Time Out of Bounds, Part II

This morning's wake-up came courtesy of a loud ringing in my head, the product of an extremely large steel-gray alarm clock I bought at a store on 59th Street a few years ago. So at 10AM I came out of a deep sleep and an even deeper dream involving my other half, Heidi Klum and a hot tub full of lime jello; to elaborate further would be ungentlemanly, except to say that I'm not a big fan of lime jello yet I woke up with a smile on my face :-)

So after a quick shower and some provisions (a bagel with butter and strawberry jam and some OJ), I was ready to proceed with more work and more productivity. Except I wound up doing some absolutely necessary apartment cleaning and then finally, after an hour and a half, settled down to work.

I dug through what was left of my paperwork and took a break a bit before two to hit the store (more DC and more -- in other words, better -- provisions) and came back to the sad news about Johnny Carson. After a bit more down-time and a bit more work, I wrapped it up and watched football for the remainder of the afternoon.

I'm not sure when it occurred to me, but, essentially, a combination of being a New York Giants fan and seeing Terrel "He's Gay I Tellya" Owens dancing on the Eagles sideline, pissed me off. First of all, the Giants are miserable -- have been for a few years now -- and I've been largely removed from real interest in the unfolding football season well before December for the last few years. Enjoying football, however, became a non-issue over the past few years because I would generally have to spend time with my then-girlfriend, and watching the Giants lose in an awful way, week after week, was, believe it or not, more excruciating than spending time with her, so the Giants being in the shitter over the past few years coincided with me being in the same place, so to speak.

Now that that yoke is gone, I'm hoping the Giants bounce back. I figure...I did my part, so they should too... Then again, I'm not holding my breath. One miracle at a time :-)

In the mean time, I was relatively tweaked watching the first of the two games this afternoon, ie the Eagles handily beating Atlanta 27-10; the Eagles are a good team so if they do win the Super Bowl, then so be it. I just don't like smug, trash-talking, me-first assholes like Terrel Owens being recognized and rewarded for his talent, despite the fact that he is a legitimate all-star receiver. I was just hoping the next game, New England at Pittsburgh, would be a more enjoyable game, because I like both teams and hope that it will be a lot closer than was its predecessor.

Anyhoo...between the two games, I ventured back out to the store to get a few more things and to get some air and some exercise, and I was coldly greeted by cold blasts of air, biting wind and slushy, crunchy snow-covered sidewalks...not fun. What bothered me even more was walking by the restaurant that's a block from my building; it's a top-notch place that is a hidden gem because so few people know about it (or are willing to go this far East to get there) and, thus, it's a place we've made our own. I've gone there a variety of times with a variety of people, and the last time I was there was with my other half. Seeing the nearly empty main dining room (there was one couple eating dinner less than an hour ago) reminded me of my other half and I instantly got both warm and cold. Thinking of her makes me happy, but knowing she's on her way home from Tahoe and not waiting for me in my apartment left me feeling a bit empty. On my way back from the store, I noticed that no one was occupying our area of the bar, a small "nook," for lack of a better term, where we've logged quite a few late-night hours on one of their couches. Realizing she'll be back in NYC soon got me warm again, and I crunched my way back to my apartment thinking good things and not thinking about tomorrow's cold, busy morning but the days to come, of warmth, happiness and smiles.

All in all, not a bad way to wrap up a weekend.

As of tomorrow, I'm back on the clock...for the time being, though, I'm looking forward to kickoff, my other half and I in bed, and the smell of her perfume resonating in my apartment.

And lime jello.