MichaelMidnight.com

I could not find anything worth writing.

The day started cool, but grew hot and bothersome.

Through the night I could not sleep.

I pattered between my bed and the den, searching for rest.

When at last I found it, rest only embraced me for a little while.

Awake now, I awaited for the princess and our journey south.

The journey was swift and direct;  treasures were brought.

As the heat beat down I journeyed forth towards the North,

Where stone dwellings were kept for stores and barter.

A gift I searched for a loved one’s day of birth.

Many things did I see and many things did I want.

In the end I believe I choose wisely and returned home.

With the kingdom in slumber, I went forth and fought.

Not true fighting for in that, death is an outcome and sad all-around,

But rather sport and exercise.

When I returned, I found my brother-in-arms back, and rejoiced.

After getting refreshed we had merry meals

And parties after parties in his honor.

Still now the young knight prince merry makes in the town of yore.

And I the knight of white walls and towers of knowledge

Remained in the castle and protected the sleeping kingdom

On this the last day of the august season.

You know, I love books and I love bookstores and libraries, and today I spend a good chunk of my day at Brand Bookshop.  It’s my favorite used bookstore in the Los Angeles area, right in Glendale.  It is right next to Porto’s Bakery and a few blocks from the Glendale Galleria and the Americana At Brand center.

Most of the books are used and are half off their original prices, but new and rare books are priced more accordingly.  And every so often the store would have special sales during the holidays, and for Labor Day, they’re having a week long sale where books have an extra 30% off and are tax free.  And every time I visited the store during one of their sales, the place was packed.  I mean it’s usually packed on the weekends as it is but more so during their sales.  It was another scorcher of day in Los Angeles and it’s refreshing to come inside the store where they have the air conditioning on at full blast.

Once inside you’ll be able to find people very friendly and willing to help you find a book.  And chief among these people is the owner himself, Jerome.  Though a bit older, Jerome is full of life, very knowledgeable, and always willing to help you in almost any endeavor, about books or not.  And inside you’ll find a sprawling store lined with shelves upon shelves of books.

What originally grabbed my attention at the store was it’s healthy supply of graphic novels and comic books available.  I first visited the store after I had moved back to Los Angeles from Orange County and in my experience down south, most used bookstores had little to no graphic novels.  But here at the Brand Bookshop they had a tall shelf devoted to them.  They had mainstream books from Marvel and DC, both old and new, and books from Independent publishers.  And over the years, I’ve picked up many a good comic book there for cheap.  Oh but there’s so much more.  Some stores usually die out because of a lack of turn around of books but here there’s a steady stream of books revolving.

Besides graphic novels, I collected many classic books here and some of the harder to find books of Joseph Campbell.  But what I cherish the most here at the Brand Bookshop is their writing section.  I have collected many books on the craft of writing both technical and inspirational.  And since some of the writing books are out of print, most times the prices here at the store are far cheaper than buying it used on Amazon.  But these are just the books that interest me.  There’s far more inside.  Seriously, there’s so many shelves and subjects available that I haven’t even looked at them all.  Almost every time I go back, I find something new.

On this particular trip, I told myself I would only limit myself to a single book.  After 10 minutes inside I found myself holding “The Hobbit,” “A Tolkien Miscellany,” “Ain’t It Cool? Hollywood’s Redheaded Stepchild Speaks Out,” and “Will Eisner’s Comics and Sequential Art”.  On the way to Glendale, I decided to park at the mall and walk over to the store and walk off some of the lunch I had eaten earlier.  What I hadn’t expected was for the weather to turn sour.  It was hot but it was also very humid and the instant I parked and walked over there, it felt like I was walking across the Sahara desert.  Thankfully once inside, I stood underneath one of the vents and let the cool air wash over me.  And with the books in hand, I found a chair and a cool spot, and began reading.

