Tuesday is a great day! It starts with a run/walk during which I run into a guy out walking two golden retrievers. As he approaches me with the two dogs I say out loud, "Look at the two vicious beasts!" - using the term that I used to use for Nopester. I stop and play with dogs - father and son, the owner informs me. And he says that they have papers and there will be another litter available in December. This is tempting and he gives me his address and tells me to drop a note in his mailbox if I'm interested.
The motorcycle ride to work is uneventfull. Sort of. I'm actually daydreaming and practicing my PDA presentation verbally as I ride through traffic and split lanes. Before I know it I see two CHP officers behind me on their motorcycles. So I move over, put my right leg out (An old roadracers gesture to let the riders behind you know which side to pass on.), and watch them pass. The second CHP officer gives me a friendly hand wave but than gives me a hand expression to slow down. Thus I follow at a distance and continue practicing my presentation.
My presentation goes well! Though I take a bit more time than allotted, I hit the major points, emphasize the right colors, deftly and professionally handle questions, and have a giraffe animation! All of my bosses say that I did a great job and, it turns out, the customer technical representatives have most of their questions headed off before they can ask them.
I get home on Tuesday and just veg out. I am mentally stressed out. And now, I realize, it is time to get my life back in order.
On Wednesday I do not get out walking or running before work. It's not necessarily a productive day at work, though Lori and three other co-workers get our flu shots together.
I leave work a bit early to take my old road bicycle to the bicycle shop (so that it can be fitted with the new wheels and updated cluster of gears). When I walk through the store to the back where the service people are I start getting a following as people start following me (or rather my bicycle frame). The service people ask me, "Do you ever ride it?", because it is so clean right now. For a while quite a crowd has gathered around as I tell them about the bike being 21 years old and having the limited edition, Olympic edition grupo. And I can see people drolling as they turn and walk away. After the bicycle store visit I go to the bookstore and pick up three books. One of the books was on the "must read" list of a guy who's mutual fund has beaten the market for the last 15 years. And the others are related. There is no time to lose in getting my life back in order.
Today's workout is only for abdominals and lower back as my left bicep hurts. But I drill my core muscles and come away feeling good.
On Thursday night (really Friday morning) at 3:10 am I am awake and cannot fall back asleep. Is it do to starting to take time off from lifting? Regardless I surf the Internet for a while until I get out for 50 minutes of a run/walk. And then I start my Friday at work. At 4 pm I leave work and go for another 50 minute walk and then read and relax. I'm dropping off for sleep right near 9 pm on Friday night.
Because I am trying to restore my life and my brain chemistry, I have abandonded the alarm clock on Saturday.
I wake up at 7:45 am on Saturday and head out for a ride on the mountain bicycle. The early morning was very foggy, so I wouldn't have been able to ride earlier if I had set the alarm. As it is it is still foggy down by the ocean and around the aquairum. After the ride I start mowing the front yard down to a short length. This goes slow as the grass is still a bit wet. But eventually I finish, drop some fertilizer down, and lay on some water. As I'm taking a break the neighbors across the street ask for help moving a couch and loveseat and we spend 15 minutes talking about stuff.
After noon I drive over to the bicycle store (with intermediate stops at the gas station and the pharmacy). Again the Ciocc frame causes quite a commotion as I wheel it out the door. I can't wait to ride on Sunday morning with the new Mavic wheels!
Person T_U and Joe and I agree to go out to a club in Long Beach. It's kinda boring tonight even if there are a number of familiar faces. I stay until closing at 2am and drive home. I have trouble sleeping throughout the night until I finally wake up (with the alarm abandonded).
The Sunday morning bicycle ride on new Mavic wheels is great! The wheels are quiet, true, and fast. I finish the ride wanting to be ready for more rides over the next few days. When I get home I download a song (and pay for it, of course) that I heard the previous night. I play the song and start crying.
I saw an angel, of that I'm sureI struggle through the day with lots of tears. I don't especially know why. I get out for a long walk that almost helps. I trim and water the roses. That almost helps. I change the oil and spark plugs on the lawnmower and edgeer. That almost helps. But the tears keep coming back.
Late in the day I think about going out clubbing again. But I decide to stay in. I watch some of the football game and try to read. And try to get to sleep early. By the time that Joe calls near 9 pm I'm all teared out. But a few tears come during our conversation and we talk about that was well as the usual other things.
