As I mentioned in my last post, I had my little notebook with me to jot down some notes and observations while I drove. It's easy to say "Oh, I'm gonna blog about that", but when you finally sit down you can never remember the subtle details that made the moment for you. Yup, the mini notebook is pretty handy to have in the car.So Lonely
There's something about sitting in a car for six hours, alone with one's own thoughts to reinforce the fact that one is sitting in one's car for six hours, alone with one's thoughts. Driving during the day helps because you can make eye contact with other drivers, look into and judge their vehicles and belongings and somewhat connect with them, albeit briefly. When you don't leave until the sun has almost set, you're just another stranger on the highway.
Now, combine that loneliness with the idea of millions of good Americans wearing the latter of the Easter and Christmas Best, attending candlelight services at their church of choice, while I'm sitting alone in the Chittenango rest area dining on the remains of that day's deep dish veggie pizza. I overheard one employee explaining to someone that they'd be closing early because nobody's out on the road on Christmas Eve. "Ahem, I'm sitting right here!"
I took that piece of information as a warning that there would be no more rest areas for the rest of my drive. They were out of coffee and the sugar buzz from the dozen or so Christmas cookies I ate for brunch was quickly wearing off. I tried to buy a few Diet Cokes from a vending machine, but it wouldn't take my money. Ruh-roh!The Wind was A-Howlin'
Despite the utter lack of snow along my drive, the wind more than made up for it. Several times I found myself behind a semi with a double trailer dog-tracking down the road. Once, the rear wheels of the rear trailer were on the other side of the rumble strip and the whole thing was in this double jack-knife position. I thought for sure the thing was going to wreck. I had my lens cap off just in case.
When the driver straightened it out, I dropped the hammer and whipped by him to avoid being tied up in any future wrecks. Oh Lesbaru, thou art so fleet of feet.The Stow Away
Remember that stuffed squirrel that showed up on my desk? Well, apparently he wanted to shuffle off to Buffalo, so he stowed away in one of my bags. His name is Montgomery, quite fitting of a squirrel of his worldly nature.
Here is a picture of him looting my Christmas stocking.
And, as if that wasn't naughty enough, here he is climbing the Christmas Tree. Thank God he didn't knock the Mom's Favorite ornament off!
My Sick Kitty
When I left, my youngest cat was a little under the weather. He had thrown up several times but he's no stranger to throwing up so it was not a huge deal. When I got home from Buffalo things were a little different.
Vinny had continued throwing up for probably several days until all that was left in his poor tummy was bright green bile, which he deposited on the kitchen floor and the fold-out couch cushions. He wouldn't eat or drink and I started to panic.
I'm going to leave this as a bit of a cliff-hanger for now. I will tell you that he seems to be back to his normal self after several days of constant care from The Cat Master (me). He's been eating solid food a little at a time, and drinking Pedialyte to help get his electrolytes back up after all that vomiting.
It was a close call for sure; many cats won't start eating again once they've stopped for a few days. I think that was the main contributor to Thorey's death a few years back, so you can see why I took it so seriously.
Over and Out,
Old Coot
Sunday, December 30, 2007
Christmas 2007 (Part II)
Sunday, December 23, 2007
Merry Christmas Eve Eve
Merry Christmas Eve Eve! I was awoken this morning by some off-key Carolers throwing snowballs at my bedroom windows. It took me a few minutes to figure out what the hell was going on and when I looked out the window I saw it was some of my running buddies taunting me for bagging that morning's run. I had my reasons.So... Wiped... Out
Before I start my complaint about being so tired I'm going to acknowledge that there are probably people out there who work harder than I do and have more responsibilities than I have, but that doesn't mean I can't be tired too.
Last you probably heard form me I was working OT trying to get our project caught up and at the same time stack that paper. I've been going full steam ahead towards those ends taking only Sundays to get my beauty sleep. That might help explain why I bagged this morning's run. Yesterday as I sat in the dark office by myself I think I was officially burned out. I couldn't get much done, and what I did do wasn't all that good. I did however, manage to clean the coffee makers.
Sprinkle in a 3 or 4 dozen miles of running a week and it's a recipe for burnout if I've even seen one. All work and play makes Old Coot a tired boy, plus a poorly fed boy at that. I've been eating like crap, which I'm sure only exacerbates the problem.December is National My Car Maintenance Month
As I'm sure happens with everyone, I wait until way past the last minute to tend to car maintenance. For example, I need new tires. I've known about the tire situation for some time so it's not a surprise. I also know which tires I want and where I want to get them. I even have money earmarked for the job, so you'd think it would be a no-brainer. Wrong-o.
Late this week I finally got up the gumption to call the place and make an appointment. As luck would have it I have to wait a week to have them put on, which pushes my annual inspection closer to the wire.
Did I forget to mention that my inspection is up this month? And if you guessed that my current tires won't pass inspection, you guessed correctly. So there's an obvious order of operations here: tires, then inspection. Having a tire appointment of 12/28 makes it tough to get the inspection done before the 12/31 deadline.
Every 3,000 miles or 3 months, whichever comes first... Well, I finally got my oil changed yesterday; a job I absolutely hate to pay for because it's so easy to do myself. It was only 3,600 miles since my last change so there was no concern there. But it had been 6 months since my last change, and we all know oil breaks down whether you're driving or not.
The good news was that there's a new place not too far from my house that got me in and out in about 10 minutes. They even threw in a "free" car wash, which I'm sure is rolled into the exorbitant cost of the oil change. I seized the opportunity to have my car washed, a task that sometimes only happens every 6,000 miles or 12 months, whichever comes first. Shuffling Off to Buffalo
Like the nicknames every kid you meet thinks they invented, every person who asks if I'm "Shuffling Off to Buffalo" gets a kick out of being so creative. But the answer is, yes I am going to Buffalo for Christmas.
Since my family celebrates Christmas in a different manner than the American Media Conglomerate would like you to celebrate it (by spending 2 months' salary on diamonds and other month's salary on other crap) gift giving and receiving are not the highlight of the trip. In fact, we'll probably have a nice low-key day filled with coffee, breakfast, lunch, dinner, supper and perhaps some Scrabble. It'll be perfect. I even have a new Yankee Candle for my mom (does that count as a gift?), to give the house that familiar Christmas smell in the absence of a freshly butchered tree.
The second highlight of the Holiday week is the Annual Bartley Party, which is now a fundraiser for PUSH. What started out as an annual meeting of high school alumni at the Bartley homestead has turned into quite the celebration. I love going because it's filled with about 15 years' worth of alumni from my HS, and other like-minded folks. It's the one place we get to meet up and see what everyone has or has not been doing over the last year. Oh, it'll be sweet.
Well, my laundry is dry. Time to fold, set another load in motion, and hit the mean streets of P-field to run a few miles. It's 45 degrees today, and you know what that means. SHORTS WEATHER!
Over and Out,
Old Coot
