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souvenir

throwback to an uptown whittier car show. i missed the dia de los muertos show this past weekend for reasons, so found this one on standby.

old cars are so much more elegant than cars of today. love those curves and details. i like this one parked in front of the facade of the old whittier village movie theatre.

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here’s a game for you. i’ve started a list of possibilities. wanting something more interesting and bad ass than what actually happened.

became the fifth ninja turtle, and i gave shredder the first, and last, move
really like freddie kruger
embroidered the “L” from happy days in the wrong place, while looking in a mirror
trampled by over-zealous chicago marathon runners
went one round with mike tyson
took up hockey
getting ready for halloween
hit by a bus
played patty cake with the jolly green giant
took a meteor shower
wrong side of a curveball
amazon prime day
sleepwalk into a doorway
participated on one of those game shows with rotating obstacles
a cane corso thought i was dinner - i’m not ramsey bolton
opened up a can of whoop-ass accidently
turns out i’m not a gymnast
you should see the other guy
shuttlecock
here’s a piece of my mind
t-rex attacked
caught the tshirt at a baseball game
edward scissorhands is my friend
embraced by a facehugger
lobotomy
got in the way of a touchdown/excessive end zone celebration
enter the dragon - i didn’t win
tareyton smokers would rather fight than switch
started a buffalo stampede
took a long walk off a short pier
godzilla!
none of the above

graphic warning - avert your eyes if you’re squeamish.

nothing that exciting. get your coffee, if you have nothing better to do than read this account. snippets of memory.

tl;dr: i tripped and fell on a sidewalk

recently visited chicago with my better half. he wanted to take pictures of boats at sunset, playing with the lenses he brought with him. he wanted to see beautiful bokeh of twinkling lights.

we were staying in a hotel in the loop, near union station. the walk towards the riverwalk and navy pier was about a mile away, maybe a twenty minute walk.

i didn’t feel like shooting, so was tagging along. my back was tired from carrying a camera around the previous days, at the science and industry museum, architectural tour via boat, and earlier in the day, the field museum.

i’d wanted to get out earlier, and have dinner first, then thought better of it, that we might miss sunset, so were going to the river first and pick up dinner on the way back.

we hadn’t quite reached the iconic chicago theatre sign, it’s neon lights already on. chatting about nothing.

then, i felt my shoe catch, an uneven sidewalk crack, and in spite of another step to try and avoid a fall, it was inevitable. i don’t think i quite windmilled my arms. i just remember a steel grate coming towards my face.

yup, a header into a serated sidewalk grate over an air vent. better half describes it as an industrial-strength cheese grater.

better half says i passed out for a few seconds. he and the three people behind us on the street got me turned over and sat me up. says i was a blood fountain. when i came around, i remembered i had saved some extra napkins from breakfast, so was able to apply pressure to my head, while better half and the other people tried to think best what to do. i wanted to just walk back to hotel, but after he showed me a picture of my head, i knew i needed to see a doctor.

then the question was ambulance or uber. i’m still just sitting on the ground meantime. probably in shock. better half called for an uber to the nearest hospital. better half has used uber maybe once, long ago.

better half and the older guy in the group of three got me up off the ground. no way i was getting up otherwise. my knees are scraped…i can feel it…but don’t seem broken.

he spots the black suv uber xl across the one-way street. they gimp me over there, profusely thanking the people for helping and waiting with us.

the car gets rolling while we buckle up. off we go. better half is asking if the driver can hurry and get us to the hospital.

when i hear the driver ask if we’d changed the destination, followed by “is your name mike?,” i already knew he got us in the wrong car.

driver refused taking us to the hospital, that his customers were waiting and that he would be fired. we’d only gone a couple of blocks, so a couple of turns later, we were back where we started. our uber was waiting for us, since better half had called to explain.

that driver was good. skipped the high traffic route and opted for lower-level streets and tunnels to the other side of the river. made it to the emergency room door in under ten minutes.

