Entries this day: AM_skate PM_skate Rie i-group sign zz zzz

AM skate

10:52am CST Monday 3 February 2003

Was going to skate downtown Houston, but I slept too late to do that before skating with Catherine at Memorial Park. Great skating with her and getting to chat for what might be the last time in a while. I keep saying fond farewells to my friends in Houston. Sadness about leaving. Excitement about going.

I already finished the three peanut butter cookies she gave me out of her car. "I don't really like them, but they're good" she assured me. Funny. "Oh, and take these too," as she gave me more cookies.

I'm going to go say HI to Jennifer briefly at PT! and then go skate downtown. I have to do it for me.

11:50am

Spent some time chatting with Andrea at Greenbriar and with Jennifer at Paint This! Andrea wasn't able to make it to my 12,000th day party because a friend of her miscarried at 7 months. Andrea stayed with her at the hospital. She told me her friend is taking it quite well, trusting that her baby is in a better place and that this is what's best, etc. Andrea and I talked a little bit of world politics; how cool is that?? And she told me she is beginning to apply at PhD programs for political science type stuff I presume. Awesome!!

Jennifer is feeling a bit sick today and will basically just load the kiln and then roll out. She told me Spot is getting fitter and trimmer by running around outside, and can sit for 10 hours without moving. What a great cat!

Now I'm going downtown to skate.

12:09pm

Oh wait; I'm going to stop by Perfect Vision first to get my glasses adjusted and say HI.

PM skate

1:36pm CST Monday 3 February 2003

Just skated some around downtown; my last skate there for a while maybe. Parked Scott on Allen Parkway then rolled into the city, inches from an SUV type as he crossed in front of me merging onto Allen Parkway proper.

Skated past the back side of Bayou Place, then rolled around the new improved Jones Plaza under the watchful eye of some security guards chillin' at a table. OH! But there were some cats playing chess on a big chess board built into the sidewalk with pieces about 3 feet tall. So cool! I wonder if I would need to make a brain shift to play on a bigger board, which would necessarily change my visual perspective of the game.

New building being built with a round face 1/2 block wide across from Jones Hall and Houston Chronicle building. Marble facing and lots of windows. I couldn't tell what it will be but it seemed more like office space than lofts.

Down past Spy, the club where Kristen and Catherine and Katharine would sometimes hang out until it was closed down recently. D'oh! Then was about to bust across the street jayskating style when I saw a cop and put the quick brakes on and lept to the middle of the intersection, crossing the street the direction I was allowed to skate. Then snuck across the middle of the intersection when I had the green light. It's a weird intersection between Spy and Spaghetting Warehouse, facing toward UH Downtown.

Down to UHD, then up the steps then through the school to get a drink and then down Main Street which was actually blocked off for construction purposes as they are still working on the rail line to go past there. Oh that reminds me I didn't skate toward south downtown to see the new rail lines being put in. I've seen 'em before though.

The parking lot in which we used to skate looks like it's being converted to a parking garage. Definitely good news for jurors; it's the one right next to the courthouse where parking is a pain in the ass when being summoned for duty.

Oh shit I gotta go.

Aight fast: um, I saw the NEW AQUARIUM! And the coolest thing was seeing Mary visualizing a new sidewalk between um,.. oh the Wortham Center across to the Aquarium, designed to get pedestrians across the bayou, more easily connecting Bayou Palace, Wortham Center, & the Aquarium. So when I see that sidewalk built after a couple years from now, I'll know I was there at its inception.. before anyone even knew where the sidewalk would begin or (depending on which way one walks) where the sidewalk ends.

Gotta go see Rie now.

Rie

4:49pm CST Monday 3 February 2003

Visited Rie at her work, where it's pretty unbusy. She had 1 customer in the hour or so that I was there. She taught me some more Japanese, well she showed me some more, and then even more when we went over to Whole Foods to chat. She showed me the equivalent of blessings before and after dinner, and the honoring thing to say when entering someone's home.

Hugs to Rie when it was time for her to go. I wonder when I'll see her again.

i group

7:45pm CST Monday 3 February 2003

Just checked out of I-group for an unspecified period of time. Great grounding and blessing from the group. Great to see a new man likely to join the group.

Ricky Ferocious Lion
Tom Eagle at Peace
Chris Powerful Lion
Dennis Powerful Loving Hawk
Robin Loved Dog

Thank you all for a wonderful journey.

Ho.

sign

8:42pm CST Monday 3 February 2003

Went to Borders to join Chuck for an ASL class. Fun to see him again and see his new ear thing that allows him to hear now. He said he could distinguish the sounds of the guy pouring smoothies and people walking and papers rustling... Excellent. He told us a funny story about a refrigerator magnet sticking to the magnet on his head that makes the hearing thing possible. It took three neighbors looking at him strangely before he knew what they were seeing. Funny stuff. But not funny to one of the women (Michelle?) there who had a similar device. I didn't guess her to be deaf; she speaks without an accent.

Got a URL from... d'oh I forgot her name.. Sarah I'm pretty sure about these cats who had quite an adventure in Japan trying to get the hookup on housing.

Walked out with Chuck, said bye to him and "see you ... whenever."

zz

11:52pm CST Monday 3 February 2003

Super special thanks to Maggie for helping me remember details of the 12000th day party. Her memory is so excellent. Her typing skills are not. She's so brilliant. If there's one problem she's always had it's been with comma, splices.

"I must need sleep."

I'm going home tomorrow!

zzz

12:31am CST Tuesday 4 February 2003

I tried to stay awake for more of Maggie's stories, but I really couldn't all the way. I got most of them I think. Now it's shower time (for the first time since Friday morning). Whoohooo!