I recently finished “100 Strokes of the Brush Before Bed” and decided that I wanted to read another book while I continued with “I, Claudius” and thought it would be good to find a book.  I picked up “The Hobbit” and started to read.  I picked up another copy of the “Lord of the Rings” earlier this year that contained the individual books and decided that I wanted to finally finish the series.  I have the one-volume edition but found it too large to carry around and never got past the end of “The Fellowship of the Ring”.  And with news that “The Hobbit” was going to be made into a film as well, I decided it would be good to read about Bilbo’s adventures all over again.  Besides comics books, it was “The Hobbit” that also started me on my passion of books and reading.  I actually picked up a used copy of the book at the Temple City Library years ago and found it funny that I was picking up another used version of the book.  It’s funny how things have a roundabout nature.

So there I sat cooling off and read the quick introduction of the book.  Then the preface.  And then the first sentence that started it all:  “In a hole in the ground there lived a hobbit.”  And about 3 hours later and a 100 pages in, I took stock of what happened.

Astounded that so much time has passed and how gripped I was with Bilbo’s adventures, I decided to put the other books back for a possible future purchase and left the store with “The Hobbit”.  And with a few pleasantries exchanged with Jerome, I drove back home.  It had been about a month since “Breaking Dawn” captivated my imagination and I wasn’t sure that I’d be able to find another book to entertain me.  I’ve been losing interest with “I, Claudius” since I found the PBS miniseries online and watched it - I felt I was reading it twice.  And “100 Strokes” was just a beast unto itself that did not leave me in a good place.  But with Bilbo, it was like I was catching up with an old friend.  And this is how I spent my Saturday, at my favorite bookstore and reading a good book.

Brand Bookshop
231 N. Brand Blvd., Glendale, CA.  91203
(818) 507-5943

Hours:
10AM - 8PM:  Mondays to Thursdays
10AM - 10PM:  Fridays & Saturdays
11AM - 7PM:  Sundays

Yelp Reviews

Sitting in my room, I glanced over to my bookshelf and scanned the titles of the books and comics that lined the shelves.  There was something that each of the characters all shared in common.  There was a common denominator.  Spider-Man has one.  Superman has one.  Hell, Batman wouldn’t be as cool without it.  Wolverine has it.  Albert Einstein had one.  If Jesus had decided to wear one, He could have astounded the Romans from taking Him away.  Both Senator Barack Obama and John McCain wear one.  So did Darth Vader, Luke Skywalker, Obi-Wan Kenobi,and Yoda.  So does Marv from Sin City and Mario Mario and Luigi Mario.  Hank Hill, Solid Snake, and Mickey Mouse have one too.  Not so much Michael Jordan and Kobe Byrant.  What is this magical thing you ask?  It is simply a belt.

A belt is much more than a piece of cloth or leather that wraps around the waist, it is more than that:  a belt is a symbol of the greatness of humanity.  Now how is a belt a symbol of humanity?  It is the lynch pin that brands us different from the animals and reminds us of our heritage.  A belt holds up our pants.  A belt is what covers our shame.  Besides our ability to think, reason, and talk, another way we are different from the rest of the animal world is that we wear clothes.  Before the Fall of Man, Adam and Eve roamed the Garden of Eden naked much like the animals.  And it wasn’t until they ate the apple and gained knowledge did they realize they were naked and needed to cover up.  And a belt provides all of this.

Through the ages the belt has gone through many transformations, chronicling the advances of humanity.  A belt itself is a symbol of technology and knowledge.  From what started as a strand of animal hide grew to ropes, leather belts, cotton belts, zippers, cloth, elastic garment, and now space suits.  Our belts are a connection to our bodies and the outside world.  In space, the suits astronauts wear are their life support much like an umbilical cord is to a newborn baby.  Break the cord or tear the suit, and death may occur.  But more closer to home, what do we say to others and each other when times are hard and food is scarce but “let’s tighten our belts”.  A belt is the means by which we utilize pain and discomfort as a mental reminder to either focus on a matter or lessen a need, which in this case is hunger.

