At first, I was confused. And yet, not so confused at the same time. When I wait downtown to give Justin a ride home I see all sorts of strange things, and this was only one moment of many. But the sight was more interesting than usual, and so I watched more closely. We were parked on a hill at a waiting curb, four kids in the back begging to be let loose, and an older man on a bike weaving back and forth, back and forth across the two lanes of traffic traveling upward and past us. Back and forth, back and forth, slowly pedaling and minutely moving upward, his switchbacks barely gaining inches. At first I was concerned he would be hit by the traffic behind him, but he kept looking behind him and then traveling once again across the road. I wondered what the point was, and perhaps if he was drunk. And then, finally, I realized. He couldn't have gone up the hill without the weaving. It was too steep, and this was his way to conquer the hill without abandoning the bike. It took longer. It was further to travel. It was slower. But he stayed on his bike, and he made it to the top of the hill. He won. Switchbacks. There is definitely a time and a place.
August has been my month of painting. We are changing our kitchen, and my job has been to make our oak cabinets into grey cabinets. Every afternoon, in the time I normally use for writing, I paint. the color is Dorian Gray ... so at least I'm keeping the literary mode. I told myself I would paint for all of August, and then, no matter how far I'd gotten, I'd be done. Let me just say, painting is not nearly as fulfilling as writing. Perhaps it helped the Karate Kid out, but I am ready to be done! I'm glad I bought a paint sprayer, or I would have had to give up on the project entirely! Today, I administered my last coat of paint to drawers and cabinets. Alas, my kitchen is not done being painted (trim and cabinet backs elude me) but I cannot start another project that will be finished in one day, so I am done. All the other fixes will have to be finished in leftover moments, not in my precious afternoon hours. Which means today I had time to wri
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