let me take a breath, and sip this strawberry-banana smoothie my better half brought me…

where was i? we arrived about seven p.m. usual city hospital on a saturday evening—busy. triage. people with sneezes, broken bones that have been temporarily set, homeless people looking for something, random aches, and here’s me with a butchered head. temp and blood pressure taken, and sent to find a seat.

they called me back for a second triage session two hours later. also to determine if better half had something to do with the injuries. he had no scrapes or other “evidence” so took me at my word. sent back to waiting room.

had better half call my mother. said she cried. was my sister’s birthday, so he talked to her later. i let my kids know first via text. i didn’t feel like talking.

hour four, there was a fight outside the er door, all security guards outside to break it up.

they came for me at hour five, put me in a wheelchair, as my knees were really stiff by then, and put us in a room. it’s a hive of activity behind the scenes.

a nurse came by to take some notes. another nurse rolled me out for a ct scan, since i landed on my head. only minimal scrapes on one hand, so i stopped my fall mostly with my forehead. i got uncontrollable shivers…adrenaline coming down, i suppose.

an hour later, they came for xrays of my knees.

soon after, the doctor came by to shoot up the cuts so it could be cleaned out and to decide which way to repair it. no concussion or broken bones. could have been so much worse. i have thought of an assortment of different endings, but better half doesn’t want to flounder in those thoughts.

about that time, five gunshot victims were heading in, so they had to move me out to the hallway, my forehead numbed and ready. waiting. dude was rolled into my previous location. he’d been shot by the girlfriend. she rolled in down the hall, screaming. he’d shot her in the foot. he wanted his phone to call her. then to call his mom and dad. then his people. denied. denied. denied. both were ultimately “relaxed” so work could be done.

i could only see the girl’s room. her screaming lasted ten minutes before they put her out. didn’t sound like it felt good. better half said the guy had a quick chat with the cops before he started telling a nurse about flowers growing out of his hand and quieting down.

nurse came by after a couple of hours and most of the craziness had died down. gave me some jello to eat. i got a tetanus shot in the hallway. i had to have more lidocaine shots in my head as too much time had passed. got the cuts cleaned of dirt and hair and dried blood.

two doctors consulted and decided crazy glue for skin would be best in this case. going to have a lovely scar.

finally released at sixish in the morning. over eleven hours. no dinner. still dark.

better half called an uber. security had blocked the driveway to the door, so we limped down to the sidewalk. watched the map say he was nine minutes away. then twelve. then nine. then eight. then three. and wouldn’t you know it, he pulled up to the opposite side of the driveway. gimped over there.

remember i mentioned the chicago marathon? yup, every which way this guy tried to go was blocked. after ten minutes of u-turns, we ended the ride, opting to walk.

had to climb up some stairs to street level. we were close to navy pier, and got our bearings. surrounded by people heading towrds the starting line, coming back in search of coffee or friends. and there we were, me stiff-zombie walking, a big bandage covering my forehead and dried blood in my hair, and my big, long haired better half…my hero.

i pointed out, that here we are crossing a bridge over the river, at sunrise. look at the lights on the boats. the twinkling in the water. the warming light. there. there was the shot he was looking for yesterday, i giggled. he still had the cameras with him. there was an empty viewing space in front of us.

he didn’t take the shot. he was tired and stressed, and wasn’t interested anymore. just wanted to get me back safely. it would have been perfect. oh well.

took about an hour to get to the hotel. i can’t remember if we got lunch before or after we crashed in bed for several hours of sleep.

the past couple of days, the swelling has moved south, giving me black eyes. when we’ve finally headed out for meals, better half has been getting big stink-eye from people. they only half believe the story, and i am not being beaten.

we ultimately decided to continue with our planned and paid for return home on the train. i wouldn’t have been able to stand bending my knees for that long on a plane, and better half can’t fit a plane seat, being so tall. thought about driving, and stopping as needed, sleeping in real beds each night. he thought there were too many stretches of nothing, had there been an emergency.

