On Tuesday I drop the World Rally Car off at the dealer for an oil change and they say that I'm in early. But I point out that it has been 6 months (even if only 2000 miles) and they take the car and promise it back soon. Instead of skating home I walk home with a quick stop at the grocery store. (It's about a 40 minute walk from the dealer to home.)
On Wednesday I have a productive day at Northrop Grumman finding some discrepancies that have been causing us to chase our tails for a while. I eventually rush on home, get in a good workout with the weights, then jump on the mountain bicycle to ride over for the Wednesday night concert in the park. I run into Person T_U who lives across the street from the park and my city councilperson. Otherwise I just listen to music for a while and then ride on home.
I stay away from work on Thursday and get out for the loop ride. Then I skate over to the dealer to pick up the World Rally Car and then run a few errands. Just after noon I babysit the DirecTV technicians as I get a new dish and DVR. When they leave I mow,edge,and trim the lawn. The lawn is looking very good this year - it got off to a slow start but is looking very green and healthy right now. And then I relax. Except that Ruby comes over with a number of boxes of ResourceScout records and we spend time sorting through these.
Friday starts slowly but I eventually get out for a timed ride up the Los Angeles river near mid-morning. Early in the afternoon I have a great relaxing helth-producing session with the acupuncturist. The session is so stress-relieving that I have trouble doing much of anything else throughout the day. It seems that the release of energy is taking its toll. Thus as Person T_U and I trade phone calls throughout the evening, deciding whether to go out clubbing or not, I finally decide to stay home and collapse into bed.
I'm up late on Saturday (since I turned the alarm off to get more rest). After doing the laundry I get out for the aquarium ride just before noon. The aquarium ride becomes the turning point for the summer. It's a fantastic ride and I add extra miles on at the end. I keep thinking of the life situation that I am in and many people who are less fortunate than me. And I vow that I will be visiting Wat Opot and am in that area. Hopefully in December. And I can just feel the summer blahs disappearing and life beginning to get interesting again.
Later on Saturday Person C_T comes over and we watch for his television commercials, do some kitchen planning, and finally have dinner with Person T_U at an Indian restaurant. We have a nice visit and then cruise around the Barnes & Nobles for books and stuff.
I'm up a bit late (again) on Sunday to work on the roses and finally to get out cycling near 9:30 am. During the ride I start feeling stronger and stronger until I am cranking along up one gear and catch up to some other cyclists. I jump to the head of the pack and pull for a while up another gear until one of the riders jumps ahead and pulls me along. The group is now split and we are cranking along at a rapid pace. Finally it is time for me to make the turn on to Del Amo to come home and I am beat. I more or less crawl on home. The rest of the day is really spent recovering from this ride. Oh I do manage to sweep and clean all of the hardwood floors, but that's about it. And I look forward to the next five days off the bicycles.
The final tally for the four day weekend is: bicycle - 92 miles, world rally car - 33 miles, motorcycle - 0 miles, walking - 1 mile.
As I pull the motorcycle out of the garage on Monday morning I notice that it is hard to push. The tires look okay, but when I take a reading I see about 5 psi left in the rear tire. Thus I pump up the rear tire with a bicycle tire pump and find a screw in the tire. Because this is a hectic week I pump up the tire each morning before work and ride home each evening on a moderately soft tire - it's probably down 10 psi by the afternoon ride home. Until Friday when I finally get over to the dealer and I get the situation taken care of (as described below).
On Monday and Tuesday I am pulled every which way at work and I see that the calendar for the rest of the week is only going to get worse. I struggle along propelled by the new 16 ounce size of Red Bull. On both Monday and Tuesday I split my weight lifting routine to hit the push and then the pull muscle groups. But then I throw in some new lifts. I can tell that I am going to be sore on Wednesday and beyond.
Wednesday is just a wasted day at work as I sit in teleconferences and meetings and then I go home and work the abdominals, feed and water the roses and carnations, and wipe down the motorcycle for getting the tire fixed on Thursday. (I want the motorcycle to be spotless when I take it in for services so that the dealer realizes that they have to be spotless also.)
During the middle of the day on Friday I ride over to a motorcycle dealer near work and get advice about the slowly deflating tire. I bite the bullet and agree that I guess I should just get new tires (as these probably have to be replaced in 6 to 12 months anyway). So I walk back to work and continue the normal business until it is time to go home. Then I walk back to the motorcycle dealer and pick up the Yamaha YZF-R1 with new Dunlop Qualifier tires on. The bike feels great!
When I get home I have a great "pull session" of lifting to go on top of Thursday's "push Session". later I have discussions with Person T_U and finally decide to head out to a club or two in West Hollywood. I get the wristband to the herd/clone club and then walk over to the second club. There is a new DJ and he is playing very very good music. So I go to my favorite bartender and even though I have not been out for a while she remembers my Red Bull and 7-Up drink and I enjoy the music. I make introductions to a couple of people one with "You have the cutest smile. Are you having fun tonight?" And, unfortunately, the person with the cute smile, who is with a number of also-cute friends, is from Minnesota. We have a discussion about that and then I take my leave - but not letting go of my friend's hand as I walk away and walk away away and walk away until I only have the grip of one finger. I get back to the herd/clone club after midnight and immediately run into Person T_U. We hang out for the rest of the evening and I use Person T_U to try and ward off unwanted advances that come tonight. Why is it tonight, though I've gained a few pounds and not looking as good as usual, there are people who want to be my friend (at least for the rest of the night)? I eventually leave the club when it closes at 2, wait around for a bit, and then head for home. But not before fending off a second try from a guy who wants me as his company for at least tonght. I rush on home and turn out the lights for sleep a bit after 3 am on Saturday morning.
On Saturday I'm up a few minutes after 6 am to do the laundry, watch qualifying for the Hungarian Grand Prix, straighten up some paperwork, and then get out for the aquarium bicycle ride. It's a great ride as I've found a bit more speed. Where did this new-found speed come from and how long will it last? After the ride I take a cool shower and go to Barnes & Noble to buy the book that I couldn't remember last weekend. The rest of the day is spent reading and doing little things around the house and working on a website for Person C_T.
As expected, Saturday night's sleep is deep. Thus I am lazy on Sunday morning. I watch the Hungarian Grand Prix and throughout keep saying, "I hope that the leader doesn't win this race because then the podium would be a strange one". Three laps from the end the leader's engine expires and my hope for a strange podium makeup is fulfilled. I then go do some maintenance on the roses and get in a great session with the weights for the "push muscle group". I hardly ever lift weights until later in the day, so it's a bit strange but a good workout nonetheless. Late in the afternoon I get out for the aquarium bicycle ride. I just tell myself to ride along without pushing the pace excessively. I fight a headwind all the way down to the aquarium which gives me a good workout and then just stay up one gear to ride on home. Though it is only a two day weekend, it seems like it has been a long one. So I get in some reading at night and head for sleep a bit early.
On Monday I try to be as productive as possible. And have a great session with the "pull muscle group" and a 40 minute walk after work.