as I take the entire family to LAX for their summer vacation and bring their minivan back home with me. Well, I'm up and about, so I get out for a 27 mile road bicycle ride, get the car washed, do the laundry, do some grocery shopping, write a bit of ResourceScout code, and then go and wax the car. As I'm waxing the car there's a phone call from Joe and I have a little discussion with him about plans for tonight. During the call with Joe Person N_V calls and I don't bother to return the call because there is nothing to be said. Now I am tired so I take an hour nap. During the nap and with the mobile phone on "silent" mode, Person J_VKPI calls to see if we are going out clubbing tonight. I'll get back to him. When I'm sorta coherent from waking from the nap I have some lunch and then do more ResourceScout coding.

As with last week, one by one my clubbing friends and acquaintances start wimping out. First Joe. Then Person J_VKPI. I continue on to a club in West Hollywood anyway. There are a number of acquaintances that keep me busy during the night including Person T_U. Near 11:30 pm a guy walks past me, stops, turns around, and comes up to me and asks, "You're Ray, right?" After we introduce ourselves I buy Person C_T a drink and he sits down next to me (as I'm standing). We have a long discussion with brief interruptions from Person T_U and Person Jay. Before I know it it is after 1 am on Sunday morning and Peson C_T and I are leaving the club to walk around the side streets of West Hollywood where we can talk better. Before I know it I am sitting in Person C_T's new car and I see the time on my mobile phone and say, "I need to get out of the car and look for the 3:01 am launch of my second satellite from Vandenburg Air Force Base". Because I've forewarned Person C_T about this event, he helps me look. But there is no launch and later I find out that there was a 48 hour delay. So now I'm headed for home and I pull into the driveway at 3:50 am on Sunday morning. There's no point in going to bed now, so I just stay up.

I start Sunday (or continue Saturday) with cooking vegetables for the week and sorting through all of the keys in the house and trashing the old ones. After watching the British Grand Prix live starting at 5am, I get out for the aquarium bicycle ride, eat breakfast, and start painting the bedroom and hallway. Actually I only have to do the entire bedroom and one wall of the hallway and it goes rather quickly. After doing some ResourceScout programming I get in a 90 minute nap. Now I head out for 40 minutes of rollerblading - a bit shorter than usual to account for the lack of sleep. Later I do more ResourceScout porgramming and handle phone calls with Joe, Person Y_J, and Person C_T. The Sunday ends with me collapsing into bed at 9pm.