figured we could get off a train at a major stop for help or to get to an airport if needed.

i have to work monday, and my eyes are already opening up again, so i guess i will work, back into the frying pan…

so i have a permanent souvenir of our short-lived vacation.

i don't know jack

all work and no play make jack a dull boy. all work and no play make jack a dull boy. all work and no play make jack a dull boy.

all work and no play make jack a dull boy. all work and no play make jack a dull boy. all work and no play make jack a dull boy. all work and no play make jack a dull boy. all work and no play make jack a dull boy. all work and no play make jack a dull boy.

all work and no play make jack a dull boy.

all work and no play make jack a dull boy. all work and no play make jack a dull boy.

yes, i’ve been working too much lately. better half needed a ride to whittier yesterday for some business. just coincided with the car show at ruby’s this time.

i had taken the day off, because we had originally planned to be up that way all weekend. but, his work had too many people out on vacation, so he had to get back home to make up some time.

i could have just worked, but, pfft, i needed a break. feeling a bit like a functional zombie, everyday the same, so stopping to snap some pictures was something i’d been missing.

it wasn’t too hot, but i still turned red. wasn’t as many cars as i remember it used to have, but probably just the typical turnout for end of summer, and fairly early.

i briefly thought of stopping at another show heading home, but i was already tired. how did i used to three or four shows on the way home when we lived in whittier? those were the days…

got a lot going on recently, so i keep being unable to get back to posting. rinse and repeat. maybe this space has outlived it’s usefulness, since it’s being neglected. i don’t know. i am distracted. i’ll think about it.

missing shows due to other things popping up, keeping me from them. woe is me.

there were only a few cars i liked from ruby’s yesterday. this zephyr was very nice.

junk on the trunk

here’s a beautiful back side from several years ago. so smooth. so shiny. subtle airbrush and an interesting color combo. really nice.

i haven’t done much all weekend, except drive out to temecula to see my grandkids. no car show as the alternate reason this time. just to visit.

better half was supposed to work all weekend, but coworkers didn’t show up to do their part, so he kicked back saturday, and cleaned house sunday. the stuff he was cleaning the tub with gave me a headache and the incentive to head over the mountain to see my boy and his family.

he worked regular days yesterday and today, while i mostly slept in. didn’t really get anything i planned to do done. thinking i’ll at least look through the last batch of pictures i took last week at mission san gabriel, or the show before that one, or the show before that one. so many pics…

so tired lately. i have a headache now. they’ll be shooting off fireworks nearby in a few hours, so the traffic and parking should get interesting around here, as always. trying to decide if i should bail and head to my mom’s now or after the hullaballoo.

shopping

random car from the dukes car club’s blessing of the bombs show yesterday at mission san gabriel. found it mentioned on a video on youtube, at the fourteen-fifty-six mark. all of the cars have interesting histories, and it was nice to hear about them on this channel.

lots of spectacular cars out here, though the lot wasn’t as full as it has been in the past. was also not as hot as the last time i was there either, thank goodness.

was the first time my better half was able to join me out there at this mission. he’d visited the mission itself, long ago, with his mother.

i was actually not going out yesterday. i’ve been so tired. i slept in. better half was supposed to work, and i had accepted that i was just going to do laundry all day. hadn’t even charged my camera batteries.

better half’s work evaporated, as he was told they weren’t ready for him. he asked what i was doing for the day, and i had mumbled about going to this show, then we could stop and look at some car dealers to find cars that will fit him, or we could go to pomona the next day and do the same. he said yes to either or both, happy to not have to be working and wanting to get out of the house.

his car is not working, and he is seriously in the midst of researching new cars, though the thought of getting something at pomona is appealing too.

i think he also wanted to play with his camera lenses too. we didn’t leave the house until nine in the morning. normally, i would have been there at seven, as cars would be rolling in.

