On Tuesday morning it is raining and so I have to drive to work. When I get within two miles of my freeway exit there is a huge traffic jam. Traffic is just crawling along and so I get off the freeway and have a free surface street drive to work. But the traffic jam still cost 15 minutes. I have a productive day and then leave work a bit early. I stop in at the library and pick up two books to read (about the economy and globalization), visit the eye doctor, have a heavy session with the weights, and then relax. Person Ti_Ca texts me and wants to come over but I've taken some drugs and would not be able to drive him home. So that doesn't work out. Instead I work on websites and have the ice hockey playoff game playing in the background.
On Wednesday there is more rain but I cannott ake driving, so I get on the motorbike and ride to work. I'm wet when I arrive at work, but I've got extra pants, socks, and shoes at my office for such an occasion. I have a good day at work and stay late and then don't workout when I get home.
Thursday is supposed to be a bicycle commute day but I'm lazy again. I ride the motorbike to work, have a boring day, and leave early. Before leaving work I have a discussion with the doctor and I've failed another blood test. The doctor and I have a good discussion and we both point out that there are no other indicators of trouble so we agree that I should come back in two months for yet another blood test. I get in a great and heavy workout with the weights, mow the lawn, do the laundry, trim the roses, and have a nice warm shower to complete my Thursday. Person Ti_Ca calls near 9 pm so I pick him up from work and we relax for the evening.
On Friday morning Person Ti_Ca and I head grab a boat for Catalina Island. We've both been looking forward to this trip for a while. But things don't work out the way we expect and we seem to be out of phase the entire trip. I start the trip very tired and even when we walk around and relax on the beach I'm nodding off for sleep. Where did this come from? After the beach experience we walk around a bit and head back to the small, old hotel room. You don't get much for $125 per night anymore. Person Ti_Ca naps for three hours and then we walk around a bit more until it gets chilly and we call it a day.
Though I sleep well on Friday night, I wake up with a lower back ache (probably from the hotel bed). We get moving and take a nice skyline tour where we get to see real buffalo up close and see and hear about the heritage of Catalina Island. After lunch we start walking around and end near the boat docks. Person Ti_Ca suggests that we head for home early and we exchange our tickets and go home. Both of us sleep on the boat and are only awakened when the boat's captain cuts the engines to slow down entering the Long Beach harbor area. Why did I sleep so much during this trip? Person Ti_Ca hang out for a bit before I drop him off at home to end our Saturday.
Sunday starts with an exciting Grand Prix of Spain where the Spanish rider grabs the lead at the beginning and actually looks threatening for the win. But he later fades to fifth as my favorite driver holds off a strong challenge at the end of the race to win. After the race I get out for the extended aquarium ride and I feel strong during the ride - I haven't ridden for 7 days. I change clothes and wash the exterior of all of the windows in the house. I do a final walk-around-the-house inspection and the windows look great. A warm and well-deserved shower gets me to the afternoon to relax with lunch and with another exciting ice hockey playoff game.
I don't know where the Monday workday goes but soon I'm heading for home. On review I've had a good day and contributed with domain knowledge on a number of fronts. I cannot feel too bad about the workday. I get in a good heavy workout with the weights and then I spend some time cleaning up rosebeds. I've neglected the rosebeds a bit but after today and another few days they will be looking good. I have a good evening with the ice hockey playoffs, retirement planning, reading, and sleep.
Tuesday is supposed to be a bicycle cmmute day, but I wake up at 2:30 am and cannot fall back asleep. I surf the Internet for a bit and try again for sleep. It's probablt 4 am before I fall back asleep. Needless to say I ride the motorbike to work, have a reasonably productive day at work, and leave work when I get the frustrating news that I've been warning my managers about for more than a month. ("I'm sure you're going to say I'm not needed at the test for the next month. But how much do you want to bet that you'll tell me the day before the test that I should go and witness it?" Need I say what the news was that I received this afternoon?) I get in an good abdominal workout and then I clean the remainder of the rosebeds. By the weekend I'll be able to finish the cleaning of the rosebeds so that they are ready for the summer. The rest of Tuesday night is spent with the ice hockey playoff game, two phone calls with Person Ti_Ca (who is disappointed that I have to go away for work), and Person T_U.
