Fun and Games Dept

Here it is Wednesday afternoon and all I can do is dream about the weekend. It’s not that I don’t enjoy my job or anything like that; its just that lately all I can do is think about the fun filled frivolity the weekend promises. To make things more confusing, I’m on call this weekend, so it’s not like I’m going to go out and be a wild man or anything like that. I’m just ready for it to be “Saturday”.

I think it has to do with sleep patterns. I’ve mentioned before that I’m wired for Central Time. When Earl and I were in Indianapolis last week, I went to bed at 11 and arose around 7, like I’m doing this week, but I just felt so much better. And that’s after sleeping in a hotel bed that was bouncier than a trampoline. Earl and I are big boys and when we toss around in our sleep, especially in a bouncy bed, we both bob around like we’re in a lifeboat in the middle of the ocean. (Tom plays the part of Leonardo DiCaprio, clawed in to the side of the bed hanging on for dear life).

I think I would enjoy my weekdays more if I was retired and could stay up until I was actually tired and then got up when I was actually rested. But I end up going to bed at 11:00, earlier than my body wants to and then dragging myself out of bed at 7:30 to be to work by 9 (at least this week). When I’m not on call, I have to be to work earlier, then its just awful. As it is I barely speak English before noon.

So we’re more than half way to a weekend devoid of plans, but I’m looking forward to it anyways. Next weekend we’re camping and I’m already looking forward to that as well.

Sometimes I feel like I’m wishing my life away.

Earl and I jumped on the freeway this morning and made the trek across Indiana and Ohio, arriving in Erie, Pa. this evening around 7:00 p.m. We’ve installed ourselves at the Holiday Inn Express on Peach Street near I-90. It’s a nice little hotel with internet access. Unfortunately they don’t have any Ethernet cables available for sign-out, and I seem to be missing my ethernet cable from my backpack, so I’m typing this blog entry in TextEdit and will upload it later.

It’s August 12 – I have to say “Happy Birthday, Mike”. I can’t remember if your birthday is the 12th or 14th, so I’ll just play it safe and say happy birthday tonight.

We had a great dinner at “Quaker Steak and Lube” which sounds kinkier than it really is. Mother Nature treated us to an awesome thunderstorm toward the tail end of our supper. After we finished up we drove through downtown Erie and along the lakefront, looking for signs of a gay bar. Not that we were going to go in or anything, well, maybe for one drink. Unfortunately the last time I was out and about in Erie was 1990 and gay bars barely stay put for one year, let alone 15. So no booty shaking tonight.

So now we’re catching a little television before calling it a night. Tomorrow we’re taking the short drive to Buffalo, doing some shopping and then meeting up with some friends for the night.

Quaker Steak & Lube.

Originally uploaded by macwarriorny.

A fabulous restaurant in beautiful Erie, Pa.

Traffic Jam.

Originally uploaded by macwarriorny.

Sitting in traffic on Interstate 71 between Columbus and Cleveland, Ohio.

New Experiences.

Originally uploaded by macwarriorny.

Steak ‘n Shake. OH MY GOD! A new wonderous experience in the fast food arena!

Well after driving for 12 hours last night, with only a 1/2 hour catnap in a Rest Area in rural Ohio, I knocked on Earl’s hotel room door in Indianapolis this morning at 4:30 a.m. He bounded out of bed to let me in, where I shucked my clothes off and jumped into bed, ready for some sleep.

Last night’s drive was uneventful. I was operating on a mix of elation and sugar… I was excited about seeing Earl and I opted for Chocolate Fudge Pop-Tarts with a Pepsi chaser instead of the Slim-Jims I was talking about yesterday.

Earl went about his business responsibilities while I slept. I got up around noon, got cleaned up and drove around Greater Indianapolis. I’ve mentioned before that I’m a big fan of the Central Time Zone. I know it sounds very strange, but my body just feels more at ease here. I don’t know why, as it’s simply us human’s assigning a value to the current moment of the day, but I just feel better in the Central Time Zone. Perhaps I’m crazy.

While I was driving around, I spotted a Chick-Fil-a and leaped at the opportunity for a “proper lunch” of a Chicken Club Sandwich, waffle fries and fresh brewed Iced Tea. Chick-Fil-A is definitely the créme de la créme of the fast food set.

Mother Nature treated the area to a typical Midwestern thunderstorm. Lots of wind and rain, punctuated with some thunder and lightning. The flat topography lends itself to easy storm chasing, and I jumped around on the 465 in Jeep while trying to keep up with the fun.