On Monday morning I do laundry and let the weather warm up a bit before getting out cycling. Today is another great ride as the wheels are just as smooth as glass and fast. This is fun! After a rinse I have some cookies and then I spend a fair amount of time trimming bushes and spraying the bushes (because there were a lot of bugs flying around while I was trimming them). I rinse again after trimming the bushes and sit quietly for 45 minutes with my eyes closed to relax and meditate (instead of taking a nap). And later I watch the football game and read.
On Tuesday I'm a bit lazy so I don't get out cycling first thing in the morning. Instead I leave the house a few minutes after 9 am and head for the Whitier Narrows dam. There's a minor construction detour, so I have to backtrack a bit and take a few surface streets to get to the dam. When I reach the dam I figure, "What the heck - might was well add on a few more miles". Thus I head north just a bit (towards the Santa Fe Dam though I don't get anywhere close to it). Eventually I turn around and head for home to complete the 50 mile ride. Only my neck is a bit tired.
The remainder of Tuesday is spent reading and relaxing. There's a ResourceScout meeting that I head to at 7:30 pm as we get ready for our trip to Seattle in early December.
I have a bit of trouble sleeping on Tuesday night. How could this be when I rode 50 miles on the bicycle? Thus I get up and jump on the mountain bicycle for the aquairum ride. My legs are tired, so I just take my time. But it's important to keep the legs moving. Near 10 am Person M_Fl drops by on his way to work at the hospital. We hang out for a while until he has to leave. The rest of the day is spent on a long walk, reading, and watching a DVD.
On Wednesday night I have trouble sleeping again, so I get up and watch television for a while. I try to go back to sleep but cannot, so I read for a while. Eventually I fall back asleep.
On Thanksgiving I cannot answer the alarm clock and sleep a bit later than intended. But then I climb on the road bicycle and start heading for the dam. My legs are still hungover from Tuesday's 50 mile ride, so I just try to work through the unresponsive limbs. I start getting into a decent rythym about 15 miles into the ride when I've detoured around some construction and am riding along a two lane road that makes me feel out in the middle of the country. Since I'm here, I head north of the Whittier Narrows dam and turn around when the halfway point is 25 miles out. Though there's a headwind all the way down the San Gabriel river trail, I crank along quite nicely as I pass people and continue on. I finish another 50 mile ride on the new wheels and feel good - the different pair of cycling shorts preventing any irritation from saddle sores from the previous long ride.
I turn on the Detroit Lions football game and it is pathetic - the Lions are just horrible. And then I notice more messages on my phone from ex's from years ago. Did they hear that Person C_T are no longer together and are trying again? Or is it just a coincidence?
On Friday I get out for the 27 mile loop ride. At about 7:15 am I ride past the Lakewood mall during the ride and see every parking spot taken. I am glad that I am not silly enough to be in THAT mess. The ride goes quickly until the very end when my legs start tiring.
On Saturday I stay in bed for a while (because it is cold). But I finally jump on the bicycle and head over the Whittier Narrows dam and back home. The 40 mile ride is the most that is left in this old man's legs. After a shower and some food I do the laundry and head for the ATM.
For the seven day period ending on Saturday, the final tally is 31 miles ridden on the motorcycle, 41 miles driven in the car, and 234 miles on the bicycles.
On Saturday night there are phone calls from Person T_U and Person J_U. person T_U wonders if I'm going out and Person J_U wonders if I'm going to join him and friends for a motorcycle ride on Sunday. Probably not for both questions.
Sunday is a lazy day. I get out for a walk first thing in the morning and buy the newspaper and other groceries. I'm in line waiting to pay and the checkout lady says, "I can't sell you cigarettes because you said you were 17. I don't care what your ID says." The man is well beyond 17, but since he stated (in gest) that he was 17, the checkout lady cannot sell him the cigarettes. A shouting match ensues between the man and checkout lady but the man leaves the store without his cigarettes.
Later on Sunday I get in a first high repetition, low weight session with the weights to get back into lifting (after about 13 days off). I separate the push motions for today from the pull motions for tomorrow to also change the routine up. Person J_V calls and we have a 45 minute conversation that includes human trafficking, surfing, dogs and cats, and socially responsible buying. By 9 pm I'm headed for sleep and ready to go back to work. But before I drop off to sleep I call Person J_T and tell his voice mail that Person J_U might be a good match for him. How did I get put into the matchmaker position?
And here's another night where I wake up and cannot sleep. I read for a while and cannot sleep, so I get up and watch the tape of "Desperate Housewives" and "Boston Legal" before returning to sleep near 4:30 am on Monday.
I get back into the swing of work rather quickly. But I do leave work early to get in the pull lifts and go walking for 40 minutes. After the morning rain (which forced me to drive to work) the day turned out bright and windy.