A belt is but a small sliver that enhances stories that inspire us.  And the better the story, the better it affects us.  In comics, Batman uses his utility belt to house all of his gadgets and weapons.  In film, the Jedi and Darth Vader all have belts that hold the fable weapon of might, the light saber.  Famous men have worn belts as part of their attire.  And in all of these cases, a belt adds to the story and the appearance of a person to deliver a better presentation.  A belt is so much more than a piece of cloth that holds up our pants, it is the very symbol of our nature and our will.  A belt ties us to our past and future.  It showcases our difference from the rest of the animals and exemplifies our advances in technology.  And a belt is also a tool that we use to harness pain and subdue our brains.   A belt is the common thread that binds us all together.

Note:  I’m adding this review post retro-actively from August 14, 2008

You know I was never sure about this movie from the very start. I remember seeing the very first trailer and wasn’t sure if it was going to turn out to be “Zoolander” (awesome) or something like “Gigli” (not awesome). It was an ensemble cast and I wasn’t sure if the movie could contain all of the actors. At this point I wasn’t sure what the movie was about. I knew it involved a movie being filmed and something in a jungle. And soon I lost track of the movie all together until I heard about a great trailer that played during one of MTV’s numerous awards show. Soon I realized it was a riff on Vietnam movies like “Apocalypse Now” and a satirical look at Hollywood in general. By this time Robert Downey, Jr. was shining brightly and the buzz was building that the summer was going to shine with “Pineapple Express” and “Tropic Thunder”. I haven’t seen “Pineapple Express” but I’ve heard very divided opinions on it that left me not too crazy to go catch it in a theater so soon. And I was sort of feeling the same failed-hype for “Tropic Thunder”. I was just going to watch these movies one day during the week when no one was there, but this was going to be weeks from now.

It’s funny how your plan changes when someone else seems really excited to see it and their enthusiasm kick starts your own again. And with a call, I was going to see it later today, a day after it opened and weeks before I originally anticipated. So how was “Tropic Thunder”?

“Tropic Thunder” is a thunderous action comedy that packs it both with the immediate laughs and has enough little jokes and quirks littered throughout that it’ll live a life of a cult favorite regardless of how it does at the box office or with the critics.

If you thought Robert Downey, Jr. was awesome in “Iron Man” wait until you get a load of him as Kirk Lazarus, the dramatic, Australian, white, method actor who dyes his skin black. Or as I like to call him, Russell Crowe to the max. Ben Stiller as Tugg Speedman (or is it Tom Cruise, cruise and speed) plays the once most bankable action star who is now a current failure of an actor. Jack Black plays Jeff Portnoy, a comedic actor who’s heavily addicted to drugs, Brandon T. Jackson as Alpa Chino, the rapper turned star, and Jay Baruchel as Kevin Sandusky, the straightman in this band of insecure, identity-less, and damaged actors.

This movie really grabs you and places you in this satirical world of Hollywood from the moment the film starts, starting with trailers from each of the movie’s actors, to the end at an awards show. And like a heart beat, there’s moments that just increases the funny from each step. The basic plot of Hollywood actors being thrown into a jungle for guerilla style filming but actually really fighting with drug dealers is more like art imitating life imitating art (which imitates life).

Spoilers are coming. I’ve come to the point where I’m going to talk about spoilers and key scenes in the movie but if you’re wondering “is this movie worth my time and money?” My answer is a resounding yes. It’s been a long time (probably far too long, in my opinion) that I’ve laughed quite a lot during a movie that indeed is a comedy. And surprisingly this a movie that goes too fast in some regards and will need a few more viewings. With catchy lines, funny scenes, and the need for multiple viewings, I’m sure this film will breed a cult following.

