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May The Fifth Be With You
J: Last Thursday
I entered the NASA Intercenter 3K Fun Run. Since I had only run
about four times for practice the previous week, and not at all for
about three years before that, I was worried that I
wouldn't have fun, and I might not actually run the whole way. Well, I did have fun and I ran
the whole way. The weather was cool and sunny and I finished at an easy
pace in under 20 minutes, and ate lots
of oranges afterward, to make up for the three dollar entry fee.
Then I went home to fix a tire. A week before, someone slashed several car tires near our
place,
including one of Dippy's tires. I didn't fix the tire in time, it
seems, because we received a $25 ticket and an impound notice one week
later. Gina
called parking enforcement and left persistent messages while I tried
to change
the
wheel and failed; it was rusted on the hub. My brother Thom
came over to help, but before he arrived I managed — with my trusty
Hammer of Sledge — to remove the wheel and replace it with a spare.
Thom
gave us tips on talking or joking with the police about the ticket.
(Gina
continued to leave messages with the Greenbelt parking enforcement
throughout
the week.)
Also on Thursday, I found a Secret Mushroom in the woods, which Gina
and I lightly sauteed and dipped in melted non-H-inated margarine,
mmmm. Then we bopped off to Dorian's house for a little leftover Aries
beer (Wild Goose Porter), conversation, and didging. Later we went to
the Looneys' for games - I won a game of Ra and lost at Limits, aka Double Safe. I lost at High Society too.
On Friday, I tried to go running with Rich, but couldn't. My achilles
tendon hurt a lot, so I stopped after a very short distance and
decided to give it a rest. I think my ankles and
knees weren't ready for the constant hard
pavement
of
the previous
day's fun run.
That night, Gina, Gary Kaplan, and I watched two movies at home. In
between, I reviewed and made small edits to Thom's funeral speech for Johnny. He
appended more memories of other family members culled from our emails.
On Saturday Thom and I attended the funeral. At the service we listened
to moving speeches from Thom and other family and friends of Johnny.
Johnny's sister Laurie, who could not travel because of pregnancy, sent
a beautiful note, read by her niece. She talked about how she and her
brother were very close, and used to tell people they were twins. She
told of her recent "heaven on earth", when Johnny visited her and set
up his computer to play their favorite tunes while they painted
together on the same canvas.
All of the speeches were fine, excepting that of the church minister,
who
tried to hold
my departed friend spiritually hostage by telling us that we will get
to see Johnny in the magical land of Zonk if we just
believe Jebus took our wibbles
away. While I may
see Johnny someday, I have no
evidence for this (especially such strange detail), and the minister
didn't offer any — besides hearsay — so I tuned him out. Religious
advertisements often weasel into weddings and funerals, a cultural fact
that is very bothersome to me, personally. Might as well be Nike and
McDonalds ads.
There was a small reception in the basement of the church, where we
looked at pictures of Johnny and samples of his artwork displayed on
tables. I was glad my mom showed up. She let me cry on her shoulder.
Johnny's mother Ann introduced Thom and me to other people as "my
boys." She's real sweet.
The cemetery was very far away from the church. Thom hired a bagpiper
to play Amazing Grace and Flowers of the Forest, and the
minister gave us another commercial.
My dad arrived late to the funeral from an air show in New Jersey
(where my brother Frank flew his helicopter). Dad gave me a ride home.
Later I went with Gina and Jenny to Rizolda's for
a very tasty veggie sushi dinner. I felt a little wrung out and
exhausted from the day.
G: I didn't go
to the funeral, because we already had plans to go to part of the DC
film fest with Jenny. She had already bought us tickets to Shortcuts
II, a couple of hours of 10 to 20 minute movies. Alison took John's
ticket and came with us. The movies were pretty good but nothing to
write home about. My favorite one was from Australia, a little comedy
about a mechanic who's fairy dressed daughter goes to work with him for
a few days. She ends up wearing her father's old overalls and helping
out, he constructs some fairy wings to match her. Cute.
J: On Sunday Gina
and I took a walk with Booda to the New Deal Cafe, had a little
smackeral, and chatted with neighborhood friends. Then we came home for
a little housework and then rewarded ourselves with a movie at the town
center, followed by some nice bench
sitting in the breezy weather. Later Kory came to our house and we
watched another movie together.
On Monday the Ticket Guy finally called Gina back and voided the
ticket! I guess he figured out that she was going to call every day. We
were glad that the whole mess could be handled without having to go to
court. After work I had a quick pint of beer with Dad at a nearby bar.
Then Gina and I ran off to Petra's place to put together furniture (I
built an Ikea wardrobe thing) and
clean up. Before that she took us to dinner at Mark's
Kitchen. Petra is getting her house ready for a wedding shower for
Renee and Alex.
Tuesday was Star Wars Day. Observers of this special holiday make sure
to reverently say, "May the Fourth be with you," to each other. On Star
Wars Day after work I ran with Rich, two miles without pain! I felt
good, even. (Seriously getting into the running again.) Later I played
the Oasis computer game (beta
version) until Gina came
home from work around 10:00 PM. Then we went to a campfire with our
peeps until circa 1:00 AM. Lots of drumming, didging, guitar, flute,
chant, singing, and poetry. And howling at the full moon, too.
Someone anonymously — well, she tried to make it anonymous, but my dog
caught her — gave us fifty dollars toward First Friday parties! Gina
and I are both very grateful, and think that fifty is a bit much, but
Ms. Anon (she won't let us use her real name) won't take any of it
back. So, thank you, nice lady!
Today was Cinco de Mayo. May the Fifth be with you.
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THE HEAP
where we wade the web
forum about
johnny c.
abandoned
airfields
...security
customers
pacmanhattan
the
simulation argument
when
royalty ruled...
johnkerryisadouchebag...
schizoid
cat art
gnostica
deck
diebold/jones
day memos
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