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SIMPLE PLEASURES

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SIMPLE PLEASURES

I don't really put a lot of preparation into this space. I like to riff. But yesterday morning I had one of those breakthrough awarenesses that seems tailor-made for blogging. It is this: one of life's great pleasures is being the first to break the toilet paper seal in a newly cleaned porta-pottie on race day. So righteous. So pure. Then to step out into the first moments of a pale morning sunrise and see runners arriving to compete. Washing my hands at one of those portable outdoor soap dispensaries, then wandering off in search of a food truck for a breakfast burrito.

I mean, does it get any better than that?

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DJ

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DJ

Django blew out his ACL and the vet says the surgery for an old dog is beyond expensive. So he prescribes pain pills and time, saying the joint will calcify. The doggie day care acknowledges his wound by putting a yellow band around his neck to indicate his limp is an injury. Combined with his normal blue collar it looks like he's wearing the flag of Ukraine around his neck. The place is now synonymous for anxiety, unpredictability, and complete What the Fuck.

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ALOHA (PART 2)

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ALOHA (PART 2)

Four days on the North Shore is not enough.

I was just getting into vacation mode when it became time to fly home. Took the team to Hawaii for a meet. Callie came along. Race was Saturday afternoon (we did well). This means flying home Sunday, because there's practice Monday afternoon. But four days on the chill and rustic North Shore is better than none. My wife and I didn't do a whole lot other than hike jungle trails and lounge on the sand. But that's the point of a vacation, isn't it?

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THIS AND THAT

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THIS AND THAT

I'm a procrastinator who writes books with such total focus that the rest of my life goes on hold. It's like being a double procrastinator. So now that Taking Midway's first draft is with the publisher and I am paddling back to shore, there are a few odds and ends that need attending....

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CHARGE SYSTEM DEFAULT

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CHARGE SYSTEM DEFAULT

"Charge system fault." That's what I googled in the waiting room. The warning light had just come on in the Rover. Red and important.... Google told me precisely what would happen next. One by one, my car's electrical functions would shut down. Then it would stop completely. Just a matter of time. Get to a mechanic immediately.

We got a little sideways news from the cancer docs that day. The kind that reminds you that the things you thought were under control have other plans

A LITTLE DETOUR

A LITTLE DETOUR

Made it to Mammoth. The sky is clear and blue. Temperature borderline between wearing a sweatshirt for the hike I'll take when this is written, or just going in shirtsleeves. A few too many people for my taste, but this is peak season. I just need to abide.

I took a little detour on my way here. The plan was to leave Tuesday, board the dogs, then spend a few relaxing days writing in Mammoth while waiting for the team. Calene's in South Dakota so my time is my own.