Sunday, July 18, 2004
so it's now three full days after my latest birthday, and it appears that i am still, rather annoyingly, twenty-nine years old. i would venture to say that this condition shows no signs of subsiding, abating or otherwise going away, and in fact if it continues long enough, may eventually mutate into that dread pathology known as the thirties. but by god, i ain't there yet. 362 and counting. it's a significant number, 30 is, and i've set quite a few of my expectations there - many, many of my dearest personal goals remain to be met in the intervening days, and that's heavy - but you know, i'm on track. i really think i am. we shall see what the year brings, but i feel good about it. i'm a dispatcher of possibilities, you know. Thursday, July 15, 2004
it's my birthday and i'll... well, no. i won't. but goddamnit, there is nothing anymore to keep me in this godforsaken beloved town of mine. consequently, or symptomatically, i've no birthday plans to speak of, except to work; though i'm sure my family will take me to dinner over the next few days at some point. whatever. i'm sure it'll be nice-but-mildly-uncomfortable, as usual. you know, what i really want, though, is just an available porch, a sunset-through-the-trees, a shared bottle of wine (or three) and a good conversation about absolutely anything with a close friend (or three.) i just don't have that here anymore, and really, that's reason enough to leave right there. and even the few friends i have here are leaving. and just so y'all know, to my friends in fort worth, denver, jackson, atlanta, d.c., new york, boston, laounde, hyderabad, and especially tuscaloosa - it keeps me sane every day just knowing you're out there. it really does. Saturday, July 10, 2004
don't ever let me tell you that I'm not one of the lucky ones. I'm sitting in my car in a parking lot, having just survived one of the most extreme hydroplaning experiences I've ever seen; coming off of earhart expressway, headed to the elmwood mall, in new rain, my SUV hit water and spun at least three full turns - never hitting the lane barriers, or any other cars, or flipping over, despite its high center of gravity. when it was all over I was pointed the way of traffic, straightened out, and coasted into place with all the cars waiting at the light ahead of me. this all happened minutes ago, and the adrenaline is still coursing through me...
of course I'm freaked out. I'm also incredibly glad and grateful to be alive and uninjured and not in an ambulance right now, with a very changed life. though perhaps the changed life bit is inescapable. that may have happened anyway, to a less dramatic extent. |