train wreck

Ever witness a pile-up of circumstance that leads to an absolute train wreck?
You see it coming a mile away but can do nothing to prevent it. Either they can't see it coming or they're moving too fast to stop.

I was a passenger in a car last week for the first time in what feels like...forever. Sitting there, not driving, I could look out the window (I like looking out the window). There was a pick-up truck in front of us, driving like a jerk-face (<-- pg version of what I said at the time), squealing his tires at every acceleration.

Approaching a side-street from a main-road: a jogger starts to cross heading in the direction opposite traffic. A cyclist, heading with traffic, approaches the same side street from the other direction. The pick-up truck accelerates into the turn onto the side street, squealing his tires.

The jogger just made it past the truck, I saw him turn to look back over his shoulder as he ran. The cyclist, also now past the truck, looks over her shoulder to see what the tire-squeal was about. As she does, her path veers wide; putting her right into the line of traffic coming up behind her.

The driver in my car also turns in response to the tire-squealing, muttering something about "driving like an a-hole". He was looking at the truck. Not ahead at the cyclist that had just veered into his path.

I yelped "look!"
Not screamed: there wasn't enough time to generate any volume.
Every muscle in my body tensed, my brain screaming at me "nonononono". We were about to plow her down.

He snapped his attention back to forward and abruptly corrected his course as much as he could within the confines of the lane (thank god, he he didn't over correct into on coming traffic) and we blew past the cyclist, inches from what would have have been serious injury if not death for her.

She barely noticed.
She was still looking at the truck, still squealing it's tires as it wove its way up a straight street-- "playing" with the noise of it's tires.

One jerk driver: distracting enough to potentially kill a cyclist, or 2 or more drivers (had he over corrected into traffic) and their passengers, and endangering a pedestrian (that jogger barely made it out of the way).

I'm relieved things turned out the way they did. It turned my mind down avenues of watching wrecks happen from a distance (my own, people around me) and how much can happen in response to the smallest choices we make and actions we take.

ugh.

People

There are people in my life that have had an incredible impact on me. The kind of people that when I think about them, I can't help but grin. Partly in gratitude/ smug satisfaction that I know them, but mostly because I find thinking about all the awesome things they have, or are, or are going to do incredibly exciting.

They are generally also the people I laugh with the most (to the point of disturbing other people sometimes).

I had a phone conversation with someone I greatly admire yesterday. She's a little famous: I won't spoil anything by naming names yet. Nothing's certain. But I might get to meet and interview her. (!!!) More details to come, don't worry.

After our conversation I was literally vibrating with excitement. Not just about what we'd talked about, but because it got me thinking about all the people that have impacted me in the same way our conversation had.

I'm excited by potential greatness.
I'm excited by potential change.
I'm excited by people when they talk about the things they're passionate about.

And I'm so grateful for the people in my life that make me think along these lines.

happy!

I went fishing:

This is not the fish I caught. But this fish is about as happy as I was when I caught it.
:D
I can't wait for the salmon to start swimming upstream. I watched a documentary about grizzly bears and in some places, they just wait at the top of rapids with their mouths open and fish jump right into their waiting jaws. This is not the strategy I will use (my mouth is not big enough to catch anything more than a baby salmon...and I don't want a baby salmon). But I will be equally thrilled at my (inevitable) success.

brainwashing

Overheard in a sparring class.

10 year old female white belt: "you're so much better at this than I am!"
10 year old male orange belt: "I'm a MAN. You're a WOMAN. Of COURSE I know how to do this better than you"
Girl: "What?"
Boy: "I know all the right places to hit because I'm a Man."

I interrupt: "Really, Visham? Are you better at this than I am?"
Visham: "Well no. but you're a black belt. I'm only an orange belt"
Me: "Right so...I have lots of experience and I know how to do this well, right?"
Visham: "YES" <-- he was angry!
Me: "So don't you think that as an orange belt you've had a lot more time to get good at this than Chelsey, who's never sparred before?"
Visham: "... yes"
Me: "So maybe it has nothing to do with girl or boy, but is more about experience?"
Visham: "... maybe"

Maybe if I get them when they're young...

buahahah

Clever disguise

I spent six hours riding my motorcycle through and around mountains and valleys today. It was so sunny... I got *so* sweaty, just from being in the sun. I really like BC. And motorcycles.

When I got home, I had to go get groceries. Instead of wasting all that time showering, I totally disguised my sun-grubbiness with a sun-dress. And it worked! I got a compliment from a complete stranger. He had NO IDEA he was talking to sweat-ball.

:D

Di another day

I was given a gift a while ago.
It's soap.
There is a D-12 embedded in the soap.

I've been using this soap excitedly for... what feels like forever. I have to finish the soap to get to the di (die?...singluar dice). But it is the LONGEST LASTING SOAP EVER.
It's been months! I lather vigorously, in hopes of speeding up the process-- to no avail. The di is protruding a few milimeters above the soap, so I'm getting close. But not yet. *scowl*

soon...
Soon.

Bow down to the Queen of garbarge

(booooo!!!)

I hate putting out the garbage. I *hate* it. It is my least favorite "thing around the house AND work" I hate to do.
I've made bargains with people: "I'll do ALL the dishes, if I never have to take the garbage out"
I've pleaded: "pleasepleasepleasepleasepleasedontmakeme"

I don't know why I hate it so much. I assume I'm repressing some sort of traumatic childhood incident: I have no problem with any other sort of cleaning.

Anyway: Now I *always* have to deal with the garbage. The only other person who might take care of dojo-garbage...is on crutches. I don't mind carrying all the heavy things. Making all the food. Cleaning all the messes. Teaching all the classes. Fetching all the things... but today I took out the garbage *again*
:( <-- this is me pouting.

I'll get over it. I just had to get it out of my system.