And now.... The exciting conclusion to 9/07

On the first day of October, two thousand and seven years, Anno Domini I shall attempt to illustrate the awe inspiring events of the past weekend. (Shouldn't weekend be plural? I mean technically it represents Saturday, one end of the prior week, and then Sunday the front end of the present week? If you don't consider Sunday an end, then perhaps only Friday and Saturday can technically be a weekend? And further more... is the North Pole really the top of our planet... can't it just as well be the South Pole? Wouldn't it just depend on your perspective? For answers for these and other questions.... don't ask me.)

So Friday evening I went to the gym after work. I used the elliptical for just over a half hour, did some stretching and what not... and then showered up. I used profuse amounts of the free foamy soap available in Bally's Total Fitness shower stalls. After drying myself off with my stinky gym towel and the aid of the wall dryer, I got dressed quickly trying to avoid spontaneous conversation in the locker room with strangers. Time was of the essence and I could not be ensnared in this ritual, which is usually undesirable regardless of whether I have some place to be. What can I say... I'm just kind of a locker room snob.

At 7:30 I met Kate, we went to Ace's Pizza on Massachusetts Ave (Mass Ave) and had a couple of grinders. Kate and I got cheap rubber balls out of a vending machine for 50 cents. They were called "porcupine balls" and the gimmick is they have little rubber spines and are squishy. The machine had false advertisement displaying them with googly eyes. Both of our porcupine balls lacked googly eyes to our great dismay, or at least my great dismay. I noticed there were some porcupine balls stuck to the hanging ceiling above the vending machine. No doubt someone else was disgruntled over the lack of googly eyes as well and threw them up there.

Despite our balls having an absence of googly eyes, we decided against sticking them to the ceiling. I took my ball out of its little round case long enough to unwrap it, give it a couple of gentle squeezes, and then I put it back in its case and into my back pack for safe keeping. Kate on the other hand began stretching her ball out. She next began smashing her fist down on top of her ball as it sat on the table. Additionally she would pinch it until it looked as though it would burst. Suddenly Kate exclaimed "hey there's gross stuff coming out of mine!" Sure enough I looked at the ball and a tiny hole, probably where they injected the gel to begin with, had opened fresh. Kate declared "Ewwww it's gross!" but instead of stopping the ball brutality she continued squeezing it. The ball appeared to be pooping bright white goop (a technical term). Of course it was permanently dented... I offered to spend (or waste) another 50 cents on a new ball but Kate refused, and tried to give me the damaged goods. I snapped back declaring that I didn't want it. From here we walked to Inman Square then on to North Station via Cambridge St. Since I had my 5k in the morning I had to get to bed and we went our separate ways.

Tim and Brandy arrived around 8:45 am on Saturday and we headed out to Soldier's Field along the Charles River for the race. Kate met us there to watch us finish, photograph the event, and then go out to brunch with us afterward. It was a gorgeous day for a run. Tim finished first, I second, and Brandy last, but we were all with 10-15 seconds of one another. I had gone to the gym frequently the prior week, and the race I believe was the catalyst I needed to keep myself going. Tim has really got to be proud of the progress that he's made just over this summer in terms of his running performance, and fitness. I predicted he'd probably beat me, and sure enough he did... and Brandy caught up with me, but declined to race me me to the finish line. I'm not a particularly competitive person, however I was inspired to start working harder at keeping in shape. Perhaps next year all three of us will be finishing in the mid-twenties instead of the late-twenties (time in minutes). Tim's sister Jen and her friend also came out to walk the route. Pictures are Brandy running (top) and then myself. Unfortunately Kate did not see Tim cross the finish line and missed him.

The dog pictured was an object of obsession for Kate. She took a couple of pictures of it before the race to practice using the camera. Admittedly it is really cute, however the dog's owner nearly caused an unfortunate accident by thinking she could run the 5k with the dog. She (the owner) started at the front of the pack instead of the rear where she should have been. Really I pity the poor little dog because it could have gotten trampled, and also... if I'm out of breath after running how is a creature with 8 inch legs going to be feeling at the end? It will be like running two marathons for the poor dog. It is sort of animal cruelty really....

After the race we headed back to my apartment to clean up. Brandy & Tim brought their power book and showed Kate & I some of the pictures from their wedding. They mentioned that they'll email me some of them. Once I get them I'll try and post a couple.

Next we headed over to Soundbytes in Somerville for their awesome breakfast. Brandy and Tim seemed just as taken with the eatery as Kate and I are. I was treated for my birthday by Brandy & Tim (Thanks again guys!) While we were there sitting by the sidewalk Brandy thought she saw Scotty (Scott Wilkinson my first roommate and old friend from Saint Joseph's College) who lives a block away. When we looked up and down the street he wasn't there. Brandy took off down the road and tracked him down at a nearby deli. On the way back Scott stopped by and chatted for a few minutes. Kate finally got to meet him and it was a nice coincidence.

