QUOTES FROM A FAMOUS MOVIE

10.  ”You don’t have to be alive to be helpful.”
  9.  “Do we look like we need the money?”
  8.  “I’m the money./Every penny of it.”
  7.  “How does he *know* these things?”
  6.  “I have no armour left. You’ve stripped it from me.”
  5.  “If the only thing left of you was your smile and your little finger, you’d still be more of a man than anyone I’ve ever met.”
  4.  ”I’m afraid that your friend Mathis… is actually MY friend Mathis.”
  3.  “You don’t trust anyone, do you?”
  2.  “Vesper? I do hope you gave your parents hell for that.”
  1.  “So you want me to be half-monk, half-hitman.”

ANSWER:  Casino Royale (2006) (Highlight blended link at left)

Once again, my second roommate has moved out.  That’s two in two months.  Good thing I don’t take it personally.  Pete is now advertising the room for rent.  I’m taking off for the weekend, so there’s no telling who/what I will discover on my return.

Happy weekend.

PERSPECTIVE

Zoomed in, focused
my up-close life I see
flawed and incomplete
Unfinished tapestry.

Zoomed out, telescopically
A speck I barely form.
Significant as a raindrop
Falling in a storm.

Somewhere in between those views,
A healthier one I’ll find
When healing overtakes my heart,
Cleans the lens within my mind.

Poetry Index

IMAGE OF THE WEEK:
Grand Canyon, AZ

Tons more pics here: 

Image of the Week Index

Please welcome my Miami friend, Lani, to Xanga when you have a minute.  Thanks.

I have seen the Grand Canyon in person, and it was a good trip (about 500 miles one way).  I’m glad I went, but I’m tired.  Long drive by oneself, especially across desert, but being my first time driving in Arizona made it more interesting.  And the 75 mph speed limit didn’t hurt, either. 

Getting out of LA was ridiculous; I’ll never make that mistake again.  It took me 2 hours to go 40 miles because of an 18-wheeler accident and a mass exodus.  The 15 North was literally a parking lot. I finally got to an exit and slept in my car till midnight, then drove till amost dawn before sleeping a couple more hours at a rest area.  I got to GC by noon, sadly missing sunrise but with plenty of daylight and a beautiful day to gaze.

I grabbed lunch at a very dimly lit steakhouse then found a nearby motel, where I enjoyed a hot shower before hustling back to the GC for sunset.  It was about 40 degrees at 7,000 feet on the South Rim, and my windbreaker was not nearly enough protection against the 15 mph winds.  Fortunately, I took a blanket, which allowed me to stay well past dark to see the starlit sky overhead.  I didn’t realize until they told me that the park was open around the clock.  Nice.

Back at the hotel, there were only about 20 TV channels and not much to watch, so I went to sleep early and arose well before sunrise to snag continental breakfast and try again at sunrise at GC.  Unfortunately, Friday was pretty cloudy, and there wasn’t much sun to see.  All in all, I made 4 or 5 trips to the GC, exploring the South Rim and the road eastward on different occasions.  I was not prepared to hike this trip; just wanted to get out of town and do something special.  I started this birthday tradition a few years ago by visiting Key West for the first time.  My current locale offers lots of choices for next year, but I likely won’t think about that for several months.

As I was leaving GC for the last time, I noted several empty cars along the main road and then the tourists-turned-photographers snapping away about 30 feet into the forest.  Another 30-40 feet into the trees from them was a large white-tailed deer–a buck.  I pulled over and watched him graze nonchalantly, obviously used to such intruders, for a good 5 minutes before I noticed the other five deer nearby–one baby.  They hardly moved and blended in with the thick trees very well.  I didn’t get to see any deer run this time, which is always fun, but it was still a nice little surprise as a going away present.

I grabbed a quick drive-thru lunch and drove till sundown, barely getting back into CA and through the mountains.  I again grabbed a nap (3 hours?) at a rest area before finishing my trek homeward, arriving just before midnight.  Then yesterday, my roommate took me out for Chinese food (my second free Chinese meal off my birthday) and out to the movies to see The Prestige, which is very good.  I slept forever today and am still tired, but laundry and preparations for a new workweek call.  I’ll try to get around over the next few days to see how you all spent your holidays.

The office just closed early, so I’ll get to drive a couple of hours in daylight.  Yay!

It’s been a good week.  Sat., I celebrated my birthday early by going to a sports bar and watching Ohio State beat Michigan and win their way into the national championship game against…USC?  That would be sweet, as some of my office mates are big USC fans.

Sunday was a nice day for a drive, and I enjoyed my visit to San Diego despite bad traffic coming back to LA.  It took me 2.5 hours going down and about 4 coming back, all the same day.  I was tired, but my ex-roomie’s open house gave me a good chance to meet some of his musician friends, a good bunch and a healthy social activity.

Today, the staff took me out to lunch for Chinese–my favorite.  Then they got me a carrot cake (my choice) to further celebrate my birthday (tomorrow).  And of course, best of all, they have given me a four-day weekend.

So, I’m shutting down the ol’ computer and hitting the road, Xanga.  Happy Thanksgiving to all.

Well, I survived another week, and I’ve almost made it to the 4-day holiday weekend.  Slowly, a bit of normalcy is settling around me, though where I spend my non-working hours is still a far cry from “home.”  I am finally resting/sleeping better and gradually recovering from prolonged sleep deprivation.  That’s important progress.  I still need a lot more energy, though, to start a second job and begin looking for a new place to live.  I’m not sure I can stay where I am much past New Year’s Day.

Tomorrow, I will enjoy the Ohio State (natl. #1) vs. Michigan (natl. #2) football game like a true Buckeye.  Then Sunday, I hope to drive to San Diego for a friend’s housewarming.  He was a roommate in Miami several years ago and is now making a living as a musician.  It will be a short visit, as I return to work Monday, but it will be my first major exploration outward from my new base of operations.  Gotta count for something.

Next Wed., I will likely drive to Arizona after work and spend my birthday staring at the Grand Canyon.  I need to get away; I just wish I could take someone I love with me.  I’m really tired of not having someone to share such things with, and yet I currently seem powerless to do anything about it.  But I will go looking for inspiration with the hope that when I return I will be a writer again.  There’s a good chance I won’t post for another week, so Happy Thanksgiving, fellow Americans.

Here’s an odd wild-tidbit:

This year, my birthday is on Thanksgiving.  That happens about every six years depending on leap years.  Of all the years for it to fall on that day, it had to be this year, when I’ve just moved 3,000 miles from almost everyone I know or care about.  Now I’ll have two reasons to be with people I can’t visit while most of LA skips town.  Ah, the joy of character building.

My roommate finally got a new hot water heater installed!!!!!!!!!!!!!  Hooray!  I had my first hot shower since moving to LA 9/24.  It’s true you take for granted what you have until you don’t have it.  Thanks to all of you for being such wonderful friends no matter how much or how little I post.  You’re all a lifeline when times are tough and just fun the rest of the time.  I owe you all healthy chunks of my sanity.