i’m sensing a pattern here. i just want to sleep in on weekends. it’s a problem not leaving earlier, when it’s only going to be too hot for me to be out later. we’re an hour away now, so it’s just that much worse.

at least my better half was there to make me drink more water, and fetch the suntan lotion from the car when i realized i was starting on a sunburn. [she rubs the lotion on her skin…] thanky d.

also, thanks to the guy that offered me some cold water—i think he was with the south side bombs. i appreciate it, thanks for your concern.

better half was done before me, as usual. i had gone into the shade again, and he was encouraging me to stop as he said my face was red, but then a few more cars drove in. a few more shots, and i packed up.

we went to lunch at lunas restaurant, about a block away. it was very good, would go again, but kinda pricey.

following that, stops at various car dealers in whittier and buena park. most cars he didn’t fit comfortably, they tag teamed him with the salesperson and finance officer. he asked questions. he made them squirm. he didn’t buy. he did like the tesla sales team, who seem to have a different sales model, and answered questions directly, and no bs upcharges that are pure profit.

he’ll still take six months to decide. didn’t make it to pomona today, so maybe next time.

back to it

i went to a couple of small car shows this weekend. better half had to work, and otherwise was unable to join me. he thinks the transmission is going out on his car, and is spending a lot of time researching cars to buy. should just go to pomona swap meet…

drove up to the show at foursquare church in whittier on saturday, for which i had considered waking up early, to drive an hour and to find parking, since in the past, it has been a busy show.

it got hot so early, but also, because of the temperature, i knew i wouldn’t be able to stay very long. can’t take the heat. i should shave my head, and get rid of this mop on top that holds the heat in, but my better half kinda likes it.

there really wasn’t much there, so it was probably the perfect size for the time i did spend. this beauty was sitting up at the front of the parking lot, with the kustom oldies cc. basic black. nice. took a few shots, came back around later, took a few more. i liked this one best.

there were a few cars from clubs i recognized, and a couple of new ones i’d never heard of. all huddled under pop ups, or watching the live band. they were live. i’ll leave it at that.

also a few guys from a club that i don’t post because of a past incident i posted about at the time, and also because the guys that were there were being creepy in a joking way. i ignored them. nice to know it wasn’t just the one guy that was a swine; i’ll just steer clear of their cars in the future. deleting the one picture i did take. take that candy, and suck it. you ruined car shows for me for a long time, i’m so over you.

had a short chat with a guy inside the break room, selling model cars, and with a display of his hot wheels collection. they all looked well-loved. he said he liked the red baron the best, of which he had two. none for sale, just to look at. better half still has his collection somewhere in storage. has one of those old cars with the little surfboards that one of his coworkers once offered to take off his hands for ten bucks…then one hundred. he thought better of it, and locked it out in his car for the day.

i am guessing that a good majority of people went to the roadsters show in pomona. thought about going, but instead walked around in my old hood in uptown whittier. the restaurant i’d intended to have lunch at was gone, and replaced by a much busier establishment with a line of people waiting to get inside.

also nice to see greenleaf is open again. didn’t see any flyers for the uptown car show on business windows, but one can hope they’ll start up again. just won’t have a home base to head back to when it gets to hot.

ended up at california grill. the renovations that started at the beginning of covid are complete, and nice to see they are still in business.

well, back a week from my trip and already back to the grind. i think i have three calls scheduled for tomorrow, as well as a rush job for the ceo. fun times.

missed it

here’s a chevy from the bomb club show at santa anita. from five years ago. it’s marbleized like a bowling ball, only better. the pinstriped details help tie in the gold of the rims. and red and gold…my high school colors.

i missed yesterday’s show, since it’s hard to shoot pics at santa anita when you’re in phoenix with no camera, but even with a camera, just couldn’t do it.

from the pics i have seen online, i missed a really good show. :(… looked packed. read about some people complaining that it took too long to get out at the end of the show.

flight from phoenix was happily uneventful. i timed everything out perfectly, from check out at the hotel, to bfast, to car return. only a little wait at security. i actually had an empty seat next to me, so yay.

