Pre-Salt

This post (actually the next three, maybe four) has been long in coming and addresses one of the most excellent experiences I have had perhaps in my life and certainly most recently.

Tangent: Before I really get into this, I just want to note that I am considering treating these more like publications than simple releases. Right now, and for the past couple of days, looking over my last posts, I am pulled to craft more expression into them. Then again I think that may simply come with time.

Tangent: I am getting to the point where I wish I could change my bicycle into other things like food or a form of worship. It is such a good thing to ride. I want everyone to start ride it and take it out for like 10-15 at least. The down side is that with my estimations now, I still need 500-600 to start to get the "extras" (see gloves, padded shorts, panniers, etc. (see necessities)). Fortunately, by my parent's wonderful generosity, I have the bike itself (they payed for the first half because I apparently goofed up the transfer of the first half from my savings to checking). I secretly pray for some massive oil collapse so that I can heroically take my bike over the rubble and destruction, delivering medicine and happiness. I'd basically be Balto mixed with a bike messenger. I'd probably save the day, fall in passionate love with some grateful, yet also heroic woman. College is great, but really my plan is to become a bike hero.

Um, wow. I knew I'd been thinking that, but never really got it out there. Anyway, this most amazing experience logistically consisted of leaving last Friday "right after work" (work ended at 17:00

Tangent: I'm training myself in 24 hour (aka military) time and less rigorously in metric. I have a binary 24 hour clock which helps and I have my personalized google homepage set to Celcius temperature, which I like a lot. 30 degrees is freaking hot. I guess you'll'll (that is, "you all will") have to deal.

So "right after work", which ended at 17:00 translated to 18:30. So far so good. Natalie Heikennen (theater major, a little older than me, totally cool although for some reason I'm not fully aware of, I've always felt just a little awkward around), Marshall Hughes (in ROTC, Eagle Scout, swears like a sailor, drinks like a fish, but most importantly loves like a brother), Marty Peterson (If you live in WA, come visit me sometime before mid-July because he is leaving for Norway to go build a Norwegian boat starting with cutting down the trees, so that I can introduce you to him. You must meet him. If you don't live in WA, then well basically the same thing applies but I understand if you can't make it before mid-July) and I (I'm basically confusing) left for Marshall's town of Toledo. It was a nice drive down the Five, full of good music and conversation. When we started approaching Toledo, Marshall spoke to us of his childhood adventures, who he bucked hay for.

*BREAKING NEWS*: Not necessarilly good news. I just bought Kingdowm Hearts and Kingdom Hearts II for the Playstation 2 (or 3) for about $40 from Amazon.com. Apparently they are really excellent role playing games, a joint effort from Disney and Square Enix. This is Friday. I am post about something that happened right now in a post that is largely about things that happened a week ago. This is probably an example of my inconsistent living. I was distracted from blogging by work. More or less.

Back to it, though. So we are driving down into Toledo with Marshall telling us about everything from Boy Scouts, exploring and football to drinking and run-ins with THE LAW. You should ask him to tell you. And actually most of the story telling happened while he was taking us on a tour of Toledo, after we had met his parents and their house which we stayed in (or around, in the case of the boys + Natalie) for the Fri-Sat night. When we got back from walking around (which Marty and I did barefoot and it felt great) we had some pizza for dinner. I spent a bit of time talking with Marshall's mom and Natalie and Marty, and then I went in to watch the evening news with Marshall's dad. I hadn't watched the news in like months, so it was pretty interesting to see what the network thought was important. I can't remember what it was. I think the others had gone on a walk but I couldn't be sure. Anyway the evening just sort of passed. Until the most important part. Which was, undoubtedly, the watching of "Dr. Strangelove or How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Love the Bomb", for those of you who don't know what it is, it is a movie set in the middle of the Cold War era, dealing with the issue of Mutually Assured Destruction. Marshall's dad sprinkled the viewing with trivia while fairly demanding that everyone else keep quiet. Some of the trivia seemed to pop up a couple of minutes later in the dialog, but it was interesting nonetheless. The film was directed by Stanley Kubrick (A Clockwork Orange, Full Metal Jacket, 2001: A Space Odyssey) which means the entire film was a bunch of "absolutely absurd moments juxtaposed with stark reality" - Marshall's Dad. And I agree entirely. It was fantastic. I laughed a lot. It is clever and absurd. Well, the movie and its creation is clever. Apparently, society is absurd.

After that, I chatted a bit (sort of awkwardly because I what I actually wanted to do was sleep) and then I went to bed and drifted off to the sleep. For the first of a number of times that night.