Onto what I liked. Like I said earlier, “Tropic Thunder” brings the funny throughout the movie and like a rhythmic heartbeat, there’s certain scenes that beat funnier and bigger. Personally I thought the scene where director Damien Cockburn (played by Steve Coogan) accidentally steps on a land mine and explodes, such a good precursor to the whole movie. The panda bear scene and the “Simple Jack” re-creation segments were also very funny. But the scene stealer throughout the movie is most definitely Kirk Lazarus, played brilliantly by Robert Downey, Jr. Here’s a man who’s been in the public spotlight as Iron Man and Tony Stark and when we see him “blackened” on screen our mind runs contrary to what it should. It’s Downey and it’s not - it’s a completely different character. And that says a lot when he was only Iron Man a few months earlier. My favorite bit with Lazarus has to be the point where he sneaks into the camp with Portnoy atop an oxen (while heavily in detox) which breaks into a wild action scene with him touting two machine guns. Watching Lazarus fire away was such a stylized manner that it reminded me “Boondock Saints” and yet Downey played the bit both as a funny man and as an action man. Also a delight was Tom Cruise as Les Grossman the power hungry, dancing, and loud executive producer. For once (lately speaking) I didn’t want to throw up in my mouth or shake my head at a Tom Cruise appearance. I actually re-saw some of the spark of the old Cruise and relished every time he appeared on screen, and surprisingly liked all the time he was dancing on screen.

Now what I didn’t enjoy. Like I said, the movie sometimes goes too quickly and I lose what some of the characters are saying, especially with Lazarus and Portnoy. With all of the dialects Lazarus uses, some of his witty banter is spoken too softly or too fast that I don’t understand it, while with Portnoy, some of his speech is rendered inaudible as his physical and guttural grunts overpower most everything that comes out of his mouth.

You know even with all the doubts I had coming in to see “Tropic Thunder” I left the theater happy and in a good mood. The film didn’t drag and the story rolled along at a good pace that by the movie’s end, I wanted to know more about these characters and their lives. And surprisingly the movie was a great marriage between the comedy and the action, with a little satirical drama mixed in. I just really had a fun time with this movie and actually may see this one again in theaters to pick up what I missed the first time around.

“Baby Jane”

In the fall of 1941, a young baby girl was born to two loving parents.  These parents were agents of the OSS and left thier baby in America in hopes of making the world better for her to grow up in.  Unfortunately the baby girl’s father was systematically disembodied in the jungles of the Orient while her mother died at the left hand of Hitler.  As a ward of the state, the baby girl grew up in the world of the FBI and CIA and has become an agent simply called ‘Baby Jane’.  During a trip to Europe, Elvis Presley became the host body of the essense of Hitler.  Hitler laid dormant until Elvis’s untimely death.  After crawling out of the grave, Hitler was renewed as ‘Bad Elvis’ and vowed to take down the United States of America by diluting the pure essense of rock-n-roll with insipid lyrics, computer generated sounds and beats, and an endless supply of boy-bands, girl-bands, and one-hit wonders.  Baby Jane has been tracking Bad Elvis for decades, waiting for the right time to strike.  At 4:54 AM, Baby Jane was notified that Bad Elvis would be meeting Molly Ficus at the Beverely Hills Hotel.  And at 10:23 AM, Baby Jane will exact her revenge!

“Timelessness In the Infinite Dark”

Lotro and Mayleen were young lovers who defied their parents and escaped into the woods.  With nature for their witness, they professed their love for each other for all time.  Unknown to them was Mr. Cotton Nose, an ill-spirited bunny who detested all love.  By feigning cuteness and friendship, Mr. Cotton Nose lured Mayleen and Lotro to a revine and told them “for anyone who peers down the infinite darkness down below, they, the seekers, will see their futures.”  The lovers both bent down and peered while Cotton Nose used his powers of hopping and made the earth fall below.  As the two fell, seconds became minutes and minutes became hours.  Soon the hours became days, and still both lovers fell.  What Cotton Nose did not know was that Nature indeed bore witness to these two lovers’ affection for each other and bestowed upon them immortality, as long as they remained in the forest.  With the protection of Nature guarding them, Lotro and Mayleen, fall through the endless chasm.  They have seen their future and they are happy for they are within each other’s arms for all eternity.

