Tag: driving

has it already been almost half a year?

Outside of a few posts about bread (and even those have dropped off) and the normal list of books for the year, I haven’t been writing much here this year.  Well to be honest, I haven’t been writing much anywhere this year.  I’ve been full of a lot of ideas but not a whole lot of action…or at least not sustained action.

So what’s been going on this year?  Well, Alicia and I are dating again and as of May we’re living together, so that’s one big change.  Alicia’s best friend (and her boyfriend) came down over Easter weekend to visit (and see this show).  We went up to visit my sister in Berkeley (and I finally got to meet her boyfriend after two years of Christmas travel headaches) at the end of April.  I’ve been continuing progress towards building my moving fund (current progress is in the sidebar).  I’m still pretty much on track for my book goal for the year (greater than or equal to last years 80 books).

There has been some surprises though as well.  The biggest so far came on the morning of May 9th.  I went to work like any other day even though I was feeling a little off.  I continued to feel a little off and even told Alicia that my right arm was feeling a little twitchy.  The next thing I remember, I woke up in the hospital to see my sister’s boyfriend (who lives in Berkeley, but happened to be on So. Cal. that day).  I had a seizure and had been taken to the hospital via ambulance.  I was kept overnight for observation and released the next day with a prescription and instructions for follow up appointments with my regular doctor.  So far, the medications are working without any noticeable side effects and my tests are coming back normal.  So it seems to be one of those fluke things that just happened.  Something the doctors won’t be able to fully explain.

Before releasing me, the doctor’s at the hospital advised me that I shouldn’t drive and that they were required to notify the DMV.  The letter of re-examination from the DMV came a few days later.  For that, I would need to have a form filled out by my doctor by June 4th or my license would be suspended on June 5th.  This being LA, most people I tell this story to think this is the worst part.  But for me, its just a minor inconvenience.  I was already commuting to work via the subway and vanpool.  My work provided bus pass allows me to get around other places, and I can always let Alicia drive my car for the trips public transit doesn’t work as well for.  The specialist I saw told me as long as there are no more seizures in the next three months, he’ll fill out and sign the form.  A much nicer time frame than the six months to a year the hospital doctors told me.

I think that brings things pretty up to date.  The summer is starting to fill up though…going to see the Timbers play ChivasUSA at the Home Depot Center tonight.  Next weekend, we’re going to spend a night at a bed and breakfast in the San Jacinto Mountains.  The weekend after, we’re going to Portland (where I’ll be going to watch the Timbers vs. NY Red Bulls match with Elizabeth and Austin as part of the Timbers Army!).  In July, we’re going to Temecula to see the Avett Brothers perform.  The “big” trip this summer is in early September though.  We’re going to Brooklyn for my buddy Mike’s wedding!

Permanent link to this article: https://www.rhinoblues.com/thoughts/2011/has-it-already-been-almost-half-a-year/

Humpday Haiku: LA Freeways

hit the brakes! avoid
the woman switching lanes
with me still beside.

Ah…driving in LA, always an adventure.  Do the holidays make us drive worse?  Today’s near miss was at least the 4th time in the past couple weeks where someone has attempted to change lanes despite the presence of my vehicle next to them.  Most of the time, they realize their blunder and quickly move back to their lane.  But the woman driving the Jeep today, just kept coming, completely oblivious (at least by appearances), never fully switching into my lane and cutting off the person who was in front of her in her original lane.  To be fair…I did this to a motorcyclist myself in the past couple weeks, but he was sitting in my blind spot splitting lanes.  I was driving the vanpool minivan.

Permanent link to this article: https://www.rhinoblues.com/thoughts/2009/humpday-haiku-la-freeways/

Sketch 51

So I didn’t get around to writing a post last week while I was home in Oregon.  So this will be a brief post, basically just bullet pointing some things I’ll post more depth in my end of the year wrap up.

  • Drove home to Oregon over 2 days (stopping in Williams, CA)
  • Bought chains in Corning at Les Schwab (and stopped at the Olive Pit for good measure)
  • Roads were for the most part bare pavement throughout all the mountain areas of Northern California and Southern Oregon.
  • Eugene Santa Pub Crawl 2008
  • Reconnecting with old friends
  • Christmas
  • Cafe Yumm & Hawaiian Time
  • Performing a wedding
  • Drove back to LA in 1 day…bare pavement all the way (only a little bit of slush from Mt. Shasta City down to Shasta Lake).
  • Back to work on Monday (with a flat tire just as I left my apt to greet me, and a bus ride to work instead)

Permanent link to this article: https://www.rhinoblues.com/thoughts/2008/sketch-51/

The cost of driving…

  • rhino tweeted, “Diesel at the gas station next to work cost less than regular gas. Plus a fill-up was less than $50…first time since getting the car.”

Diesel was $2.89/gallon.
Regular Gas was $2.95/gallon.

I haven’t seen that in a long time.  Just a month ago I was paying more than Premium Gas for Diesel.  Yay for reduced gas costs right as my commute increased.  Plus I’m getting better mileage since most of the commute is “highway” driving.  Gotta love going in the opposite direction as most of the rush hour traffic.

Permanent link to this article: https://www.rhinoblues.com/thoughts/2008/the-cost-of-driving/