July 31 - Great Eastern Tour Day 15

Runs: 1
Beers: 1
Moments reminiscing: 13

9:36 a.m. - Sweat my way through a run. Getting to the point where gills would be really useful for breathing outdoors.

11:11 a.m. - Coffee in a library just seems wrong. Far too much danger of damaged books. Glad the public library didn't start that until after my tenure as employee was complete. The new signage and painting the local coffee shop provided to go with the coffee corner is very nice, but that won't matter much when trying to pry apart the sticky pages of books with coffee spills. While wandering around the library, it is a little depressing to realize I no longer can find things without needing the guides at the end of each aisle. Too much has been moved or shifted. Do manage to find exercise books for Mom without knowing the exact number section. Good to know some skills still exist. The reality of how long I've been gone sinks in when my old boss talks about her grandchilren whose existence I was unaware of. The oldest one is 5 - quickly do the math and realize that's a year after my employ ended.

2:02 p.m. - More time at the piano. An old, old tune has been playing in my head all day, and finally it can be released as the world around me slips away.

2:42 p.m. - Brother comes home sweltering from the heat and lack of A/C in his car, so we hit the pool. The neighbors will be home tomorrow. Attempt to clean up the pool bottom in anticipation of their return. Discover that the leaves are not as connected as they appeared from the surface. Hard to grab at things that float and drift as the water moves. Good way to stay occupied and busy in the pool.

4:04 p.m. - Oprah is doing a show on the school crisis in America. The information she presents is shocking. At the same time it is totally unsprurpising to me. The plight of my profession and colleagues is familiar and yet foreign. Most disheartening is its affect on our students. I commend Oprah for her efforts, and pray the backlash doesn't land squarely on the shoulders of teachers.

9:03 p.m. - Meet the writer at a local bar (okay, only bar in our suburb) for drinks. An ambulance is sitting at the door when I park the car. Old man gets wheeled out on a gurney, blocking my entry. This better not be an omen for the evening.

9:25 p.m. - Details of the writer's brother's wedding (his reason for being in town) are sufficiently covered.
"I was cracking them up with the toast. Then, I wowed them on the dance floor."
"I"m sure you did."
"Are you using sarcasm with me?"
"Don't I always?"
"Why do you think I wouldn't wow them on the dance floor?"
"I'm not saying you didn't wow them, but how do you know they weren't saying, 'wow, that guy's a terrible dancer!'?"

10:12 p.m. - Finish first beer. Pitch to the writer why he should grant an audition for his film to the actress' boyfriend. May have actually managed to get him interested. Learn a lot about life in the world of Nickelodeon and being a production assistant. Sounds slightly better than being coffee getter, but at least he finally has a full time job to support him while writing. The thought that this low-grade job probably nets him more than me is perturbing, until balanced with the fact that he's paying bills in LA.

10:44 p.m. - Forgo second pint of beer. Not sure how much longer we'll be here (or how late the place is open), and there's no one to drive me home. Conversation moves on to relationships, why we don't have them, and why that's okay. Finally, a person who somewhat understands my take on these things.

11:23 p.m. - Talking about how and why we hated each other in high school. A classic example of Shakespearian misconceptions. Or maybe a vicious cycle. There are elements of both which I ponder while reliving some of the less enjoyable aspects of my high school years. At least we have both grown-up. Friends is better than enemies, we've decided.

12:18 a.m. - Leave bar. Conversation topics have run out, as has my energy. Good night, at least for us - not so sure how it went for ambulance guy.