“Love Is A Pattern Called Plaid”

Mary loved Dan.  And Dan’s only tie to his family was an old blanket with a plaid pattern of red, blue, and gold.  After returning home one afternoon, Mary discovered Dan dead around his beloved plaid blanket.  News came back that Dan was a victim of a series of murders in the area, and that the murderer was still at large.  With the plaid blanket being the sole object reminding her of Dad, Mary begins a pursuit to find the killer herself.  After four weeks of searching, Mary stood face to face with Dan’s killer.  The only thing that stood between the two was a glasspane of mirror.  Mary loved Dan but Dan loved the plaid blanket more.  So Mary killed him.  But the plaid blanket still remains.

“Jabber, Jabber”

crazyHor$e1:  so, let me know what you think
Lena084:  I dont kno
crazyHor$e1:  just DO IT!!!!
Lena084:  I’m taking off my shoes
crazyHor$e1:  that’s right you filthy beast, take it off
Lena084:  here’s my belt and pants
Lena084:  my vest
crazyHor$e1:  yes yes!  YES!
Lena084:  I want 5 pieces of gold for all this
crazyHor$e1:  no way tats 2 mcuh
Lena084:  fine! go grind and farm your way to gold
Lena084:  BITCH!
crazyHor$e1: noooooooo

The next day at trendy shoes shop “Ten Little Piggys” a beautiful woman comes up to the register to purchase a pair of shoes.  “Ah,” said the cashier, an elderly man in his 60s “you have an good eye, these are our last ones.”  As the woman handed over her credit card over, the old man noticed the name on the card.  It read “Alena Luiranski”.  As the old man looked at the card, Alena noticed that the black polo the old man wore had a small grey horse logo .

“crazyHor$e1?” asked Alena.

“Lena084?” ask the old man.

Alena nodded.

“Oh I’m sorry dear,” began the old man “but these aren’t for sale, these are the floor samples that we have to send back.  My mistake.”

“No,” she cried.

Turning around to take the box of shoes away, the old man whispered under his breath, “bitch.”

What if I told you there’s a secret world out there that we have forgotten and lost track of? Would you listen to me? Would you join me and find this hidden realm?

It’s quiet tonight. My parents are asleep early and there’s a cool breeze filtering into my room. There’s cats around my neighborhood and although you don’t see many of them during the day, the cats rule the night. Often during the summer I’ve heard cats go at each other, either fighting or loving, and less often I have heard a single cat meow into the night. The sprinklers have just turned on. Like clockwork these metal rods ascend from the earth and rain down droplets of water all around. My window isn’t the only one open and I hear voices from across the neighborhood. I hear a woman’s voice, distinct yet inaudible, and wonder what’s happening. It’s quiet tonight. My parents are asleep and so should I.

On most mornings I would sleep in, if I could, but with years with waking up, bright and early, no matter how long I slept, I always wake up early. Now at home, besides just waking up early, I also have to make sure that the trash is out, so it can be picked up, and to move the cars off the road, so that the street can be cleaned. And on Wednesdays, it’s the trash bins I have to deal with. A couple of months ago I remember putting my trash bins out and when I got home, I noticed that they looked a bit different. I’m not quite sure but I think one of my neighbors switched out my good bins with their extra trashy trash bins. I was pissed, that was for sure, but I wasn’t sure who to blame. Luckily it wasn’t too dirty, but it did have a lingering odor that wasn’t pleasant. Anyways, fast forward to a few weeks ago to another Wednesday to when I realized that one of the trash bins was a breeding ground for the flies. Bringing the bins back in, I happened to peer inside and noticed thousands of maggots crawling around. Eck! I’m not a big fan of the bugs and insects and I jumped at the sight. I wanted to wash the bins and clean out the maggots but I just put it off for another Wednesday when the bins would be clean. Let’s just say that was a few weeks ago; or so.

