Thursday has materialized, putting the weekend just a little closer… almost in sight.
The drive is unremarkable: While there is a little bit of fog in areas above 4,000 feet, it’s very thin, and won’t affect your speeds, unless you were planning on doing 300+ MPH, which many folks rarely do at all on the mountain. There’s also a tiny smattering of tree fog to filthify your windshield, but other than that, it’s all easy. Temps are warm… there’s no ice out there. Rocks, wind, and actual precipitation are not factors to be concerned about.
Potholes, though… yes, still be concerned. In fact, I recently discovered that a problem in my own car appears to have been caused by shaking, rattling, rolling, and slamming in and out of the chasms that I’ve still hit in SPITE of my slaloming and creeping cautiously around at half of my usual speed. My windshield wiper squirter thingies had quit working. I took a part a LOT of things, and discovered that the feed line had simply jarred loose from its correct location. It was an easy fix… sort of… but this was surely caused by the recent extreme jarring that driving around on this mountain has provided. However… I’m still happy to have not blown out any tires, bent any axles, or had wheels ripped out from under me.
So, I heard that a few days ago, actor Keanu Reeves was on a flight from San Francisco to Burbank, when the plane experienced some issue that required it to land in Bakersfield. Well, it quickly became clear that this detour was going to result in a huge delay… but that passengers on this airplane could get to their destination a lot faster if they took things into their own hands, and drove themselves. Keanu ended up talking a group of fellow passengers into pooling their funds and hiring a small bus to drive the final leg of the journey to Burbank (“Pop quiz: Dude, what has four wheels, and will get us to San Dimas… err, Burbank waaaaaay faster than sitting on this tarmac?!?”). It is reported that Keanu even treated his fellow road trippers to trivia and info along the way, tour guide style.
No word on whether the speed of the bus ever dropped below 50 MPH. There was an unconfirmed rumor that they picked up Sandra Bullock somewhere along the way, but she insisted on driving while wearing a blindfold, so they put Keanu back in the driver’s seat. Okay… “unconfirmed rumor” means that I totally made that last part up. I did not mean to blind side you with that.
Speaking of Keanu, I’m pleased to report that a third installment of the adventures of Bill and Ted will soon begin production. It will star the same two excellent main dudes, Keanu Reeves and Alex Winter. No joke, and I’m not making this up… it’s happening.
And, while the two heroes of that movie franchise never gave any solid indication of being the type to indulge in the favorite herb of SoCal teens, they certainly walked the walk, and talked the talk… so I think they must be ducks. Whatever the case, it reminds me that today is National Weed Appreciation Day.
No… not THAT weed. I know, I sort of led you to believe that, with my suggestive weed-in, but apparently today we are supposed to appreciate dandelions and foxtails and liverwurst. Or is it liver wort? Liver warts? Liver spots? Whatever… I’m having none of it. To hell with weeds. I’m not even giving them one day of respect.
In Britain, rumors are swirling about resignation. Will she, or won’t she? All we know is that Theresa may.
Remember me mentioning on National Awkward Moments Day, that I live not a day, but a LIFE of awkward moments? Well, here in my office, an employee named Lucy was recently hired. I had not spoken to her other than in an introduction a few days ago, and I thought I’d break the ice. Approaching her desk, I happened to notice that she was writing with her left hand. Ha! Joke time! I said to her, “Hey! You’re Leftie Lucy!”
Now see, folks such as shadetree mechanics often mutter the phrase, “Leftie loosie, rightie tightie,” to help remember which way to turn nuts and bolts. (It doesn’t make complete sense, as rotational movement is not “left or right,” but I suppose that if one thinks of, say, the apex/zenith/peak/top/apogee of the circle, from the vantage point of the “axle,” then, okay, it makes some sense. But, I digress…) After I proudly proclaimed her “Lefty Lucy” it quickly became evident that new Lucy was unfamiliar with this phrase, and almost seemed to have thought I was attributing a nickname to “the new kid” that included, “Loosie”… generally not a complimentary term to a woman. At best, it seemed that everyone within earshot figured I had simply found child-like delight in my own discovery of two words that almost rhyme, and start with the same letter. They managed polite smiles, but I was convinced that nobody in that group had ever heard of “leftie loosie” before. Awkward. And I’m certain it could have gotten awkwarder, too, if I hadn’t decided to apply those wise words my dad used to say—and probably still does—“better to keep one’s mouth closed, and be thought a fool, than to open it, and remove all doubt.”
So, tomorrow is Friday… only one more awkward day in the office this week. In the meantime, be excellent to each other, and… Party on, dudes!