Watching Girls Go By

Hey there's no Saturday morning weigh-in!

I remember a few weeks ago I tried to "be a friend" to someone, a friend who was unhappy over a soured relationship, and I said totally the wrong thing. At least, I thought it was the wrong thing, so I apologized the next day, and got a sort of "you are forgiven, and I appreciate that you care" hug, which was nice in its own way but I was also struck by how small and frail my friend felt; in my eyes she always seemed ten feet tall.

Listening: various Yes CD's, mostly Classic Yes and Close To The Edge, over and over since the trees bloomed.

Tough end to a tough week yesterday. Work was OK, then I got home and did a hot lap on the towpath. I was far enough ahead of my normal game that I managed to get in a short ride at Sals, just fifteen minutes on the Orange Loop and back out at Reeb. I was riding fast and well, and felt really stoked. Until...

The geese are nesting right now along the canal, and when they have chicks they can be very aggressive. I've never really had a problem, but last night one goose actually attacked me, and in fending it off with my foot I kicked it -- keep in mind I'm also doing around 20 mph, so the blow was extra hard. Even big birds are build kind of delicate, and I could feel a sort of sickening crunch when my foot connected with the goose's head. It let out a kind of yelp like a dog does when you accidentally step on its toes, and over my shoulder I saw it all knocked out and flapping on the ground, with its mate and chicks milling about. Not my finest moment, and the image stuck in my head for the rest of the ride.

When I got home I called the Game Commission, and they didn't seem too be too worried so I figure it's not as big a deal as it felt to me, but it did not put me in the best of moods for the evening -- from "Sister Bluebird" to goose murderer in about three hours.

I decided to go out, and went down to Pearly Bakers for dinner, that's where I ran into a big chunk of the Which Brew crowd: "Hey we're taking this place over!" Had a good conversation with Lara, then when she & Fred took off I got to talking with Andy about his house, which he's been renovating over the past few years. He's almost done, and was talking about the issues that have kept him off track: he'd been having trouble staying focused, especially after the death of his father, and of his friend Xantha last year.

Well, Xantha. Say what? I knew her too, not well but she was a pretty girl, easy to spot at a party (like one of Andy's parties) or at Porters, and she was very active with the Downtown Civic Association scene so you'd see her just about everywhere at things like the Scarecrow Festival, or out at the Farmer's Market with her toddler son Rocco. Just a little less than a year ago she was going to a family get-together in Maine, and apparently lost control of her car-- she died at the scene, and her young son died on the way to the hospital. This was horrible news, even if it was old news to everyone but me. (I was just so freaked out I didn't really believe it -- and I also could have swore I saw her at the Scarecrow Festival or the Garlic Festival last fall -- so when I got home last night I googled her obituary.) Rest in Peace Xantha, and rest in peace Rocco --- I remember teaching him how to throw pebbles at the party I linked to.

I hit Porters for one beer after Pearly Bakers, ran into Andy again there and followed him over to Fugly's (I am on the prowl for a new hangout: Porters is a "yes," Fugly's -- not so much) but I called it an early night; I just wasn't in the mood.

I woke up this morning kind of stressed and depressed -- yoga class, take me away! And that's exactly what happened... We started with a kind of meditation, two minutes of sitting across from each other, silently looking into each other's faces. (I was paired with a pretty girl so I didn't mind, but where were my walls when I needed them most?) Standard yoga class after that, but we also worked "tree pose" as a group: arms to shoulders like a chorus line, and it was interesting to feel the movement and sway, almost like wind in a forest.

Coffee shop, gym with Dawn -- first time with her in a month, much catching up to do -- drycleaning, oil change, then I hit Eskandalo for a haircut. Got an earful of current events and gossip from owner Alison, but I will not be repeating it, at least not here... We're all so fragile.