Sunday, June 25, 2006

Mission Statement

In other completely unrelated news, I'm on Day 4 of zero cigarettes, cold turkey. I was up to about 1/2 pack a day, truly unheard of for me. I already feel a difference. I'm sleeping better and have more energy, but I would gleefully extract someones soul from its fleshy confines if I thought it contained naught but a nanogram of sweet, sweet nicotine.

I had a definining realization the other day. I am a stubborn old Taurus, I dont like it when other people try to control me. I get very angry when people try to screw with my life, change me, or tell me what to do. I realized I need to apply that to other things too. I define who I am and what I do. Not food, not cigarettes, not women, not sugar, nor any of the other bad influences in my life. I will not allow them to control me and my life anymore.

I'm taking charge, so heaven help the world at large!

Tuesday, June 20, 2006

Random Encounter

Today was like any other day.

Get up, go to work, go home. Repeat as needed.

I got on the bus and rode to the Park & Ride. Listening to music, thinking about dinner.

About half way there the bus came to a halt. There was a roadblock by the local police ahead. The bus came to a halt and an officer got on.

"This road is closed. No traffic going either way for about an hour and a half."

Shit! I'm almost home! I just want to go home and relax!

"If you need to continue northbound, you'll have to take the bike trail. We aren't allowing any foot traffic thru this area."

Sigh. Its miles to the Park & Ride from here.

Well, I guess I needed some exercise.

We all shuffled off the bus like fucking refugees and started shuffling northward.

This beautiful girl from the bus got my attention. "Do you know how far it is to go?" she asked in a strange accent I couldnt place.

"A couple of miles I guess."

"I dont know this place very well," she admitted.

"Thats okay, I know where I'm going, you can follow me."

The sun was out and glorious. A great day for a walk in fact.

She was fascinating. Apparently she hailed from one of those weird former Soviet republics in central Asia.

She had fine, exotic Asian features and eyes like liquid amber.

We walked and talked endlessly. About families, about our homes, about religion.

The whole time I was amused at how odd the world can turn.

How two people from opposite sides of the planet can end up walking together, enjoying the warmth of the sun and the fragrance of the air.

Just another random encounter in a world full of random encounters.

Just another day in the life...