Rushing into the Turnstile

Redline Wisdom

"Wrong button. Have a nice day."

Allowing a Train to pass

He stood on the platform in the early morning.  The Sun rose across the lake but he wasn't feeling the warmth yet.  At that early hour of twilight, the air is either filled with hope or fear. 

His feet wanted to move, the direction didn't matter.  The suit had spent a day and night on the body.  For some reason, the effort to look in all directions and make a choice failed him.

Home went North and back to life.  His red tie did not wave that way.  The red tie was a Christmas present and he hated getting that present but couldn't resist the fact that it was an amazing tie. The other direction led him to...

Smiling

Checking his phone, this man with disheveled hair smiled. The long awaited text went through and he has good news in response.

Nothing on the train could bother him now.

Ending in the Morning

She stood hugging him on the platform in the morning. With disheveled hair and red eyes, she knew her last play was a mistake.

He hugged her and thought about other things.  A booty call from her was nice that night, but sleeping an octopus left him tired and he preferred the morning.

In the hug, he looked down the track to watch for the train. Hoping for it.

She clenched tighter as if holding him tighter will project her desire into him and result in love. But somewhere in the long hug, she realizes the truth and let's go.

Awkwardly, he stands on the platform, both relieved to be done and upset that she didn't wait for his train so he could leave.

Cat Fun

God's Reward for Me Going a Bit Crazy

God speaks to us in many ways.

God spoke to me in front of a candy store and said, "Have a treat."

He said all that in a darkening of the skies, clap of thunder, hard gust of wind, lightening flashes, and pouring of water like a faucet from the skies.  All of this happened at the moment I had a candy/soda store ahead of me.  Wearing my ear buds, I did not hear the exact direction but I'm rather certain that all of that drama in the weather was meant to drive me in there.

So why was I meant to be in the candy/soda store, trapped by the rain, with a desire for candy, and money in my pockets? 

The answer was many things.  I did an act of kindness for humanity that day, my co-worker was cruel and didn't want to go on an ice cream run with me (thus denying me ice cream), and later that day, I did not watch the last game in the Stanley cup and as a result, my team won.

Either way, the storm was dramatic, the shelter sweet, the treats felt deserved, and I went to bed happy. 

Biking to Work and Other Things Superior People Do

I biked to work Friday morning and felt nothing but superior the whole way.

Why?

Why not feel superior, I'm biking.

Well, it was a bit more than that.  Biking to work means a person exercises while commuting.  Exercise for a reason, and that reason being transportation.  The commute to work hits the highest note of economic and enviromental efficiency.  It even cuts out a need for diets and gas!  So when I bike to work, I am one step superior to all other commuters.

I wonder if I ate a rare bug on my way to work...

Some really bad poetry: Ode to the Humidity

Dear Humidity,

I left you in the South
And how my skin dried
All winter, I lamented
"The air is just too dry"

Then I bought a machine
To add moisture to the air.
All day and night it ran,
Faking Nature's flair.
But my nose and sinuses caught the deception
and said, "No! No! We want organic!"
Then caused me to panic.

And now with a hint of Spring
Happily it appears
Is it rain or steam?
Oh, humidity I feel you here.

I feel you in my hair, making all the styling obsolete.
I feel you in the elevator, making me worry about getting stuck and dying in a sauna with a stranger.
I feel you in my clothes, making all seams seem tighter and the ice cream less appealing.
I feel you on my skin, making my exercise seem more vigorous than taking three steps outside my door.

I left the South, but the humidity did not leave me.

Ode to the humidity that found my poor soul.

Community Garden

This reminds me of fantasy gardens in my childhood picture books.

Fear and other gifts from friends

In a fit of friendship, a friend sent me an email today. This email cured me of my ban on scary movies.  I have not watched a scary movie in 11 years.

What could scare me back to scary things?  The answer is trading the  fictional possibilities of death for real ones. The real one being bears, snakes, and falls to a slow death while alone in the wild with no means to get help.

No 911
No strangers to call out to
No cellphone service

Hopefully someone will find the body.

We're going camping (again) and we camp hardcore.

Adrenaline fills my stomache with dread.

Fear and other gifts from friends

In a fit of friendship, a friend sent me an email today. This email cured me of my ban on scary movies.  I have not watched a scary movie in 11 years.

What could scare me back to scary things?  The answer is trading tje  fictional possibilities of death for real ones. The real one being bears, snakes, and falls to a slow death while alone in the wild with no means to get help.

No 911
No strangers to call out to
No cellphone service

Hopefully someone will find the body.

We're going camping (again) and we camp hardcore.

Adrenaline fills my stomache with dread.

200 Miles

So me and martinis really mix well.  It is a mutual adoration, they love me to make them and I love to drink and share them.  In moderation, this was a good thing, good with olive on the side.

With a martini in my hand, I accepted an indecent proposal to join a fundraising team and complete the 200 mile Ride for Aids.  200!

This felt like a good idea.  It felt good until I woke up and started to realize the 200 miles.

Sick Day

So I probably should have stayed home on Friday.  A head cold hit me at the beginning of last week and I kept chalking it up to dry air.

Really, I thought it was dry air.

It was "dry air" in my head until

...
....
..


...

bought netflixs

...
...

steamed my head like it was broccoli

...and finally felt better.

Sick Day

So I probably should have stayed home on Friday.  A head cold hit me at the beginning of last week and I kept chalking it up to dry air.

Really, I thought it was dry air.

It was "dry air" in my head until

...

....

.....

could excuse it any more

...

.....

...

didn't leave the house

...

...

steamed my head like it was broccoli

...and finally felt better.

Dry Air

Radiator heat provides consistent warming of my apartment and also some really dry air.  

Guess which body part really dislikes dry air?

Just guess?

Finished?

Nothing naughty now

Have an idea

Well, here it is, my sinuses.  

Yes, the sinus cavity really is disliking the air. I wake up with puffy eyes and extreme pressure and will be reaching for the medication soon as the humidifier is not enough.  

On the bonus side...

...my place is toasty warm.

Wall of Vines

   
   50 mile/hour wind today!  Luckily, most of the gusts were much less fierce.  Watching the green leaves 

Phones on the El

So on the way home today, I heard half of a conversation on the el.  It wasn't my conversation nor my curiosity that gave me that half.  The half came from the person's loud voice.

These loud conversations can be categorized into a few groups:

1. Too personal drama loving -  Way too personal and way too dramatic for a public discussion.  Really, don't break up with a guy while riding in a train full of strangers to work.  These conversations usually include cursing and mentioning of body parts or bedroom acts that are best left to the confines of walls.  No one really wants to hear about your love life, but say it out loud on a train and we all know.  
2. The Uber Busy -  Wow! Life can get full fast, but condense the thoughts and schedule into a neat format and I'm sure there's a app to share it.  These people discuss the minute details of future or past plans with speed and intensity.  Calm down, breathe, and think before you speak.  It is always a pleasure to be in the company of those so important. 
3. Statement makers -  We are part of your conversation and that's what I had today.  The person was discussing race in Chicago while in a full train and we were the captive audience.  Blanket statements were stated in a loud tone with eyes looking for anyone to become an active participant.  It was more like fishing than anything else. 

But then we all get off the train and head home.  These conversations, while annoying in the moment, become jokes or stories later.