i will miss the hotel. after a week there, i had deciphered the various ways back to my room from any direction, or outside door, for a quick dash in from the heat. i remember my disappointment when i saw the sign over the door across from my room, “ice stairs,” imagining slippery, cold, blue stairs, with icicle rails. nope. an ice machine, then another door. then plain, cement stairs, warm air, some pipes, leading to the oven that is outside. also, locked on the outside, so always had to walk a little further if i went around that outer perimeter of the building. best to do in the morning or the evening, after five pm.

i haven’t checked on the work i have missed while i was gone, but suspect no one else picked it up for me either.

backing up old files today, doing some shopping, hanging with my better half, who did come pick me up at the airport after all.

i’ve missed this cold, overcast. there’s no place like home.

mirror, mirror

very shiny riviera, from before covid (bc?). it’s an older model than the one my mom used to drive, and waaaay nicer.

i like how reflective the hood was, even on an overcast day. that’s better than a spit shine; it’s elbow grease.

————-

last day in arizona. upper nineties today. i hear it only made it to the sixties back home…i’ll be there as soon as i can…

learned a lot on this trip, my brain so full of new ideas, it might ‘splode. looking back through the copius notes i took, pretty sure i won’t understand my own handwriting next week. every class had online handouts, and was videotaped, so i can go back and translate later.

also remembered that it is better to not gaze into the concave magnifying mirror in the hotel bathroom. the reflection isn’t what it used to be, and the attention to detail leaves my camera in the dust. glasses off made no difference. every pore, hair and wrinkle…like the lunar surface through a high-power telescope. ick.

already went out for dinner. thought about a big restaurant meal, but decided i really wasn’t hungry enough, so just did fast food at a truck stop on the other side of the freeway. really disappointing, about what i expected, but it was interesting to wander around the store.

skipped the casino; didn’t feel like breathing cigarettes and whiskey fumes, if it’s anything like vegas used to be.

i’m all packed, so hot bath and tv for me. i can sleep in a while in the morning, before i have to pedal back to the airport. don’t even need to top off the tank, i didn’t really go very far.

better half says he’s feeling better, but hasn’t really left the house all week. almost out of food, except for a bit of guacamole i made before i left. says it’s mostly sticking to the avocado pits i left in the bowl. i told him he should put those balls in his mouth and suck it. it’s ok to spit the seeds out. enjoy.

i hope he still picks me up at the airport tomorrow.

hot in the city

here’s a more recent car, from chicano park day. i know of a similar one, but it is a convertible, (not quite twins, basil. twins). this one is very clean. almost like it just rolled off the lot.

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today has been a repeat of the last few days: up early, hoof it a mile to the meeting rooms, same bfast everyday (scrambled eggs, some variation of potato cubes, and some fruit). again passed on the unappetizing vat of oatmeal, sausages or pale patties of mystery meat, and the starbucks coffee.

to a change it up, i took the plate of food and a drink over to the main meeting room to sit in on an early presentation. i’d managed to walk a city block with my hands full without spilling a drop, only to splash the juice all over the tablecloth when i sat down and bumped the table leg. tried to blot it a little with my cloth napkin, but now i just had two wet cloths in front of me. ate my food and left the room. i assume the staff changed out the cover during the extended break, when they split the space up with divider walls.

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i feel like i’m getting strung out on the constant availability of sugary snacks and sodas that are always just outside the door. pretty sure that i haven’t lost any weight in spite of the mileage of walking around this place.

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got out of the last morning class a bit before the surge to the free lunch. yesterday included mac n cheese and a drumstick, and today was rice and vomit. i mean it was chef prepared vomit on a lovely serving tray. the little sign said it was chicken and broccoli, but i swear i saw the same come out of my old dog when i was a kid.

i ate the artisan dinner roll. my lunch took about five minutes. managed to leave the room, just as the hoarde was lining up at the buffet tables. i was not in the mood to network. i dashed out a side door, into the hot sun.

i’m really not sure who thought it was a good idea to put astroturf in this particular area, in a desert—it smells vaguely of melting plastic in the heat, while being gently sernaded by a recorded loop of wavery indian reed flute music.