I then headed back to the hotel as Earl was expected back. We changed our clothes and headed to downtown Indianapolis. This is a lovely city! For some reason it reminds me of Oklahoma City a little bit, with the typical central U.S. pacing. We took a stroll around the Circle Centre mall downtown, then walked the streets a little bit, taking in the sites. It started heating up a little bit so we hit the Jeep and drove around a bit and then went to the local Texas Roadhouse for supper. Great food and conversation. And Earl dumped iced tea in my lap right before that picture of me holding the beer was taken. It didn’t ice my spirits at all, though.

All in all my first trip to Indianapolis has been wonderful. I’m glad I had the opportunity to get out here and join Earl on a business jaunt.

Tomorrow we start heading home, probably staying somewhere in Ohio.

After trying to skirt the questions Earl has been asking me the past 24 hours, I finally had to give in and tell him about the surprise I was planning.

He’s in Indianapolis for training and was planning on coming home Friday morning. After he was settled in Indy, he realized that there was an earlier flight that was leaving Thursday afternoon and though it would cost more money, he was going to change his flight home. I advised that flying through Chicago sucks. I told him he’d end up driving home from the airport in the middle of the night. He responded with a “So what?!?” I ended up telling him that I had a present arriving for him on Thursday and he’d have to stay until Friday to enjoy it.
yond That present would be me.

After I finish this blog entry, I’m packing up the PowerBook, packing up Tom and loading up the Jeep for an all night ride to Indianapolis, after I drop Tom off at his Gram’s. It’s been a very long time since I’ve gone on a road trip like this, all night long, but I am psyched beyond belief. Not only am I going to be driving uncharted territory, but I’m getting to meet up with Earl so that we can do a little midwest Jeep tour this weekend!

I’ve been rather sedentary in my ways this summer in that I haven’t gotten out on my bike and hit the road like I have in the past. I don’t know why I’ve been hesitant to ride, but I’ve been feeling the affects of slacking off a little bit in that I just feel out of shape.

I decided to get my ass in gear this past weekend and went for two bike rides, 15 miles on Saturday and then 25 miles on Sunday. Both rides were extremely enjoyable and I’m planning on going for another ride tonight after work.

One of the reasons that I haven’t been riding as much is because we live on the side of a hill. It’s either a long climb right as I leave out of the driveway, when my legs are just warming up, or it’s a long climb to get home, a clever punctuation to a long journey. But while I complain about climbing the hill to get home, knowing two furry faces are waiting for my arrival (Earl’s and Tom’s) makes it all worthwhile.

I’m finding myself on the canalway trails more and on the road less, simply because I’ve become less tolerent of the motoring public. People are paying less and less attention to cyclists on the roads these days and you have to stand firmly on your ground if you want to avoid getting hit. Act like a car and you’ll be treated with respect. Act like a coward and you’ll be squashed like a bug.

I hope to do a day long ride before the snow flies. I’d really like to do an overnight ride before the snow flies; perhaps I’ll do a “falling leaves tour” of sorts and enjoy the scenery.

I may have jumped on the bike a little late this year, but the scenery is wonderful from my two wheels.

I finally got around to downloading and then uploading our vacation pictures from our trip in July. You can take a peek here if you wish.

Yesterday Earl and I hopped in the Jeep to spend an afternoon up in my hometown. I was a bad son in that I didn’t stop in and see my family, instead, we went to the Pulaski Field Days.

For those unfamiliar with the “field days” concept, let me explain. During the summer, volunteer fire departments in this area have a town carnival-type affair to raise money for the department. There’s a midway, games, raffles, lots of food and beer, and a parade through the Main Street area showing off area fire departments, marching bands and other civic groups. If you are a fan of the 10,000 Maniacs, you’ll note that they had a song called “Stockton Gala Days” – in Southwestern New York, they call the festivities “Gala Days”, up here in Central New York, we call them “Field Days”.

Anyways, Earl and I haven’t been to the Pulaski Field Days in a number of years. It’s always good fun in that we see quite a few people that I went to school with, a smattering of teachers, business owners and such. The last time we went to the parade was in 2000. Being the music teacher I aspired to be and the proud member of the marching band in both junior and senior high school, I was a little disappointed in the band’s performance that year. They didn’t seem as loud, choreographed or as polished that I remembered the band to be when I was in it. Of course, everyone tends to remember their formative years to be a little better than they probably were and I attributed my band memories to that.

This year, the band was very, very good. They are now led by a former classmate of mine, who is carrying on the legacy of our band director and his father (a former band director at a neighboring school) with pride and dignity. The band sounded good, they looked good and overall they performed well.

I may have lost touch with most of my friends and classmates from when I was growing up, but I’m still proud to be an alumni of Pulaski Academy and Central School.

Here’s some pictures of the band and colorguard:

And here’s a picture of Pulaski’s “Main Street”, which is actually called Jefferson Street. It’s a quaint little village, not as bustling as it was back in the day, though. Most of the business has moved out to Rome Street to the various plazas and such.