By the time that I get to work on Wednesday morning the travel for the test on Thursday has been called off. If this situation wasn't so ludicrous and ridiculous I would be livid. But the test is probably moved to next Thursday and I'll have to travel at that time. After work I get in a heavy session with the weights and it feels a bit easier even if I don't get extra repetitions or more weight.
Thursday is spent tying up loose ends before the long weekend. I'm not particularly productive today but I help out a few people who are stuck when they ask for my help. I leave work early and jump on the mountain bicycle for the aquarium ride. Since its the afternoon there is some wind to battle but it ends up being a great ride. After I get a shower Person Ti_Ca and I have dinner and then see "Hangover 2". The movie is okay with some funny parts but I'm more interested because it takes place in Bangkok and I keep my eye out for places that I recognize.
Friday starts slowly but I get into a good rhythym by trimming the roses, mowing and edging the lawn, and paying some bills. After a shower Person Ti_Ca go grocery shopping and cook lunch. On Friday afternoon Person Ti_Ca, T_U, and I go for a bicycle ride. It's a slow paced ride along neighborhoods, the golf course, and the Los Angeles river. After about an hour Person T_U announces that he is heading over for a concert at Lagoon park. Thus Person Ti_Ca and I head home, grab a quick shower, and then meet up with Person T_U. It turns out the band is a tribute band to Journey. I didn't care for Journey 30 years ago, but we hang out for the second part of the concert. Person T_U knows guitars and used to play in bands, so after the concert he talks with the guitar player and we hear all about amplifiers and guitars and special effects pedals. And then I drop Person Ti_Ca off to meet up with friends and I head for sleep.
Saturday starts with qualifying for the Grand Prix of Monaco. There is a horrifying crash that suspends qualifying and the rookie driver is taken out of the car on a stretcher. It turns out he only has a concussion and strained thigh. Everyone breathes a sigh of collective relieft and, though my favorite driver gets the pole, it is jaded by the nasty accident. Afterwards I get out for the loop ride and enjoy the cranking along. The main errands of the day (after a shower) include gasoline for the car, returning library books (but not getting new ones because the library is closed today), a carwash, a visit to the ATM, and a visit to the grocery store. Late in the afternoon I start putting a claybar to the car since I haven't given it a good detailing for about a year. It takes about three hours to do the job and the car looks brand new afterwards. Except now the motorbike is jealous that the car got the claybar treatment. The bike will have to get it another weekend.
At 4:45 am on Sunday morning I wake up, pull on a blanket because its cold, and look forward to waking up to a sense of unconsciousness that was recently protrayed in "Hangover 2" from Bangkok, Thailand. Instead I'm woken by the phone ringing at 5:20 am from my friend Tree in Bangkok Thailand. We have a short conversation because he is out of minutes on his phone. I watch a wild Grand Prix of Monaco and, again, almost have to turn off the television because I'm so excited about my favorite staying ahead on worn tires. (He does and wins.) I take a quick mountain bicycle ride around the aquarium in the cold and windy conditions and grab a shower as the Indianapolis 500 starts. Phone calls from Ruby and Person T_U get me to the end of the race where Person Ti_Ca's favorite driver is leading and unfortunately crashes on the last turn of the last lap to finish second. I relax a bit and then get restless, so I walk over to the ATm and the grocery store and, on a whim, I stop by a clothing store that has opened in the last year that I've never been in. I'm browsing for shirts when a salesman starts talking with me. The store is empty so we keep chatting away. And finally we both realize that we know each other from 7 years ago. I had met Person S_SM briefly 7 years ago but we never had a chance to hang out or become friends. We both live in the same places as 7 years ago and I give Person S_SM my phone number and we agree to hang out for soda or coffee sometime soon and catch up.
I mill around the house for a bit and then crank out 40 miles on the road bicycle up and over the Whittier Narrows dam. This is one of my favorite rides because you usually see squirrels, birds, and rabbits along the two rivers and up at the nature reserve. I relax for a bit after the ride. Late in the afternoon I trim two bushes in the front yard and call it a day.
Tuesday is a semi-productive day at work. I struggle with a number of programmatic issues when I see bad decisions being made. Because I woke up with a slightly sore throat and have the long bicycle ride coming up on Sunday, I walk over and buy some powdered Vitamin C that has helped me in the past. And I buy a lottery ticket for Wednesday night also. After work I get in a good heavy session with the weights and trim the roses.