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my dinner adventure started with a quail family that ran that across the road in front of my car. i’m really hoping the tiny baby ran fast enough—they are colored similar to the pavement, and i couldn’t see it in my rearview mirror. i did see the bigger parents running back, with the black head feathers bobbing. they run really fast on those little stick legs.

i decided to get mexican food. looked around on google maps, and selected a random place, that was easy to get to, three miles away. was more of a fast food place, though a huge step up from taco bell. i wanted carne asada, but apparently my mouth said carnitas, since that’s what i got. super shredded up, with a bit too much onions and tomatoes atop the pile. i’m not sure if it was too salty or just too spicy. they had a line out the door by the time i left, so it’s very popular at a minimum.

i also didn’t notice there was a small step down into the inside table/dining area, and almost twisted my ankle, or at least almost fell on my ass, but i recovered it nicely, and pulled off a smooth i meant to do that face, i don’t think anyone noticed, or even cared. lol.

by the time i got back to the hotel, it had gotten to a more reasonable upper eighties degrees, so i decided to take a long walk back to my room, around the outer perimeter of the building. it has two long wings, that follow along a river. there is an interesting variety of birds, lizards, tiny prairie dogs, and cacti.

between the wings, they have three swimming pools. if you’ve ever watched bride and prejudice, you’d giggle a bit at the thought. also a couple of small, kiddie pools, i assume. i doubt they have heated jacuzzis.

hardly anyone in the pools. must be casino time.

i noticed some brave souls out there earlier in the day (from the air-conditioned comfort of the lobby window), i can imagine the sunburn. and heatstroke.

kids don’t care. they’ll jump in ice water if you say they can go swimming.

at night, the pools are lit up, turquoise jewels in a sea of darkness. and all of the rooms and lobby-side restaurant can watch you perform your underwater ballet, like you’re in a flick with esther williams.

i’d really like to go swimming, but feel too much like a potato in a swimsuit to go. i bet if my better half were here, he’d ask the front desk if the pool was heated.

one more day. one day more…

shinfo

midway through this work thing in phoenix.

didn’t quite hit one-hundred today, but the air-conditioning in the meeting rooms has balanced that out well. i go outside to thaw out. air conditioning in my room, not so much. it tries really hard to get to where i set it under seventy, but generally chugs along. i can almost hear it murmuring to itself, “i think i can, i think i can…” all night long.

i’ve been pretty good about attending all of the events, as there’s not much else to do, except go to a nearby casino. maybe tomorrow. i have a few bucks to “donate” to the reservation.

on my own for dinners, and the hotel restaurants have you hostage, if you don’t have a car. too expensive for some gastro experience by chef boyardee. yesterday i went to a pizza place that had an ad at the airport as you head towards the sky tram, as you hike the mile to the rental car desks. super thin crust, tasty sauce, very yum.

today, went to a sandwich place, same chain that we’d picked up from when we attended the show and go in riverside last month. tasty and toasted, and full. very four-twenty themed, and open late.

a coyote ran across the road in front of me on the way back. would have hit it, if i had been going a wee bit faster. had a slightly different countenance than the coyotes at home, which kind of glare at you as if telepathing, “go ahead mofo…you want a piece of me? bring it on.” this one had a narrower face, and just went “yikes!” probably was after the roadrunner i almost squished as well.

skipping the movie event they are showing this evening. i’ve had enough socializing for the day, and this introvert is soaking in a hot bath and writing about nothing here.

—————

looking back at cars i have’t posted here yet. so many. here, i have the time to write some drivel about my day, so can finally get to a few.

love me a fleetline. this one is from a couple of years ago, at the oc viejitos show in anaheim. i was probably there before the club was, if i remember correctly. still pretty early in this shot. i like when there is some space to fiddle around and find a good angle. [that’s what she said.”]

