July 16, 2008

So I'm going about bettering myself. I'm riding my bike, reading books, working out, working hard. And I'm going around looking for fun, looking for pleasure. Good food, good sex, quality entertainment, moments of bliss.

Things are always a bit more complicated, of course. Fun isn't always had when you plan on it and sometimes it pops up when you're not expecting it. My mood can be set for an entire day by a single interaction or one missed meal. Life can be tricky.

But lately its been rather mellow and pleasant. Calm was only recently interrupted by visiting relatives (Mom and Carla) and a hectic workplace. Mom joined Fern and friends and myself for fun in the park during Fourth of July celebrations. We rode bikes and played smashmitten. The fireworks show was the best (closest) I've seen in many many years. It was good to see Mom so lively and fun loving. And she's as sharp as ever. When Carla came to town, Fern and I took her to The Balcony for drinks and dancing. Mom tried to get us all to a Mormon singles dance but she ended up being the one turning us back when she saw all the unattractive older men there. Carla, Mom and I toured the Old State Penitentary, something that I had never done completely and so thoroughly. The facility truly represents the opposite of freedom, with the tiniest of cells and dungeon-like solitary confinement. On Mom and Carla's last full day here, we drove up to Blue Lake in the mountains west of Cascade, and witnessed some of the most beautiful wilderness in the state. Overall, I think we experienced Boise and Idaho at their best, though just a few degrees warmer.

Work and I continue to kick each other's asses. That's to say I think I provide excellent customer service, sell a lot of bikes, and work overtime to ensure we have the bike inventory we need; but I tend to come home after an eleven or twelve hour day completely beat up, with little or no time for any activity besides vegging out in front of the TV. Days off, like today, can be less than perfect because I don't have a lot of energy for getting chores or excercise done. Rather, sometimes, like today, I'll opt to chill out and read and take it easy most of the day.

At the M this afternoon I had one of the best vanilla lattes of my life and read a very engaging yet disturbing book entitled The Great Controversy Between Christ and Satan. So far, the author has recounted the history of Christianity with a focus on Satan's role in the develpment of the Catholic church. The book certainly captures the fundamentalist American Christian church's view of reality. Its pretty scary actually, which makes it especially entertaining for me.

After my reading marathon (just a couple of hours) at the M, I stopped in at the Lux and Macy's to shop for work shorts. I get hot at work, with all the running around I do, and I think it would help if my work outfit was a tad cooler. I found a couple pairs of acceptable shorts at Macy's and put them on my charge card. Just thought you should know...

Tonight it'll be fun with Fern. Hopefully that'll include getting some good exercise--maybe the gym, a bike ride, or some splish-splashing in the pool. I'm really fond of intense physical activity followed by good food and equally intense leisure time. At least that's the general template I try to follow. We'll see how things go.