Shop not surf
The ring of my phone thankfully pulled me out of a strange dream. Turns out to be Alla. She lets me know that I forgot my watch at her place last night. It is already just past 9 AM. Time to get up, shower and skip yoga - Lupe is cleaning the yoga studio and I need to get the dreded shopping over with.
I meet with Bill to discuss today's agenda. We walk the land and review what I need to get. Bill keeps adding new stuff. Then it turns out that I won't be able to use the Volvo. Bill suggests using Devin's big white truck which runs on natural gas. My list has almost doubled after meeting with Bill. In order to use Devin's truck, I have to fill it up at a natural gas fuel station. The closest one to where I'll be is in Oxnard. Devin also asks me to drop off his board to have some dings repaired and get some cement to repair his wet suit.
By the time I hit the road it is just before noon. I vistit Alla at her work to get my blue digital watch. We go for a walk around the corner and sit on a bench across from Bart's Books. This will be the best moment of the day. Too soon, I am off to run the first errand: mail some one their 2 shirts and pair of pants forgotted 2 weeks ago.
The heat of the day kicks in as I drive on the 33 to the 101. Get off on the Main St exit. Find the surf shop. Details, details, call Dev, sort out more deatails, call Dev... Out of there.
Back on 101. Cars everywhere. Yeah, this is So Cal alright. Get off at the Rose exit. Find the natural gas refueling station. Getting natural gas into a trucks fuel tank is different then the gasolene method. They even have a training vid that takes a minute. Then they give you a code that goes with whatever credit card you used. It's a gas as opposed to a liquid so the set up is different. I end up giving Dev a call when nothing happens after I follow the directions. It fills up and only costs $1.59 per gallon.
I am near a surf spot that Dev reccommended to smooth over all the extra driving and work. I get to the beach, park, look at the long stretch of beach and the small waves. Get back in the car. Drive. Find the 101. Start looking for Target. Let the shopping begin so it can end. Finding Target turns in to a bit of a struggle. Heat rising off the road distorts my vision. Distorts my thinking. My brain aint clicking, that is for sure. I get directions that take me to the vicinity. I get directions again and find the store. Bed, Bath and Beyond is in the same center. This brings me a drop of joy into the desert of my sandy limbic system.
What can you say about Target? I am not big on shopping so I have a bias. Despite my bias, I have to admit that it's a step up from K-Mart and Walmart. I managed to track down most of the items on my list. Professional scavenger hunt. Bowls, coffee mugs, pans, silverware, can opener, measuring cups but no fans, no creamery pitcher, no hotel pan... oh well.
I take everything to the truck, drive to the other side of the parking lot and then park in front of Bed, Bath and Beyond. This store surprisingly had mucho overlap with my Target expedition. Higher quality. More dollar$. I buy: curtains, rods and three fans. All nearly half priced.
Out in the parking lot again, pushing another cart filled with stuff, Devin calls. He needs his truck in 50 minutes. Shopping is done for this day. To me, shopping is war and I am a vet, suffering from a head ache after 6 hours of combat, on the roads, in the stores. Where's my purple heart?
I drive some more. Thought I might surf today. Not much of a bump is my consolation. 101 slims down from three lanes to two as I take the Ojai exit. 33 slims down from 2 lanes to 1 and the heat jumps up 10 degrees. Inland. The traffic is bearable but cars are everywhere until I turn off Ojai's version of Main Street. Slip up thru back roads. Patiently wait for some guys in suits to close a car door so I can get by a narrow street packed with cars for some kind of gathering. 1 of the 3 guys in suits eventually shuts the door. He never looks at me. Must have been an after thought. I say out the window: "Apology accepted." I look in the mirror, he seems to be looking up in the sky wondering where the voice came from. Puzzled.
Pull in to the estate. Place items in or near their new homes. It is after 6 PM. Head hurts. Need food. Hop on CBR 900. Cycle to Farmer and the Cook. The meal of salad, avocado, quinoa, rice etc. is the medicine, what I needed all along I guess.