—————

better half is at home, sick, but putting in the hours at work. idle hands…not.

what a day

here’s a car from my archives. mooneyes, a couple of years ago. rough looking car, contrasting the brick wall behind. i dunno. i just liked it tonight, as i scrolled through the growing set of unpublished pics.

—————

i got a not quite expected opportunity last thursday, to attend a conference the following monday—yesterday—in arizona. boss asked if i still wanted to go…uhh, ya. so i scrambled to price it out: registration, the flight (she wouldn’t let me drive), car rental, and hotel. got that approved, but didn’t book until friday morning. almost forgot to register after booking the other things.

there were/are a couple of car shows that i had been looking forward to going to, and the weather has been a perfect gloomy overcast shadowbox for the past week, and on into this week, and a lovely, chilly upper sixties temp-wise. my kind of weather.

saturday was spent doing laundry and packing clothes. alternating between being jazzed to be going, bummed to miss the shows, and the fact my better half couldn’t go, as he’s been working lots of overtime, including weekends, into the foreseeable future.

sunday morning, i slept in a bit. got up, had bfast and read what’s what on my ipad, and looked at pics from the old school bombs show i was missing. beautiful cars parked throughout what appeared to be an industrial complex parking lot, with cars in front of colorfully mural-painted brick walls. oh it would have been fun.

joked with my better half that i could drive up for an hour or so, then home, and straight to the airport. he laughed. he’s had to wait on me before, his fav story being when we were on our way our way to an anniversary road trip up the coast, and just wanted to run in and see what was at this one show in whittier for a minute. came back out an hour later for some water, and back in for another couple of hours. he bided his time cleaning the car windows, while guys drove by asking if he could do theirs next.

ya, i would have forgotten about the time, so stayed put.

then my flight was delayed by half an hour.

we decided to go to the airport at originally planned time anyway. he was working all morning, and was going to have to get back as soon as possible for more. he’s more comfortable driving his car. which was my old car, twice removed. i was the original owner, then sold it to my ex, who sold/gave it to my parents to use as a backup car. mom sold it to my better half after my dad died. didn’t need it just sitting in the driveway anymore. better half wanted it to drive his mother around before she died. i think she only rode in it a couple of times before that last ambulance ride.

——————-

that was then. this is now.

we hadn’t made it more than three blocks, with some stress bickering, when his car did a little shimmy at a red light. a little farther and it did it again. ya, no. turn around, go home. parked the car, which felt like it barely made it. he thinks the transmission is going out. come on, it’s only twenty-seven years old. sheesh. perfect timing. should i have taken it as a sign?

i waited by the garage while he ran in to get the opener. came back, realizing my car keys are still in the house.

i drove us to the airport to save trouble making adjustments to fit his better self.

still plenty of time, pulled up to the curb two-and-a-half hours early. kiss kiss, goodbye. i turned and watched him adjust the seat, mirrors, etc. he was taking so long, i’m surprised the cops didn’t come to hassle him.

anyway, he left and only had to drive the loop one time more, as he missed the turn off for the freeway exit. fortunately, the airport was pretty quiet in the middle of a sunday morning, so not really a problem.

inside, i decided i would check a bag. didn’t need to, but i wasn’t paying, so why not? company card declined. wtf. nevermind, i’ll check it at the gate. no line for security check, so at least i was in the terminal within five minutes, two more hours to wait until boarding.

decided to walk to the far end, two terminals away, in search of a cookie, but the place i was looking for was no longer there. piss.

hiked back to my gate and sat by the window, watching planes take off.

my plane arrives, late as expected. we board late, as expected. pull back from the gate within a reasonable amount of time. then we just sit for a bit. thought we were inching along in line. you know how it feels like you’re moving, but when you look out the window, haven’t actually moved a wit.