So this morning after the trash trucks came and used their mighty, mechanical arms to grab the bins and take the trash, I thought “why not” and went to wash the trash bins. The first bin I washed wasn’t much trouble. There wasn’t any horde of maggots and it was easy to clean. “Maybe all the maggots fell into the truck with the trash” I thought to myself as I went to the second bin. I did the same thing I did before and washed the outside and went inside. Eck! The maggots were there! Eck! Double Eck! The maggots didn’t fall into the truck and it looked like they doubled in number the last time I saw them. Instinctively I sprayed water inside and drowned those maggots dead. Still kind of disgusted I tipped the bin over to let the water-filled-with-maggots flow free, and away, from me. When the water stopped, I tipped the bin over and got some water on my leg. Looking to see if I got all the maggots out, I noticed a good handful left and balked. “Gotta kill this last batch” I thought to myself when I felt something strange on my leg. I thought it was just the water evaporating off, when, like in the movies, I put two and two together and pranced up and down twirling. Without looking I knew there were maggots on my leg! Eck! I looked down and saw them! Oh my gosh! I nearly died of disgust! I stamped down on my leg and got some of them off but there were still some left. Ah! I was freaking out. Luckily the hose was nearby and I grabbed at it like a sword and sprayed off the maggots from my leg. Eck! And that’s when it really hit me. I think I got them all but my body felt as if there were bugs all over me and I just went crazy. I basically sprayed water on myself were I felt any little tinge or sensation.

I’m not sure how long this actually happened but it felt like an eternity for me. Now pretty soaked, I just stood there, calming myself down. Somewhat recovering, I watered the plants and made sure there weren’t any more maggots nearby and let the already hot heat and Sun dry me off. When I was good to go, I put the hose back and turned off the water. In came the two trash bins and I was ready to take a shower.

Now during this whole ordeal with the maggots, I left the back door to the garage open hopefully letting the flow of air in and out, making the garage cooler. As I brought the bins in, I noticed a few flying insects and just didn’t look at them. Instead I just looked at their shadows on the concrete below me. When I brought the last bin in, I noticed a black, buzzing thing flying around and quickly looked down to see where it was headed. Hopefully, I thought, if I didn’t see it, whatever was flying around won’t see me. Quickly walking back to close the gate and enter back into the garage, I had my fill of bugs and insects for the day and looked forward to good shower. But as I was walking through the garage I thought I heard a buzzing thing flapping around. For a brief moment I thought maybe whatever was flying earlier, flew in the garage. My mind was already fried with the maggots on my leg and I let it be. I closed the door to the main house, in the event that there was indeed something in the garage and went to my room to get my clothes.

But I couldn’t quiet it in my head. I had to know if there was something inside the garage. So back in I went. There was racket coming from the construction work from one of my neighbors and their was some noise coming from the front of the garage with all the other bugs and birds outside. “Maybe I just confused one of the sounds” I thought to myself. I started to walk back out when I heard it. There was something in the garage. Eck! I heard the beating flaps of its wings. At the far corner of the garage door opening I saw I small, black flying thing, fly up and buzz, hit the window pane and fall down. Freaking out again that there was something inside, I quickly opened the garage door and hoped that whatever was stuck would fly away and leave me in peace. As the doors rose up mechanically and over the ceiling, the black thing was trying to fly away. It was flying up and then down, and back up and down. It was injured somehow and it was struggling to get out. Finally as the door was open and the free air out, I took a broom and went to see where the creature was. But before I went forward I saw a quick black flicker in the distance. It rose and fell down again. I knew that instant that the creature left and pressed the button again to lower the garage doors down. The doors slowly retreated back down and I was anxious for it to happen sooner. My worse case scenario would be for the injured, winged, black beast to return back to the garage because the doors were too slow in closing it out.

