Early in the Morning

Which for me, was rather late. Forced myself to sleep in until 8, which given my energy level of the last week is no mean feat. My morning was to have been spent in the company of drunken Sports fans, but the schedule has the UW/UCLA game kicking off at 4 PM.

Which changes a lot of things.

First of which were my Breakfast plans. I went to bed mildly hungry, but awoke in roughly the same state. As I began the ritual of Rehydration (SHAI-HALUD!), my hunger grew.

This here hunger is actualy a new thing for me. This last week, Hunger started becoming a part of my daily life in a way that has not been true for over 10 years. Also back are insomnia, irritability, and an overabundance of energy that causes me to stand for most of the workday. But it has rekindled my interest in dancing to exhaustion, which used to be coupled (quite literally) with massive amounts of alchohol and nubile young women.

Two things that might be staging a comeback in my life. Time will tell.

But I digress. I’m up, awake, and hungry. I navigate the bus system to my destination, and arrive (as feared) to a closed bar a little after 9. No worries, I have some shopping I want to do, and that Breakfast is something I’m pretty good at.

Back on the bus I go, and arrive at my old morning companion, the Starbucks at 50th and University. Being that it is my weekend “off” (although yesterday was a meal choice day like any other), I decided to have the elusive muffin and chai. The breakfast which weighs in at about 600 calories, and was an everyday occurance for two years of my life.

Ending in January 2006, in case you are keeping score.

While I engage in a chai and muffin from neighborhood coffee shop every few weeks, it’s not the bland, processed, overly sugared concoction that the Mermaid merchants provide.

I feel sick. I feel bloated. I feel like I don’t have to order a Veinte Soy, no-water Chai ever again in my life. 2 full hours later, I can feel that food sweltering in my gut, and this half gallon of water at my left will help me get rid of it.

In a word, Yuch.

I countered this icky feeling (which set in almost immediately) with a walk around the Ave, and a stop into Tower Records. I love going into Tower records. Not only because it used to be my personal laboratory (it occupies the site formerly tenanted by the Wizards of the Coast Game Center), but because I assault their used and bargain racks like the Marines at Anzio. Nothing is left unscathed, and a $50 session there usually nets me the equivalent of a $300 shopping spree, and an hour of Therapy for my derangement.

But I picked up some absolutely amazing deals, including a compilation of local thrash/house bands with a monkey on the cover, a monkey version of the Justice League of America inside, and a picture of a monkey Kyle Rayner on the disc itself.

Monkeylicious! And if anyone wants to give me crap about the Ape/Monkey differential, I have this to say.

Shut up, Monkey!

So I decided to come home and check my e-mail, to check on a meeting I’ve got scheduled with my friend Linda, the rabid UCLA fan. You see, Linda wrote me in a near panic a few weeks back, because her child nephew was calling due a marker from last year’s USC/UCLA game (BEST GAME EVER!), wherein she had fooloshly bet on the home team. Or rather, the WRONG home team. The wager was that she would have to wear a piece of TOTALLY AWESOME GOLD AND BURGUNDY SC gear, take a picture of same, and send it to him.

Naturally, she had little choice but to swallow her pride and ask me to borrow one of mine.

The funny begins here (at least, this portion of it) I actually did not own any, since in this Dawg town, they are not readily available. and all the stuff I had from colllege has been long since discarded due to me being a big lardass. But, as I related this, I let her know that I was already planning to pick up some new gear, and would be doing so yesterday.

So I did.

What she doesn’t know (but will in about 30 minutes) is that there was a two for one sale, and I picked up a second Sweater with the HATED COLORS OF THE BRUINS upon it. I will be wearing this as she is forced to endure the utter humiliation of donning my colors, and watching me poison the pitiful (actually , rather strong) chances that UCLA will win in today’s contest.

That will be fun.

And perhaps, my appetite will return. Since I can quickly catch a bus down to the bar after we switch back to our rightful states.

Good times.

Also in the news, I got an amazingly cool leather jacket from a serendipitous 3 household yard sale just around the corner from my domicle.

For 8 bucks.

PS. It’s a large, and it fits. Life is getting better all the time. 213 with a bullet. My ribs say hello.

Stay tuned for more awesome.