Went to bed slightly late, but not too bad, just a bit behind. Killed the lights, started the ocean, and set the timer. I slept well and woke up early to use the bathroom, then laid back down. Usually, Thursdays are the earliest day of the week, only one class, yet at 9:30. Today though, I had already excused myself via email, as I had a doctors appointment in Detroit, again yet at a different hospital. Again with the sports medicine orthopedic department, now with their ankle guy instead of the pelvis guy last week.
I had planned my trip, googled the distance and drive time and as always, added plenty of margin to my schedule. It was actually a rather nice coincidence, to replace my earliest day with a free hour or two in my morning coupled with a free evening and hopefully, a new foot brace.
I relaxed in bed, I stretched- oh, it’s been stretching out nicely and got up to shower. It’s really nice to have a day not having to rush. Going ten percent faster seems to make things hurt twice as much. In and out of the shower, pills, dressed and downstairs to boil, steep, and drink a whole cup of tea. I ended up having two.
Checking over the APRS mapping server, I passed the time easily until my internal timer went off and I gathered what I needed and headed out the door. Heading to my car, I saw my front drivers side tire was pretty low, so I pulled out the pump, plugged it in and set it to work. It only takes five minutes per tire I reminded myself as I walked around the car, gladly the others looked good.
Unplugged the pump, jumped in the car and connected my phone. Very glad to have the new radio installed for the trip, both to have some tunes playing, as well as being able to use its Chrome app to view my mapping website and track my progress across the map, as I use my phone to plot the navigational path forward. Necessary for a trip to Detroit? No, however, by the end of the year it will be very nice to lead me to the next destination.
Waco. I think I want to learn to surf. There is a wave pool there. I saw it on TV last week I think, maybe somewhere else. Other references aside, it is something I’ve thought of before- and wonder how hard it would be to learn. For me to learn. How hard I would have to work my current PT from now until the end of semester to hope be able to have that much core control. I’m guessing that’s all it is. Legs and core control, and balance. Oh, and if you fall, there is water. Like, right there under your feet.
That’s a heck of safety net.
I could take a weeks worth of classes and go to the gulf and spend a week on the beach at Mustang Island surfing. Or at least, trying to surf. I could fall each and every time repeatedly and only become a better swimmer and surf board paddler because of it. Oh, and get wet every time I fall, guaranteed.
If it went well… I’d have the week or so before the next semester started to switch (or go back, depending on my then current status,) to online classes for the semester. That is what I have planned, yet as of now I am really enjoying going to classes and seeing people. Granted, this degree of “normality” is something that has been utterly absent in my life in the last… fuck, can I just say two years yet? Just past twenty months.
We’ll see how that goes. A couple weeks in the waves and sand, then come back for the next semester? Maybe I take well to surfing- it would be great PT! Oh, I could envision it. Sitting out on a board, sun on your back, feet hanging in the bath water warm water, swelling with the waves. Watching others go, learning by observing, learning and improving by the sheer force of my desire to excel. Oh, I could be great.
Or, it really could be as hard as it looks, and God knows I could not do that “popping up” thing- right now. In which case, that would most certainly tip the scales towards returning to Michigan and another semester of in-person classes and winter. Or, like I said- I could be great. Making I catch on, and find a cheap place to stay near the beach and do online classes every day once I get home from my daily 5am adventure to surf the gulf- or to at least sit sullenly looking at if if poor weather toils.
That sounds exciting too. Sometimes, you can you meet a lot of interesting people just sitting on the beach. Just briefly, I messaged with Erin (no H,) on Facebook the other day, she was pretty excited to hear I’d be coming back to Texas this year.
Oh Lord – (and know, as I wrote this I looked up to my Crucifix and began these next thoughts in prayer to Him,) to do the same trip as last year- yet now, with improved condition, but not that. To do the same trip as last year- yet now with improved knowledge. I have it plotted day by day, the driving, Mathis, Mustang Island, to the unregulated beach. Ccrossing New Mexico, from Jal through Carlsbad and into the desert. Resupplying as needed for over a month while staying isolated in the unregulated “Rocky Bay”.
Oh, I could follow the same path. I would like to celebrate Mass in Jal again, just to say thank you. If not for Jal, then not college now. Oh, the Lord, My God delivered me into my current land of milk and honey. By sending a white Tundra to T-bone me as I cruised down the highway, headed out of town- on my planned future. Ha.