With the doors closed, I stood in silence making sure that there wasn’t anything else in the garage besides me. When I heard nothing, I stomped out of the garage, slammed the door shut, and spoke under my breath, “effin’ bugs”. All this and it was fifteen minutes before noon.

Sometimes it’s fun to go off the deep end and be a little silly. Nothing much happened on Monday, but here’s two funny AIM conversations I had with two of my friends where I end up saying some pretty weird stuff. In this first chat, I’m talking to Eric, who the previous night told me he was going to see his dentist later on today. This is what I IMed him when I first got up:

Me: OMG Eric
Me: I had a dream
Me: where you went to a dentist
Me: and an earthquake hit
Me: and you lost all your teeth
Me: but you got them all replaced with gold ones
Me: and you became an attraction at Disneyland
Me: and I tried to free you
Me: And Disney tried to stop us
Me: and it was an adventure
Me: but I woke up
Me: I hope I freed you
Me: and your gold teeth
Eric: i dont want gold teeth

Ah, good ole Eric. He was always the straight man to all my weirdness and quirkiness. Strange, I started with Eric going off on this dream I had about this teeth while I ended the day with my other friend, Cliff, talking about how “So Awesome” is better than regular “awesome”. Actually we were talking about how awesome Whole Foods is but some stores are better than others. Usually the newer, bigger ones are better. I go a little bit weird again here:

Me: is it big inside
Me: the one in Irvine/Tustin is huge and it’s SO AWESOME
Me: it takes any regular awesome
Me: and kick’s it in the balls
Me: and what comes out of the balls is not even worth called awesome
Me: cuz Super Awesome is Awesome
Me: hmm
Me: that went on far too long
Cliff: hahahah
Cliff: yeah whole foods is the best

I have a fanciful imagination, I know!

One thing college taught me was that walking is king. Back when I lived on campus, there would be days when I had two classes on opposite ends of the campus and I’d need to walk my butt off through the middle of Aldrich Park to get where I needed to go. And later on when I lived a few blocks off campus, I remember one semester when I had a class at the furthest building on campus. Believe me, it was a trek from Dartmouth Court all the way to the MSTB building. In either case, college forced me to walk where I needed to go. I’ve never been forced to walk in this manner before, since I most always just drove to the place I was going. I know I hated it at first but over time, I got used to it and to this day I love a good walk through places. Mind you, I’d prefer it with a good cool weather, maybe a bit of breeze blowing, and none of that Sun’s heat beating down on you.

Today I found myself in situation where I could have parked at the two places where I was going to be at, or just park at one of those places and walk towards the other and come back. I picked the latter. I kind of knew I was going to pick this choice because I was wearing my good pair of walking shoes but I’m also prone to snap decisions depending on my mood or if things change that I wasn’t expecting. But today I walked. I walked a few blocks and got to take in a couple of things that I usually don’t see when I’m driving. On my walk to a used bookstore I frequent, I noticed one such thing I could have missed. At one cross walk I noticed a woman crying in hysterics. She was just on the phone and it would appear she was just given a bit of bad news. I wanted to say or do something to comfort her but I’m just not good when people cry, especially when women cry. Watching her walk away I noticed that she was walking in a weird manner. Her arms would flail around and her legs would jet out abnormally when she walked. At first I attributed it to her hearing of bad news but as she continued walking, I started to think it really is just her.

I had a good walk today. Just like with exercise, by walking I not only got a quick physical work out but I also gave my brain some extra oxygen and a whole lot of images and information to digest. And it was fun too. Since coming back I’m debating on whether or not I should attempt walking to other places near my home instead of driving. I think I’m going to try with some places not too far and then branch out. Or maybe I should get a bike.