Some people see themselves as a separate person, with a family on the side. As I've had to think about these kind of things lately, I've discovered that I primarily think of myself as part of a family first - my entire viewpoint on life is focused there, with my personal needs an important, but secondary focus. This sounds noble, but in many ways it's actually just pathetic.
My sense of betrayal is palpable.
Gladstone's will never be the same...
I woke up at 3:45 this morning, which is always a pain. And for no apparent reason. I went to sleep right around 11 last night.
I surfed for a while, then read a couple of chapters of Sharpe's Trafalgar. I crawled back into bed around 6:15 after bumping the alarm up from 7:00 to 8:00. I slept a little, but woke up for good around 7:25.
Carole and our friend Cyndy left on their cruise this afternoon.
As usual, Carole was running late - very late. So late, in fact, that I got to drive them to the ship. Carole normally has to drive everywhere - the alternative is having her get car sick, so it's an easy decision. But, she can't get a ticket until at least September. She's already got one on her record, and another that she went to traffic school for, and she can't go back to traffic school until September.
So, I got the duty. We did one of those 'professional driver - do not attempt' type of drives - well beyond the posted limit, but still within safe limits (if I say so myself). The ship was due to sail at 5:00 pm, and we didn't leave until 3:45.
(Carole planned on leaving at 12 noon, but we all knew this was McConnell time. Carole's maiden name is McConnell, and the lateness thing runs in almost all of the female McConnells, except for her youngest sister Crystal. So, when she tells us a time we know to be unrealistic, my sons and I know it's a McConnell time.)
After I dropped them off, I asked the nice women who greeted passengers at the curb if there was anywhere I could watch them sail. They recommended the Acapulco Restaurant down by Port O' Call, so I headed down there. I got a table on the patio, and had steak fajitas and read the last part of Sharpe's Triumph. The ship didn't actually pass by until almost 6:00 - Carole called me on her cell and we talked while we waved. I hope she has a nice trip.
Why didn't I go? The trip was really Cyndy's idea - actually, it was her husband Ernie's idea. Cyndy having some problems medically, and Ernie wanted her to go on a cruise - they had gone on a Caribbean cruise together a few years ago, and Cyndy had a good time. Unfortunately, by the time Cyndy was able to travel, things weren't right for Ernie to go, so he suggested that Cyndy go with Carole - who doesn't need much prodding to take a trip. So, Carole and Cyndy went together.
Oh, after the ship passed by, I finished the rest of Sharpe's Triumph.
I rode my motorcycle to work today. I get on the westbound 210 at Rosemead Blvd. in East Pasadena and hit the carpool lane just west of Madre. I have to get out of the carpool lane right around Lake Avenue, continue west as the main freeway changes to the 134, and get off at the San Rafael exit.
I've often wondered why carpool lanes are setup the way they are in southern California. Around here, the lanes are isolated from the rest of the lanes by a set of double yellow lines. There are breaks every few miles or so for qualified vehicles to enter or leave the special lane. Sounds reasonable, right?
The problem is that in heavy traffic periods, these entry/exit breaks cause slowdowns in the rest of the freeway lanes. The fast lane (adjacent to the carpool lane) will be moving okay, but is just below the volume level that would make it slow down. As people leave the carpool lane and enter the fastlane, its just enough to cause the fastlane to slow down - sometimes a lot, depending on the number of cars leaving the carpool lane. As that fastlane slows down, cars move into the second lane, slowing it down, and so on.
The last few times I've been to San Jose for business trips, I noticed that the carpool lanes on the 101 aren't setup this way. They are just regular lanes, and during non-rush hours they are used by all traffic. When the rush hour begins, they become HOV lanes, and only qualifying vehicles are permitted. However, cars can enter or leave the HOV lane at any time, instead of just at designated breaks.
This setup seems more logical to me, and I've wondered why this method isn't done in So. Cal.
As I rode my motorcyle down the carpool lane this morning, something came to me: maybe the lane design is (at least partially) to help out motorcyclists. By isolating the carpool lane from the rest of the freeway, motorcycles get a safer (relatively speaking) high speed environment. During heavy rush hours, motorcycles will often lane split on the right side of the carpool lane - and not have to worry so much about cars in the next lane diving into them.
When I first played this CD, I ripped it and put it on my MP3 player, and it's been there ever since. I listen to it a lot when I walk in the hills by my work during lunch time. I'm a sucker for intelligent lyrics and sophisticated but unpretentious music.
Here's an Amazon link.
Just picked up Heartdrops: Vince Benedetti meets Diana Krall - it popped up as a recommendation on Amazon. Gave it a first listen on the way home from work, and it's pretty good. Maybe a little more brass than I normally go for, but Krall's vocals are fresh, and her harmonies with guitarist Martien Oster are a first for me.
Here's an Amazon
link
