woo boy
Excited that I arrived from work early today, I called out "Hello?!" and shut the front door behind me. Slightly disappointed at hearing no response, I carried my shoes into the garage. As expected, Aelyn's car was nowhere to be found, but I was surprised that my car was missing as well. My eyes darted every which way while I tried to remember what I had done with my car. I then remembered - I went to Kinko's this morning to handle some paperwork, and instead of returning home, I parked near the closest bus stop, a half-mile away. I groaned and let out a soft sigh; I knew what I had to do.
I ran upstairs, changed into a light hoodie and lounge pants (otherwise known as PJ's) and headed out the door, only to be intercepted by Aelyn who had just arrived home. Tempted to ask her for a ride, I instead managed a brief "Hi!" and opened the front door.
Judging from my outfit that I was off for a jog, she waved Hello and said matter of factly, "By the way, it's really windy outside."
"I'll make it. No worries." I quickly replied. I waved and shut the door behind me, only to be immediately greeted by a fat gust of air. Woo boy, I thought, she wasn't kidding.
Walking into the wind is not particularly difficult, but it can be challenging if you're not wearing the right clothes. I wasn't worried about the cold, but I did start feeling self-conscious about my pants (the PJ bottoms). The strong and steady wind whipped my clothes against me, making my loose pants hug my legs and crotch like a pair of tights. Resolved to reach my car, I swallowed my pride and marched forward, hoping that John or Jane wouldn't pass by and catch me in one of my lesser moments.
With nothing else to do (damn, I forgot my iPod), I let my mind wander. Family obligations, upcoming exams, work, future ambitions, exercise, the crazy Asian guy - I presented everything to myself at once and felt buried by the weight.
Bleh, there is so much stuff I'd rather not think about. I sensed an incoming funk, and decided not to ruin a walk with brooding. I then flashed back to one of my favorite memories - California v. Oregon, 2006.
At the time, the undefeated Ducks were ranked higher than the Bears, who were still hurting from their painful season opener at Tennessee. I remember entering Memorial Stadium that day and being greeted by HUNDREDS of crazed Duck fans, clad in green and white and supremely confident in bringing a "W" home to Eugene, Oregon. If they thought there was even a possibility of a loss, they didn't show it. I waded through a sea of forest green toward my seat and had eight or nine Duck fans get in my face:
HEY DUDE, THE BEARS CAN SUCK MY BALLS!
YOU'RE GONNA GET OWNED, MOTHERFUCKER!
REMEMBER TENNESSEE! REMEMBER TENNESSEE!
Recalling these taunts at the end of the game tasted like sweet revenge. The Bears delivered a royal spanking, 45-24, and made it look effortless. We moved the ball downfield at all times, eating up TIG OLE BITTY yards with awesome runs and pass plays. The Oregon fans were frozen in disbelief and buried their heads into their hands. The home crowd was electric and buzzed with excitement. My friends and I were on Cloud Nine - my face was flushed red from joy and alcohol. This is how life is supposed to be, I thought, life is supposed to feel this easy.
A cold and heavy gust of wind interrupted my reverie. The wind must have been thinking "wind tunnel!", because it knocked me off balance and kicked dirt into my eyes. I soon found my footing and trudged forward, toward the railroad tracks, annoyed by my gaseous enemy. Once I was across, I turned the corner and was happy to have the wind at my back.
Another random memory popped suddenly into my head, like an imaginary "Whack-A-Mole!" In high school, my friends and I would sometimes visit Denny's late at night to hang out and eat fried foods and smoke cigarettes. There was nothing better in the world than a Meat Lover's Skillet and a Parliament. We would then stand around the parking lot, in a circle, and chat and smoke for hours before calling it a night.
After about a half mile of walking, I had finally arrived at my car. No ticket on the windshield - nice! I let myself in and drove to my default dinner location - McDonald's. I'll admit to feeling guilty about it - I watched "Supersize Me!" and still eat it all the time. Nonetheless, I was in a great mood and didn't care. Sure, you could live without it, but what's the point?
I ran upstairs, changed into a light hoodie and lounge pants (otherwise known as PJ's) and headed out the door, only to be intercepted by Aelyn who had just arrived home. Tempted to ask her for a ride, I instead managed a brief "Hi!" and opened the front door.
Judging from my outfit that I was off for a jog, she waved Hello and said matter of factly, "By the way, it's really windy outside."
"I'll make it. No worries." I quickly replied. I waved and shut the door behind me, only to be immediately greeted by a fat gust of air. Woo boy, I thought, she wasn't kidding.
Walking into the wind is not particularly difficult, but it can be challenging if you're not wearing the right clothes. I wasn't worried about the cold, but I did start feeling self-conscious about my pants (the PJ bottoms). The strong and steady wind whipped my clothes against me, making my loose pants hug my legs and crotch like a pair of tights. Resolved to reach my car, I swallowed my pride and marched forward, hoping that John or Jane wouldn't pass by and catch me in one of my lesser moments.
With nothing else to do (damn, I forgot my iPod), I let my mind wander. Family obligations, upcoming exams, work, future ambitions, exercise, the crazy Asian guy - I presented everything to myself at once and felt buried by the weight.
Bleh, there is so much stuff I'd rather not think about. I sensed an incoming funk, and decided not to ruin a walk with brooding. I then flashed back to one of my favorite memories - California v. Oregon, 2006.
At the time, the undefeated Ducks were ranked higher than the Bears, who were still hurting from their painful season opener at Tennessee. I remember entering Memorial Stadium that day and being greeted by HUNDREDS of crazed Duck fans, clad in green and white and supremely confident in bringing a "W" home to Eugene, Oregon. If they thought there was even a possibility of a loss, they didn't show it. I waded through a sea of forest green toward my seat and had eight or nine Duck fans get in my face:
HEY DUDE, THE BEARS CAN SUCK MY BALLS!
YOU'RE GONNA GET OWNED, MOTHERFUCKER!
REMEMBER TENNESSEE! REMEMBER TENNESSEE!
Recalling these taunts at the end of the game tasted like sweet revenge. The Bears delivered a royal spanking, 45-24, and made it look effortless. We moved the ball downfield at all times, eating up TIG OLE BITTY yards with awesome runs and pass plays. The Oregon fans were frozen in disbelief and buried their heads into their hands. The home crowd was electric and buzzed with excitement. My friends and I were on Cloud Nine - my face was flushed red from joy and alcohol. This is how life is supposed to be, I thought, life is supposed to feel this easy.
A cold and heavy gust of wind interrupted my reverie. The wind must have been thinking "wind tunnel!", because it knocked me off balance and kicked dirt into my eyes. I soon found my footing and trudged forward, toward the railroad tracks, annoyed by my gaseous enemy. Once I was across, I turned the corner and was happy to have the wind at my back.
Another random memory popped suddenly into my head, like an imaginary "Whack-A-Mole!" In high school, my friends and I would sometimes visit Denny's late at night to hang out and eat fried foods and smoke cigarettes. There was nothing better in the world than a Meat Lover's Skillet and a Parliament. We would then stand around the parking lot, in a circle, and chat and smoke for hours before calling it a night.
After about a half mile of walking, I had finally arrived at my car. No ticket on the windshield - nice! I let myself in and drove to my default dinner location - McDonald's. I'll admit to feeling guilty about it - I watched "Supersize Me!" and still eat it all the time. Nonetheless, I was in a great mood and didn't care. Sure, you could live without it, but what's the point?
posted by Nathan at 9:27 PM
