On Tuesday I try to get back into the rhythm at Northrop Grumman even though I have bene gone since last Wednesday. There are periods of productivity as well as down periods. After work I get out for a 40 minute walk during which a small pure black cat runs across my path. I decide to turn over a new leaf. Thus I complete the final GPS coordinate building block that's needed for ResourceScout, I throw out an old backpack and start using a new one, and I vow to eat healthier.
On Wednesday morning I'm heading to work on the motorcycle. There's a freeway entrance ramp where two lanes converge to one lane around a corner and then that remaining lane merges onto the freeway. As I'm rounding the corner in the left lane, the SUV in the right lane decides not to make the turn and to squeeze into my lane and force me further to the outside. I've given up as much of my lane as I can and this is going to be close, so I lean out with my right shoulder and right elbow in order "fend off" the SUV. I manage to squeeze past the SUV without contact on the right side (or maybe my elbow grazed the SUV - I don't know) and with an inch to spare on the left side between my front tire and the left hand side curb.
On the ride home on Wednesday there is a motorcycle and another SUV stopped in the carpool lane. I'm about to stop and offer help when another motorcyclist surges ahead of me and stops. As I pass by I note that nobody looks hurt though the motorcyclist is looking over his bike as if there has been some sort of contact. I get in a good session with pretty heavy weights as I've dropped the weights a bit and added some repetitions. It's a good workout! A viewing of Tuesday night's "Boston Legal" pretty much ends the evening.
The Friday morning off from work starts with the loop bicycle ride. As I'm making the U-turn off Pacific Coast Highway onto the San Gabriel river trail there's a group of cyclists waiting for the last of their group. At first they think that I am their last rider, but I continue on. And then one of the riders says, "Hey! That's my bicycle!". I know he's talking about my Ciocc, so when I make the U-turn and pass by them again (but 20 feet lower as I head down from Pacific Coast Highway to the river trail) I shout back, "It's 20 years old". And the other rider yells back, "I know. Mine is too!" But I did notice that he wasn't riding his Ciocc today like I am.
I arrive at a club in West Hollywood at 10:30 pm on Friday night. I grab a Red Bull and 7-Up and wander around and enjoy the music. When the music starts to lag I head back over to the herd/clone club that I've already got a reduced wristband for. It takes a while for the club to get crowded (it's only 11:40) but tonight the music is a bit off and the crowd is a bit off. I don't know why. But I again don't want to go home so I hang out with everyone else until about 2:30 am. When I do finally head for home - ignoring potential offers that were coming - I find very little traffic and I'm home a few minutes after 3am on Saturday morning.
Saturday is a slow day, but I get the laundry done, clean the house, buy a piece of furniture, and finally get out for a windy aquarium bicycle ride late in the afternoon. Person C_T comes by and we put together some furniture before I head off to meet Person T_U at a club that he wants to go to (as Person C_T heads for home). I stop in at one club first and run into Person M_HK as well as other acquaintances before Person T_U arrives. We walk over to the other club just as Person T_U's ex is entering the club with his current partner. Thus Person T_U and I wait outside for a while before heading in. Throughout the evening I can see the Person T_U is distracted, but we try the best that we can to have fun. Just after 1am Person T_U heads to another club while I hang out at the current one. Late in the evning I exchange phone numbers with Person Ki_K even though he lives a long way away (but visits regularly). I walk over to another club and just hang out outside. Soon a guy that kept walking past me and staring at me from the previous club is now over here. And we strike up a biref conversation before 2:30 am rolls around and it is time for me to go home. On the way home there is a very nasty accident that has probably just occurred and the CHP is on scene. But I would be surprised if the people in at least the one car survived. Thus I stay below 9 mph for the rest of the trip home that sees me pull into the driveway at 3:05 am on Sunday morning.
Sunday is another slow day as I finish putting the furniture together and get out for a reasonable aquarium bicycle ride late in the morning. The afternoon sees the 250cc and MotoGP motorcycle roadraces from Mugello, Italy with exciting races in both classes and my favorite 250cc rider, Yuki Takahashi, finishing 11th just a month after re-injuring the metal plate in his forearm (from last years break). A lazy day ends with deep sleep
Monday is a lazy day. But I work the abdominals and lower back when I get home and then transfer all of the electronics from the old entertainment center to the new one. Since I rewired some of the electronics, the sound is better when I get everything back together. But not as good as new electronics will be!
