Chapter 25
Wednesday, October 25, 2006
My Mom comes to visit tomorrow!!! This is her first trip to New England! In addition to seeing everything up here she also gets to see my life up here.
Needless to say, I can't wait. I'm taking off from work Thursday, Friday and Monday, and she's fortunate enough to be able to take the long weekend and be up here. Here's hoping for good weather and good times...! ¶ 10/25/2006 08:54:00 PM 2 comments
Needless to say, I can't wait. I'm taking off from work Thursday, Friday and Monday, and she's fortunate enough to be able to take the long weekend and be up here. Here's hoping for good weather and good times...! ¶ 10/25/2006 08:54:00 PM 2 comments
Friday, October 20, 2006
October Skies
I cannot emphasize enough how beautiful the leaves on the trees are up here. Experiencing this New England Autumn more than makes up for all the years I grew up in Texas despising the fact that we seemed to get gyped when it came to real Autumn colors. The closest we got were the photos they printed on the covers of junior high Literature textbooks.
Today was gray and rainy all day. Late this afternoon I was asked to drive all the way up to Woonsocket. In Texas terms, about as far as it is from your house to the nearest Whataburger. Although I had to be careful because of the very dangerous road conditions and the crazy Yankee drivers, I was just in awe as I cruised up Hwy. 146 and caught a glimpse of the trees through the rainsoaked windshield of my ol' Grand Am. They were magnificent! They say we're going into the peak of the season over the next week or so, I just pray that it remains so until at least Thursday when Mom comes up to visit. She has to see this for herself! The weekend is supposed to be beautiful and so I think Becky and I are going to cruise up through Massachussettes manana and do a little "leaf-peaking" for ourselves.
As I was just driving back into Providence the gray sky above had begun to break apart and the sky began to whisp with evening shades of blue. Combined with the neon lights shining from the tops of the skyscrapers downtown and the red lights of snarled traffic on the old city streets it turned into a very beautiful minute of time. As I started to notice this I had on the speakers the quiet Midwestern-Irish winter music from the movie Road to Perdition, but as the moment sank in ol' Bobby Dylan's 'Thunder On The Mountain' from Modern Times crashed into play and made the experience that...much...better... ¶ 10/20/2006 05:56:00 PM 0 comments
Today was gray and rainy all day. Late this afternoon I was asked to drive all the way up to Woonsocket. In Texas terms, about as far as it is from your house to the nearest Whataburger. Although I had to be careful because of the very dangerous road conditions and the crazy Yankee drivers, I was just in awe as I cruised up Hwy. 146 and caught a glimpse of the trees through the rainsoaked windshield of my ol' Grand Am. They were magnificent! They say we're going into the peak of the season over the next week or so, I just pray that it remains so until at least Thursday when Mom comes up to visit. She has to see this for herself! The weekend is supposed to be beautiful and so I think Becky and I are going to cruise up through Massachussettes manana and do a little "leaf-peaking" for ourselves.
As I was just driving back into Providence the gray sky above had begun to break apart and the sky began to whisp with evening shades of blue. Combined with the neon lights shining from the tops of the skyscrapers downtown and the red lights of snarled traffic on the old city streets it turned into a very beautiful minute of time. As I started to notice this I had on the speakers the quiet Midwestern-Irish winter music from the movie Road to Perdition, but as the moment sank in ol' Bobby Dylan's 'Thunder On The Mountain' from Modern Times crashed into play and made the experience that...much...better... ¶ 10/20/2006 05:56:00 PM 0 comments
Tuesday, October 17, 2006
the weather man said rain, and I awoke to a low-lying clouds forming a gray sky overhead. so I've been waiting around all day for it to begin, as it slowly did this afternoon when I was in a meeting about coastal development issues.
then I was in my car, rain softly falling on the windshield, the leaves around me yellow and red and orange. the pavement wet with the first layer of rain. the music on my radio louder than the sirens on the ambulance that passes in front of me a few blocks ahead on the main road. it's Van Morrison. and it's perfect.
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These were some notes from yesterday. The clouds cleared this afternoon and now the sun is shining bright on an un-seasonably warm Autumn afternoon. It's brilliant. ¶ 10/17/2006 03:25:00 PM 0 comments
then I was in my car, rain softly falling on the windshield, the leaves around me yellow and red and orange. the pavement wet with the first layer of rain. the music on my radio louder than the sirens on the ambulance that passes in front of me a few blocks ahead on the main road. it's Van Morrison. and it's perfect.
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These were some notes from yesterday. The clouds cleared this afternoon and now the sun is shining bright on an un-seasonably warm Autumn afternoon. It's brilliant. ¶ 10/17/2006 03:25:00 PM 0 comments
Tuesday, October 10, 2006
radar
I got told today by some co-workers that I should move to Canada so as to avoid the military draft that inevitably will be coming if the world keeps moving in the direction that it is today. True these are middle aged women who have opinions on everything, but I'd like to think I could just write this one off. Sadly, I'm just not too sure. Something I'm learning as I read the paper and try to avoid the talking heads, is that it's not just about what you're being told. Heard an interesting idea on the avaliablity/state of news/blogs/etc. today on Day to Day. It's all because somewhere soon the 300 million-th American will come to exist. Take a quick listen if you can.
My Grandpa Bob knows the King of Thailand. Well, he met him once back in the 60's when he was stationed over there. Told me all about it the other night, and all about the most recent Thai coup and why this isn't anything new. But how he can just say "Oh, I know the King of Thailand. He's a nice guy." Spoken like a true son of the West. Leadville Molly Brown, all that. You can see the world, but you'll never leave the fields of West Texas where you were raised. I love that guy.
Saturday night my buddy Tom had a birthday party. We played Nintendo and ate cupcakes that his wife Jess made. I wore an Native American headress all night that really impressed their cat. These day's there's not many people I'd do that for. And few that they are, they're not in Canada. ¶ 10/10/2006 06:20:00 PM 0 comments
My Grandpa Bob knows the King of Thailand. Well, he met him once back in the 60's when he was stationed over there. Told me all about it the other night, and all about the most recent Thai coup and why this isn't anything new. But how he can just say "Oh, I know the King of Thailand. He's a nice guy." Spoken like a true son of the West. Leadville Molly Brown, all that. You can see the world, but you'll never leave the fields of West Texas where you were raised. I love that guy.
Saturday night my buddy Tom had a birthday party. We played Nintendo and ate cupcakes that his wife Jess made. I wore an Native American headress all night that really impressed their cat. These day's there's not many people I'd do that for. And few that they are, they're not in Canada. ¶ 10/10/2006 06:20:00 PM 0 comments
Tuesday, October 03, 2006
awake
This is where we stand:
- I haven't shaved in about three weeks, so I guess I'm growing a beard. I'm getting compliments, so the razor will stay in the medicine cabinet for a while.
- I'm pretty positive that I'll be staying up in Rhode Island for another year. Job specifics undetermined, as of current.
- I'm still registered to vote in Texas and the absentee ballot is in the mail. I'm voting for Kinky, no questions asked.
- I'm seeing a girl named Becky. We met at church.
- My best bud up here is Nate, and he and I are leading a course called Alpha at the church on Monday nights. We are also counting down the days until Rocky Balboa.
- My favorite TV show is Law and Order: Criminal Intent. Not only does it gets better with every season, it gets better with every episode.
- I think I found a good Mexican food restaurant here in Providence. It is very cheap and they make their own tequila.
- I had a sausage and peppers grinder for lunch. It was at a North Providence joint that hadn't been remodeled since the 80's and was dripping with, shall we say "influence."
- Right now I am drinking hot chocolate. It is very good.
