And…TIME!
And time! Wow…that was tough. I want to thank you for your participation with me in this, the longest hiatus I have ever taken from blogging. I won’t lie; it was tough. There were times that I almost broke down and posted a blog. There was the night that I was hob-knobbing with a hobo, (Wow! What a night that was!). And who can forget the trip to Seven Peaks Resort? Not to mention my new challenge of Super Mario Galaxy 2. But I knew that you, my fans and readers, were holding strong. It was with this knowledge that I was able to draw from your strength and push through this sabbatical from the online world. So thank you for helping me through this. Now that it is over, we can continue where we left off.
So the last time we convened here in Blogspot, I was in Louisiana helping to save the world. No worries…we did. The world is fine. Granted, it is a little worse for the wear, but Mother Nature is a resilient old Gaia and she is going to be just fine.
One night, not long after my excursion in the Gulf, I was in downtown Provo enjoying a live performance of “A Boy And His Balloon”. After the show, I went outside to University Avenue and found that my car wouldn’t start. It seemed that the starter was out. While I waited for the tow truck, I sat down on the street bench next to one of our local celebrities in the Bindle World, that of The Old Man with the Shopping Cart. For those of you who frequent the Provo area, you no doubt have seen this gentleman of senior age as he wanders north and south pushing his cart up and down the Ave. He had decided to rest from his daily travels right next to my broken down car. He immediately engaged me in conversation, specifically about my car. He launched into a comparison of my car’s specs and held them up in juxtaposition to similar cars of that category. The width and breadth of his knowledge was quite impressive.
From the car discussion, he transitioned into a discussion of politics, tax laws and investments. Due to the lack of anyone else to converse with, I half-heartedly paid attention to what he was saying. As he continued on this rigmarole of pecuniary topics, I realized that he sure seemed to know a lot about these things. It was then that I noticed he was wearing an Omega watch on his left hand. Whether it was a knock-off or not…I was impressed at his choice of chronograph. It left me scratching my head as the tow truck showed up to deliver my hobbled vehicle to the shop, wondering what events in this man’s life had lead him to this bench on this night. I hope to talk with him again someday.
I bought a motorcycle. No really…I did. I have wanted to buy one for some time. In fact, not too long ago, the following conversation took place between me and my mother:
Me: So I want to buy a motorcycle.
Mom: I forbid you from doing so. As long as you are my son, you can’t buy a motorcycle.
Me: But Mom…look at the facts- Dad owned a motorcycle, he got married. Noah owned a motorcycle, he got married. Gabe owned a motorcycle and he got married. (This continued on dragging into the mix uncles and cousins alike)
Mom: So what kind are you looking to get?
To be honest…I first looked at getting a new Tacoma. I miss my truck. However, the current price for a brand new, off-the-lot Tacoma was more than I was willing to shell out…so I went and bought a 2009 Honda Shadow Spirit (750). It is black and I am quite pleased with the purchase.
I went to the Seven Peaks Water Park just before Labor Day. I had forgotten how much fun that place is. However, I think we played it right by going after 6:00 (for a reduced price), in that we most definitely got the most out of our entrance fee.
The Orem Owlz put on a couple of good games that I was able to go to. To one, I took a lovely young woman and her two kids. I think that was the best game I went to this year.
Speaking of dates…around the beginning of September, I asked out a charming young lass, who accompanied me to a dinner of Vietnamese food, arcade games and a night of comedy. I had a wonderful time…but I think I may have moved too fast with her transitioning from Friends to a Date.
Yep…that’s all the detail you are getting on my dating life for now. Enjoy it.
Just before my birthday, I was able to go out to Oklahoma and Texas to help prepare for our next deployment for work. We were gone for about 3 days and ate at 3 different steakhouses. Downtown Oklahoma is actually a pretty cool place to hang out. We saw the American Banjo Museum (at least from the outside because it was closed). We walked down Flaming Lips Avenue and Mickey Mantle Blvd. We also got to eat at the Spaghetti Warehouse! The name says it all.
My birthday was fantastic. I thank all those who wished me a happy birthday. I really do have wonderful friends and family. They are also very generous.
The best part of my birthday was that I got to head out to Colorado with my cousin Jen, her family and Uncle Karl. We went to my Uncle Bud’s cabin and thoroughly enjoyed the entire place to just ourselves. The beauty of the autumnal foliage was absolutely stunning! It seemed that each day the colors became even more vivid and bright. We hiked, rode 4-wheelers, fished and just enjoyed the beauty of Nature. It was a really great weekend.
Finally…before I get to my current location…I bought the new Super Mario Galaxy 2 game. I am currently in the process of dominating it like I did the original.
And now I find myself just outside of Shamrock, TX. I am here for a couple weeks for work as we take on a pretty challenging deployment for work. If (or rather WHEN) everything goes well, this contract will be very promising for the company as a whole.
But boy, oh boy have I eaten a lot of steak out here.
Did you know the gas station that everyone congregated around in the animated movie, “Cars” was based on a real building? It’s here in Shamrock.