i was in an aisle seat at the back. the girl by the window was some kind of native american, and was having a lovely conversation with the older hispanic man between us. sounded like they had started their chat in the terminal, and it eventually lasted the whole time we were on board. they talked about their families, abuelitas, cousins, work, life. she had moved to phoenix for work, and lived with a boyfriend, had just visited family.

he was a widower, who grew up in michoacan, mexico, but now mostly traveled doing some construction work. both seemed to do government-related work. he couldn’t get secret clearance, or even work on some things, as he wasn’t u.s. born.

i chimed in once in a while…my ex was from michoacan, but not the same town…i’ve traveled on amtrak across country, taken this route and that…etc. i’m so socially inept, i finally stopped cutting in. mostly i tried to read a book until i decided it wasn’t worth the read. author should have not bothered to write this sequel.

girl in the window seat said she thought she saw smoke or dust coming from another plane on the runway. the captain soon made an announcement that the plane in front of us had some kind of engine trouble on the runway, and had spewed metal parts all over. he would tell us when they have cleared it and we could take off; hold your horses.

people were becoming impatient the longer it was taking, as they had connecting flights that were very tight on the other end. an old guy sitting across the aisle from me about popped a vessle arguing with the flight attendant, because he had a subpoena waiting for him at the other end, and he absolutely could not miss the appointment.

after about an half an hour of sitting there, they decided to return to the gate to let those people disembark if they chose to, as well as anybody else in search of other options of travel. We were at the gate for a while. if it had gone on any longer, they would’ve had everybody deplane so they could go eat, as it was originally a short flight, and were not doing any kind a food or drink service.

when they pushed back from the gate again, we sat in line for another period of time. all in all, we took off two hours later than originally expected, and took another hour in the air to phoenix. they did manage to conjure up plastic cups of water to offer to us midflight. i was starving as i hadn’t expected to be this late. i was hoping there was still something open besides mickey d’s on a sunday night.

—————

at the car rental counter, there was no line, and the girl thought she was doing me a favor, giving me an upgrade. i thought she was giving me a free upgrade, as happens sometimes, but when i put my company card in the reader, it declined again. i thought there must be something wrong with it, so i used my own card and would expense it out later. my work only allows a smaller car and i already reserved and priced it out. when i went down to find my car in the garage, it was a damn lexus suv, bigger than i needed.

found a sandwich shop down the freeway, closing soon; good enough.

did i mention it was still ninety-six degrees at ten at night? ick. self-parked somewhat away from the lobby.

the sky was clear, the stars twinkled, and the full moon lit the way from the lot. otherwise, it’s pretty dark out there.

i finally arrived in my hotel room after ten-thirty p.m., i looked over the contract—the thing was priced at three times my original cost with the added insurance stuff i was supposed to decline. i called the credit card company to find out why the heck my card was declining. they told me the girl had originally tried to charge me over a thousand dollars for six days, but currently have a lesser balance, so she couldn’t charge my card for the car they gave me. no reason given for the decline at bag check.

i found it hard to go to sleep, as i was worrying how i was going to tell the boss i fucked up. it was after midnight last i looked.

in the morning i called the rental company to ask if i could return it for the original car that i asked for? the customer support person said I could try taking it back to the airport, but didn’t guarantee anything. the fine print said i was going to have to pay for twenty-four hours anyway, so i went after my day of classes were done. i figured that i would pay for my mistake for one day, then charge the other days at the lower rate on the company card.

it turned out not to be a problem, save for having to wait in line at the little office in the garage. air conditioning was poor at best, and the door kept popping open when people were too nearby, letting the oven temp evening air in.

a stewardess had flown in specifically to argue in person about a huge charge for a lost key she said didn’t happen. props to the manager for keeping his cool.

got my teeny car finally, and pedaled it back to the hotel.

would have been easier and faster if i had driven. could have gone to that car show. could have brought my camera gear and found something to shoot picks of here.

today was boring, by comparison. still hot af.