Homeless - 37

Heeeyyy, Boo-Boo,

Welcome to the world of the New England Patriots. They were gracious enough to allow Dallas to study at the their feet of greatness. I'm usually a KC fan but when asked who's my favorite, I respond with the Chiefs and any team that's playing the Cowboys; I don't care if its' the sixth grade Brownie troop, I'm pulling for them. Since the Patriots won me a sizable chunk of money when they beat the Rams in the SuperBowl many moons ago, I have since been responding that I have three favorites. I read about the game in Monday's paper since the big screen is inoperative aboard Black Thunder.

Late last week, I saw out one-legged bird friend, Lefty. He/she/it is doing much, much better; doesn't look like it had been rassling with a couple of pissed off cats. The feathers are full and lustrous, has a shine in its' eyes, a smile in its' heart and is hopping about on one leg just fine - and can fly with the best of them. Hope he/she/it makes it through the winter. I'll keep some crackers available if I can.

There are times when I'm parked that I have to step outside the truck to...take care of things...and when I open the door, the interior light comes on and stays on for 30 seconds. I have mentioned my desire to not be noticed, to be as a ghost navigating through the chaos of the civilized world, to blend into the environment like a feather on a duck's back. Well, it's getting darker earlier these days. I usually time my exits when there is a high probability that no human eye is turned in my direction. During one dark evening, I was wishing that there was a way to turn off the interior light without sacrificing the electrical integrity of the on board systems when my eyes fell upon a switch on the instrument panel that was labeled 'Dome Light Off'. I depressed it to another position, where it stayed, and opened the door. No light! There are times when I'm such an eeeediot! Now I can exit the cab in the darkness without a beacon advertising activity in my area when I exit to...take care of things. I need to re-read the owner's manual. Maybe there is a deployable satellite dish within the infrastructure of this magnificent machine.

Al Gore won the Nobel Peace Prize?!? Ahem! Did he create global warming, too? I don't have anything against the guy but...the Nobel Peace Prize? There's data that suggests humanity's involvement in that phenomena but not all the scientific types are on board with that idea. What was the criteria for awarding him - being a front man for the scientific community? I don't get it; it's like mixing cheese and ice cream. They could have awarded it to the person who brought everlasting peace to the Middle East. Wait.. that hasn't happened yet. OK...they could have awarded it to the person who solved world hunger...hang on, that hasn't happened either. They could...never mind...I got nutin'.

This past Saturday, I pitched in on a moving project. I helped a human female move from a third story apartment to a house. The day was perfect for it; low 80's, light breeze, clear sky, the birds were singing and the children were frolicking but we were dripping sweat by 11 AM loading up the UHaul. There was enough griminess, stickiness, saltiness, etc. on us for several other bipeds with opposable thumbs. I had a couple of beers (the good kind that has longer fermentation protocols) at evening's end and I was out. I was so tired that if I was sleeping with someone, I would've stayed on my side of the bed that night. There were a couple of bruises on my arms due to uncooperative furniture, minor things, but the biggie was sore legs, not arms or upper body tissues. The quadicepticus...ehh, quadricactus...anyway, the front part of the legs between the knees and the groin (thank god that's ok!) were very sore. Any movement that involved those muscle groups also involved some teeth gritting. The past couple of days I stayed away from stairs except for the hot tub and getting out was much easier than getting in. Unfolding from the truck in the morning and taking a few steps surely brought some mirth to the watching gods. Lowering the physical frame to a sitting position and rising from such a position required a focus of mind configured for enduring burning discomfit. One has to wonder about the aftermath if I didn't work out regularly. Body cast, Valium and a bedpan?


Well, it's getting late and dark. The lights haven't come on in the parking lot where I'm camping for the night; they're usually activated by this time. The vehicle is backed up to the rear of the convenience store, close to the infamous grassy knoll, where the store lights illuminate this portion of the lot. I'm using that light to write this entry. It should be OK but I feel more noticeable, somewhat more exposed. Ah, well. Earlier, the northwestern horizon was darkening, promising to unleash its gathering, elemental fury like it did during the Monday morning commute. In these parts, we call that type of heavy rain a 'frog strangler'; probably caused an accident or two. So if that does happen again during tomorrow morning's commute, remember to set your vehicle's force field to high. I'm thinking a setting of an 8 terra watt intensity should suffice to repel anything that intercepts your vector such as squirrels, semis or the occasional pedestrian.

Happy trails to you,

David