Ha. Ha.
Oh Lord, sometimes, they say it is healthy to laugh at ourselves. And I think it is true; with comparison, I think it’s confirmed. Meaning, overtime, it’s probably not healthy for you to laugh at other people! LOL.
However, me, I, yes, I can laugh at me. Living in the fricken desert. That was the plan for a while. And yet still, I’ve likely had worse ideas and various points in time… yet fr, fr (haha, see, I’m “hip”,) I was actually out living in my this idea for a month and some. Then again, a lot of my past ‘bright’ ideas ending up creating messes that I dwelled in for years and decades.
Okay, stories for other days, it’s late- 1:35 a.m. already.
I sat in the car for moment and let the A/C kick in and the radio connect to wifi, plug in the phone for usb, check the bluetooth connection. It only took a minute or two- it’s a new radio, with a lot of features. Then I was on my way (and I had already filled up my tank yesterday, only six miles on the fresh tank.) I didn’t make it to the first light and my radio dropped it’s wifi connection (now, I’m thinking it had connected to my house wifi instead of my phone wifi initially,) and being the safe driver that I am- I pulled off the road to adjust the radio.
Not usually, yet to adjust the wifi settings on my new android radio? Yeah, I’m gonna pull over for that- that is why we plan for margins and leave early. As I pulled into the liquor store next to the highway, I looked at the clock. Obvious, I know, as it is um, well, um… on the radio. Somehow the math was wrong. I wasn’t twenty minutes early anymore. I was almost twenty minutes late. What?
I needed the map, so I took a few minutes anyway to get it working before I got back on the road, then a good bit of driving went very smooth, past Ann Arbor was good. Somehow, and this was my phone, not the radio (the radio was showing the mapping website,) while the phone was giving me my directions, it started to glitch.
I strongly recall it giving me lane indication to get into the second lane from the right to take the exist. However, as I did exactly that, the blue line went straight, and I hung a left onto 275 south. Recalculating. Okay, WTH google. Avoiding playing with the phone, it found me turn around up ahead. Under construction (isn’t some part of 275 always under construction,) again the blue line and Siri’s voice lead me past them, I presumed the corresponding north bound exits were closed.
Okay, where is it at? What? A Michigan U-turn on the highway? Detroit you’re crazy I thought, but whatever goes for safe in these parts I guess. Then, I got a bit closer. Um, Google… No. No, we’re not going to use an old construction service road you auto-scanned last year, it’s not there. Recalculating; another five miles south and the turn around comes back to the north through city streets- the highway is under construction you know.
By time I got there I was just shy of an hour late (likely time-slotted for 15 minutes.) A bit of hope as they seated me (after I crossed the cavernous hospital- decorated inside like a casino I thought,) of the 3rd floor lobby. A few minutes later I was called back to the desk to reschedule. Was almost going have to wait five more weeks, then I repeated again that I could come any day, just that Tuesdays were best.
She looked up at me and told me that wasn’t the issue, as the doctor wasn’t in on Tuesdays, he was at another location on those days. I asked if she could schedule me at one of those locations and she responded with “you don’t mind the drive?” and I mention I was already coming from Jackson, so.. it was fine either way. (Ha, true sense of the word ‘fine’.)
Anyway, absent from class, absent from the doctor, then I drove home, smoked a bowl and thought about doing my homework. Smoked another bowl and went to get a message. I got to the plaza and walked down hoping one of the masseuses would be available- both were busy with clients at the five minute chairs. I was happy to wait.
Oh, I can’t, it’s late, I should go to bed Yes I could, I have all the details of a glorious massage- the younger masseuse finished first, instantly my mind went from 30 minutes to an hour. I said “harder” at one point, and she said “huh, deep?”, so I said, “yes, deep”.
Oh God, she went deep.
I writhed.
She used her other hand to hold down my ankle as she plunged the weight of her body upon the surface area of her elbow collapse the muscular structure of my hamstrings.
Oh, so good.
I walked better out than in, oh, my legs hurt (sore,) so bad right now. They been moving better, then then I’m moving them a bit more. Oh, and that massage- then some long stretching steps through the plaza and the parking lot. Tomorrow, a nice big walk I think. Big walk, maybe three or four miles… then, still a timed mile on Sunday – I bet I’ll PR again.
Time to rest.