It's not a productive week at Northrop Grumman, but it is at home. I split my workout and really bomb the muscles Tuesday through Friday. It feels good to see the barbell drooping under the all of the weight and then go make the heavy lift. As well as the pump afterwards and the deep sleep at night.
On Wednesday night I lay down for reading and sleep as I usually do. I'm trying to get through a book that the dentist recommended. It's a lot of Buddhism mixed with neuroscience and has some good thoughts. I already see a positive influence in my life. But one quote strikes me and when I read it, I realize that it is going to change my life. It reads, "Give up whatever you're attached to". And with the relief of a heavy weight being removed from, I fully comprehend the thought and know that it is going to change my life.
On Friday night I've handled phone calls from Person J_VKPI (drunk from Chicago), Person T_U, Person D_SF (recovering from cancer), and Rob (a former neighbor). Rob is going to drive on up and ride part of Sunday's ride with me. I also note that on a number of occasions I have avoided falling into past bad behaviors and thoughts by repeating, "Give up whatever you're attached to". Throughout Friday I have done all of the steps needed to insure a deep sleep for Friday night: stopped caffeine near noon, had a good heavy workout with the weights, went for a 30 minute walk, avoided any fat after noon, turned off all of the phones, taken Kava root extract, and put in ear plugs. Thus I wake up once during the night at 4am to take out the ear plugs, but the sleep is very deep and concentrated and just what I needed. This would have been a good night for a burglar to have broken into my house in order to rob and murder me. But that doesn't happen.
On Saturday morning I get out for an hour ride on the road bicycle up the Los Angeles river as a final tuneup before Sunday's grocery shopping, watch qualifying for the Canadian Grand Prix, and water the roses. Today is to be a lazy, restfull day before the long ride. But, unfortunately, I do not sleep necessarily well in advance of the long bicycle ride.
On Sunday I'm out the door near 5:45 am to ride to Griffith Park for the start of the ride. The course has changed a bit this year as they've removed some of the course where the river trail was rough and possibly dangerous. Thus I get to see a new part of the city that I haven't seen before in addition to riding past the beautifull old houses in Boyle Heights (some of which are being worked on now). At the registration for the event they have Daryl Hannah, the actress, say a few words because she is a huge bicycle advocate. Just before it is time to line up to start the formal ride I catch Daryl Hannah without people wanting to take her picture, so I go up to her and say, "Thanks for being an advocate for cycling in our city. Call me and we'll ride someday". As I hand her my phone number she gets a big smile and says thanks and a few other things that I don't really hear. And then I go line up for the ride. As I'm lined up Rob calls and will not be meeting up with me because he's taken his Mom to the hospital and was up late on Saturday night. Seeing that I have not run into any co-workers (this being the largest Los ANgeles river ride thus far), I'm on my own. It's a good ride though I see more falls this year than in previous years. I struggle for the last 15 miles or so, but I finish relatively comfortably. About an hour after the ride there are no effects - oh I certainly wouldn't be able to ride anymore and my neck is sore, but those are expected. I actually put some ice on my neck and that helps.
The remainder of the day is spent watching racing. And dealing with phone calls wtih Person J_VKPi (now sober), Person T_U, Person D_SF, and Person M_Fl. Person M_Fl comes over to visit for a while to allow traffic to die down. So we watch television and listen to music for an hour or so.
I have a lot of trouble sleeping on Sunday night. How can this be? Did I not beat myself up enough during the 70 mile ride? I can't even fall asleep to start with, thus I get up and watch television until midnight and try again. But sleep is difficult in coming.
Monday is not that productive at Northrop Grumman. I get home and lift weights and do as well as can be expected after the Sunday bicycle ride and not much sleep. After a quick rinse I walk over to the police station for a quarterly neighborhood association meeting. We talk about the usual stuff and I see the usual city council people, neighbors, and police personnel.