Malheuresement

http://wcg-journal.blogspot.com/2012/07/july-4ths-unsung-prophet.html

The Chicken Pie Shop

The Chicken Pie Shop

Crewman

Fuckit

"I forgot..."

Dogs clearly have memory.   They remember us; they remember where they dropped the ball or the bone; they dream.   But do dogs have a concept of forgetting?  Dogs clearly do forget.  But are they conscious of having forgotten and are they aware that we do that thing we call forgetting -- that we do the >blank<.

Nicki's morning routine is as simple as it is invariable:  up, poop, eat.   He expects me to get up somewhere around 7:00 a.m.    When I stir, he stirs.  If I do not stir somewhere around 7:00 a.m. he stands over me and stares until I stir.  

Once I'm up, he stands waiting for me to be attached and ready to yank me outdoors where -- yanking me still --  he pees, sniffs and poops.    All of this happens, I might add, before I've had any coffee. 

When we return,  I turn on the water pot and Nicki stands around waiting for me to open the door to the place where CHOWBAG is, whereupon he will nudge me out of the way and thrust his muzzle into the bag to scarff up more kibble than he will get from his cup.   He will then hear the high pitched whirrrr of whatever it is that precedes his bowl getting put on the ground full of kibble that has been pulverized and bulked up with water or broth so that it has the consistency and approximate taste of hamburger.   He will then gobble and lick.  

Habit is a form of fixed memory and so he clearly remembers this  routine every morning.   But this morning, I did not.   I was working on a project and forgot, or more accurately put got enmeshed in a ridiculous mash of html  which I didn't mix up in the first place.  At 10:30,  I pulled away from the screen and went to make another cup of coffee.

Nicki followed me to the kitchen were he sat down, looked up and gave me this worried/pleading look.  

Ohmygawd!  I forgot!  I'm sorry...   I  patted him on the head, and immediately set about  making his kibble burger,  apologizing yet again.

Obviously Nicki knew he had not been fed and he had remembered that by then he ought to have been.   I think he  felt something was wrong.   as obviously something was.   He knew I was not doing what I have invariably done.   But did he understand that I simply forgot?

Straw Hat and Pull Ups

It's been hot the past two days.  I'm glad I had the foresight to buy an air-conditioner.  (Marked down 50% because it was a left over model for last year.  Oh fie!)  Yesterday it was too damn miserable to do anything; so I didn't.

Today it was about 5 or 7 degrees cooler but still warm enough for Nicki to rejoice in water.  So I took him to the pond off James street.   Surprisingly no one was there.  Even the ducks appeared to be hiding under rushes somewhere.   Nicki had the pond to himself for endless wasser-balling.

I wore my new Panama-Cowboy straw hat which I picked up for $12.00. 

Water-ball time over, I drove to the gym making sure the Jeep got parked in a shady spot with a breeze.   This month, I've changed my routine to a three way split:  (1) chest and back (both free weights and machine); (2) shoulders & triceps (free and machine) and (3) legs and biceps (free and machine.)

There weren't that many people in the gym but for some reason they were extra friendly.  When I had finished my bent over rows (135 lb) and was panting my last, this guy who does 300 lb squats on a BOSU ball (!) comes over and slaps me a high five, saying "I heard you."   As I was getting ready to do my pullups this heavy set severe looking black dude (of the sort Miss Hillary must have had in mind) comes over and asks if I'm finished with the pulleys.  "No, but feel free to work in; I have to rest."  He flashes a smile.  Finally rested I do my pull ups which I've been working on cautiously on account of a potential tendon issue. The  dude turns away but I know he's watching me in the mirrors.  I do 8 and just as I start to fail he turns around and assists with a lift to my shoes.   I thank him and he says, "I wanna be like you when I grow up."

After changing and taking a last sip at the water cooler, a young girl doing seated dumbell work smiles and says, "Nice hat."

Zion 86

Zion is one of the most beautiful places in the United States, in my opinion.  It is to the Grand Canyon what a delicate gothic chapel is to the massive St. Peters.  

I don't know what it is like today, but when Carlson and I backpacked there in 1986, there were no amenities at all once one ascended from the camp ground and park curio shoppe.  We had to tote (and conserve) our own water. Those were also pre-cell phone days. But being young such absences were of no concern.  

For two days there was nothing to do but enjoy our own company and the vast expanse of a silent nature that seemed primordially welcoming.   That... and watch the little squirrel feasting on his pit. :)

NARRATIVE

NOT ENOUGH  FOTOS

The Canyon Cabin

Canyon Cabin, CA  (4/92)

Full Set, April - May 1992
(updated)

Official Commemoration