7/15 & 7/16

As you know, Bob, I get lazier every single day.  And fatter.

So it came as quite a surprise that I saw a little exercise bike at the local scratch n' dent, and considered buying it.  I asked the proprietor if it was heavy (I thought I'd have to drive over and get my mom's car to fit it into), and if he thought it would sell before the end of the day.  "Are you kidding?  I've had that for weeks," he said.  Then he said he'd knock ten dollars off, since I always buy action figures from him, and when I went to my car to clear off the seat, he said he'd knock off fifteen.  I was already going to buy it, but hey, a deal's a deal.

Not got anything to say today. 

It was pretty hot, and I sat in my car for a minute, watching a YouTube video, and was surprised when the sweat started to roll down my forehead and neck.  I was reminded of when Indians would do their sweat lodge rituals (for purification?  For a show of body-mastery?), and how my dad used to like to go in the sauna at this very Overlook-like hotel in the mountains when I was a kid.  It made me wonder if I was clearing out my pores by sitting there, so I forced myself to sit another three or four minutes, so the sweat would REALLY flow.

Around that time, my nephew's best friend rode by on his bike and saw me doing it, and asked me later just what the bloody hell I thought I was doing.  Good question.

Writing or Exercise: Writing (812 words, if the count was accurate)

7/16

Only have a few minutes at the library today.  Somehow I slept in an extra half hour this morning, and it threw off the whole day.*

I emailed Jeff yesterday and told him I wasn't sure I deserved to get to go to Europe and do all that fun stuff.  He said it wasn't about deserving, that it's his birthday and he wants to celebrate it how he wants to celebrate it.  So weird.

I finally wrote the reunion scene on "Balms & Sears," which I've been thinking about for nearly a decade--the big point of the story, the climax.  But I only got about a third of it done.  It's all downhill from there, after all.

After the library closed, I went over to the mall to check out the toy store that opened three weeks ago (did I write about that, about being one of the first customers, talking with fellow collectors in the line, and then feeling obligated to buy something?  That's why I haven't gone back).  The owner, despite only knowing me vaguely from toy shows over the years, was super friendly and chatty and took me into the back room to show a collection of vintage Transformers (still in the boxes!) that a guy brought in.  He was almost giddy with pride and excitement, and shared how much business they've been doing.

And I have to admit, I was a little jealous.  Back in 2007, I told my cousin we should open a store together, where people could bring in their old toys, and we'd turn around and sell them for a ginormous profit.  Of course, my cousin kept having children, and the economy tanked a year later, so it would never have worked, but it seemed like a fun and exciting job to have.  All these years later, to see somebody who actually made a go of it, doing exactly that, is pretty inspiring.

I also did a short version of my run as the sun was going down, then hopped on the exercise bike and tested it out.  I think I'll take it to the cabin with me next week, see if I couldn't ride it while reading Abbie's book.

Writing or Exercise: Both

*Okay, it was more than a half hour.  But you don't expect me to be HONEST here, do you?