Rochester, NY
11:00 AM
It’s Saturday morning. That means different things to different people. It used to be the day we’d be scrambling around to get ready for soccer or basketball games. Then it grew to the day where I could finally sleep until noon. Then it turned into the day where I’d get up early, work out, shower and get a bunch of errands done. I’m not sure what my Saturday’s have turned into.
Today I sit at the same kitchen table at the same house of my parents where I’ve been for the past month. A month goes by fast. I’ve been writing and trying to put my sales hat back on. I’m not as far along as I’d like, but progress is being made. I have paradise to myself for the weekend. My parents are away at a jail. They are not arrested; they are going there with some people from their church to talk to a group of the inmates. I will be going down on Sunday to meet the people. I will have to say I’m a bit apprehensive. I’m not sure why, other than I’m going to spend a few hours with inmates. It also makes me feel bad that I did not go see a friend of mine when he was in lockup. I don’t feel like I was a very good friend at that time. I do feel like my parents are pretty awesome for doing what they’re doing. They asked me to go on Sunday. The Cowboys play the Giants on TV. The Rams and Seahawks are on. But, I’m going to jail.
I had a date with my sister on Thursday night. I was wanting to get out of the house (days and days of writing wear on you, no matter how pretty the view). She was wanting to go to a movie. We decided on The Forgotten. Intense. Some good scenes that make you jump. Not scary, but a lot going on. Some scenes are not well done, but overall, it was worth seeing. And it was fun to do something just the two of us.
It’s been a weird week in Rochester and in particular in Greece, our suburb. There was a bad car accident here on I think Tuesday night. Two brothers from my high school and a girl I’d met a few times were involved. The brothers were two years older and younger than me. I had seen the younger one when I got back and talked to him for a few minutes during that time. That was the last time I’d see him. He passed. The older brother was sent to the ICU and it sounds like he’ll be OK, or as OK as you can be after something like that. The girl is a friend of good friends. I had met her a few times at some of the local bars. She was always smiling. At one point she was the roommate of one of my good friends. She passed too. She had a little girl.
When things like this happen, it really makes you think and reassess. Each person takes something different from it. I feel bad for the families and the friends. I knew all 3 of them and would say hi if I saw them, but we weren’t close. But still the accident and the passing affect me. I can’t imagine the feelings of those closer. Thoughts and prayers should be with them.
I don’t really know what we learn. I guess you have to live to the fullest every day. You have to cherish those close to you and not be afraid to tell them how much you appreciate them.
OK, enough of that. My day today has been mellow. It is a nice feeling to have your own place. If I want to walk around in my underwear, I can. If I want to go pee with the doors open, I can. If I want to be a bum, I can. And I may.
There is a lot of football on. Texas OK should be a good one. It’s funny what football season has done to me. On the Road, I was the rah rah guy always doing something. The TV was an afterthought. Now I find myself wondering who’s playing when. I guess I’m sucked into the reality craze of athletics. So I’ll probably sit around for a while and watch some ball. I may write and do some emails.
Tomorrow I go to jail. I have $5 on the Cowboys game with my friend Jim. He’s a Giants fan. Time to run. I have pretzels cooking in the oven. I like well done, almost burned pretzels. I’m trying to cook them again. 350 for an undetermined amount of time. Not too shabby.
Enjoy the weekend.