I meet with Bill to discuss today's agenda. We walk the land and review what I need to get. Bill keeps adding new stuff. Then it turns out that I won't be able to use the Volvo. Bill suggests using Devin's big white truck which runs on natural gas. My list has almost doubled after meeting with Bill. In order to use Devin's truck, I have to fill it up at a natural gas fuel station. The closest one to where I'll be is in Oxnard. Devin also asks me to drop off his board to have some dings repaired and get some cement to repair his wet suit.
By the time I hit the road it is just before noon. I vistit Alla at her work to get my blue digital watch. We go for a walk around the corner and sit on a bench across from Bart's Books. This will be the best moment of the day. Too soon, I am off to run the first errand: mail some one their 2 shirts and pair of pants forgotted 2 weeks ago.
The heat of the day kicks in as I drive on the 33 to the 101. Get off on the Main St exit. Find the surf shop. Details, details, call Dev, sort out more deatails, call Dev... Out of there.
Back on 101. Cars everywhere. Yeah, this is So Cal alright. Get off at the Rose exit. Find the natural gas refueling station. Getting natural gas into a trucks fuel tank is different then the gasolene method. They even have a training vid that takes a minute. Then they give you a code that goes with whatever credit card you used. It's a gas as opposed to a liquid so the set up is different. I end up giving Dev a call when nothing happens after I follow the directions. It fills up and only costs $1.59 per gallon.
I am near a surf spot that Dev reccommended to smooth over all the extra driving and work. I get to the beach, park, look at the long stretch of beach and the small waves. Get back in the car. Drive. Find the 101. Start looking for Target. Let the shopping begin so it can end. Finding Target turns in to a bit of a struggle. Heat rising off the road distorts my vision. Distorts my thinking. My brain aint clicking, that is for sure. I get directions that take me to the vicinity. I get directions again and find the store. Bed, Bath and Beyond is in the same center. This brings me a drop of joy into the desert of my sandy limbic system.
What can you say about Target? I am not big on shopping so I have a bias. Despite my bias, I have to admit that it's a step up from K-Mart and Walmart. I managed to track down most of the items on my list. Professional scavenger hunt. Bowls, coffee mugs, pans, silverware, can opener, measuring cups but no fans, no creamery pitcher, no hotel pan... oh well.
I take everything to the truck, drive to the other side of the parking lot and then park in front of Bed, Bath and Beyond. This store surprisingly had mucho overlap with my Target expedition. Higher quality. More dollar$. I buy: curtains, rods and three fans. All nearly half priced.
Out in the parking lot again, pushing another cart filled with stuff, Devin calls. He needs his truck in 50 minutes. Shopping is done for this day. To me, shopping is war and I am a vet, suffering from a head ache after 6 hours of combat, on the roads, in the stores. Where's my purple heart?
I drive some more. Thought I might surf today. Not much of a bump is my consolation. 101 slims down from three lanes to two as I take the Ojai exit. 33 slims down from 2 lanes to 1 and the heat jumps up 10 degrees. Inland. The traffic is bearable but cars are everywhere until I turn off Ojai's version of Main Street. Slip up thru back roads. Patiently wait for some guys in suits to close a car door so I can get by a narrow street packed with cars for some kind of gathering. 1 of the 3 guys in suits eventually shuts the door. He never looks at me. Must have been an after thought. I say out the window: "Apology accepted." I look in the mirror, he seems to be looking up in the sky wondering where the voice came from. Puzzled.
Pull in to the estate. Place items in or near their new homes. It is after 6 PM. Head hurts. Need food. Hop on CBR 900. Cycle to Farmer and the Cook. The meal of salad, avocado, quinoa, rice etc. is the medicine, what I needed all along I guess.
posted by Dij at 11:09 PM
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