Kate took off on her separate way and I drove Tim and Brandy back to Melrose so they could get their car and things from my apartment. We hugged each other goodbye, tears were shed... etc etc (Its always tough to leave me).

After the departure I had to pack my things for an overnight up in Maine. My Aunt Rita was up visiting from Maryland. It is the usual tradition that she visits the first week in October so that she can go to the Fryberg Fair with my Aunt Gigi and my Mother. I took advantage of this to spend some time with Jess Wheeler Saturday night. It had been a long time since I'd had a chance to talk with him outside of Tim's wedding and Bachelor party. So we ended up getting some Thai food and then going out drinking afterward. Amusingly instead of going into Portland we jointly decided to visit the dives on outer Forest Avenue within walking distance of Jess's place. Truthfully none of them were really dives in the traditional sense, except for one which we avoided per Wheeler's advice. Bruno's was probably the nicer of the group in terms of the volume of the noise, beer selection, and the prominence of plasma screen televisions. Bruno's also seemed to have a younger crowd. The one truly un-enjoyable bar was CJ's which turned out to be some hip-hop near-dive dance club. Two other places were truly townie bars attracting a middle aged clientele. They were nicely maintained and had decent atmosphere. After our little EtOH binge we headed to the Wok Inn and brought back an order of Kung Pow Chicken and Teriyaki sticks to Jess's to finish off the night.

The next day I woke up around 10:30-11:00, showered up and had a cup of coffee. Jess's old roommate had roasted the coffee beans herself with her boyfriend and given them to Jess. I usually have cream and sugar when I have coffee, but Jess did not have any. I haven't enjoyed black coffee since I was a Junior in college (when I discovered it was much better with cream and sugar). However, perhaps because it was freshly roasted, or perhaps it was because I so desperately needed the caffeine.... it was a damn fine cup of coffee, no enhancement necessary.

So next I hit the road arriving at my parents only to find that they were out shopping. It occurred to me that I was not going to be eating anything till 4 or 5 pm. I walked up to the Village Store by my parent's home and got a Maine Italian Sandwich which I virtually inhaled. When my parents arrived later my mother complained that my breath was bad from the sandwich. Brushing my teeth, flossing, gargling.... Mom still complained... irritated I stormed off up to the store again for some gum. I get back..... and my mother says "George? I was wondering if you could do me a favor? could you go to the store and buy a jar of relish?" With my shoulders drooped and my head hanging I headed back out the front door and up Crowley Rd.

As I walked into the store I smiled at the cashier and said "Hello Again!" She laughed while I found a jar of Cain's sweet relish and plopped it down on the counter. So this cashier looks at me and says... "Is your name George?" I'm a little weirded out, but reply yes, and ask how she knows my name. She then claims to remember me getting on the bus as a kindergartner (the implication was that she was one of the "big kids" as us youngsters called them back in the day). I would have never guessed she would have attended school with me because she appears a lot older than I am....but then I'm forgetting I'm 30 again.

She goes on to tell me fond memories of going to trick or treat at my parent's house. My dad used to bring back all of the full sized chocolate bars that they wouldn't sell at the Bath Country Club (He was the head Golf Pro there when I was a child) and give them out for Halloween. She said all of the kids specifically came to our neighborhood because of this. I give a quick explanation of the chocolate bars from me. I know she is just hearing blah blah blah "they're rich" blah blah blah, because that's the misconception full sized chocolate bars put in the heads of children. Misconceptions like that in a small lower class town just grow and stick with a family like a stigma. The golf-pro bit doesn't help either because the locals assume you must be rich to have anything to do with the sport. For my family the exact opposite was really true and it would ultimately lead to my Dad quitting what was his passion only to take a miserable job in a shipyard.

She politely asks if I and my parents live nearby, and again I respond in kind. Smiling I walk away, although it fades as I exit the door of my beloved Village Store. It only takes a few seconds and the knowledge of the rapid passage of time settles upon me like a heavy blanket.

I eat hamburgers and hot dogs and nibble at a vegetable platter with my family. It is a quiet night and we really don't talk very much. I watch the Red Sox and the President's Cup (golf) with my Father and my Mother and Aunts are off at the kitchen table talking amongst themselves. Around 6:00 I decide it is time I head back to Melrose so I can be home by 8:00pm and have time to unwind. I give everyone hugs and kisses goodbye, and slip into the car. As my red focus meanders down Interstate 95 the new Iron & Wine album permeates my environment and the sun is setting beyond the silhouette of the tall White Pines.

The Ducks are on the Charles River, Kate took this as a practice shot to get used to using my digital camera. I thought that it came out pretty nice.