Steep Hill Beach

It's nearly the end of summer, but Saturday was the first day I made it to the beach.

Not only the first beach day of this summer, but the first time I've ever been to a beach in Massachusetts despite the fact that I love beaches and have lived here for seven years.

Mike watched me swim and let the water rush over his feet. Then I flopped on the sand beside him and dug a hole.




What started as a hole became a castle that Mike's chair proceeded to sink into.

Roadtrip Daydreams

Today I told myself that I should have taken time off before starting my new job. Work is hectic and I have too much to do, but this morning I found myself making a mental list of places to stop on a hypothetical roadtrip.

I picture going west and north from Boston, up through Wyoming to Yellowstone National Park. Maybe go through St. Louis and see those arches or instead go north and stop in Chicago.

From there, I'd go to Mount St. Helens and then spend a few days in Portland, Oregon to see the places I've only heard about.

Next on the list would be driving straight south along the coast and stopping to see the redwood trees. Of course, then comes a few days in San Francisco, a few days in L.A. and at least a few days in San Diego visiting Trevor.

Then it's west, through Phoenix to Albequerque. After that, my main objective would be getting back home so I wouldn't stop in any particular place for more than a night's rest. I'd swing north through Tennessee because why not see what Graceland's all about? I'd stop and see Kelly in Charlotte, NC. And it would only make sense to pause in New Jersey and see my parents for a few days before driving the final four hours back to Massachusetts.

I'd allot six weeks for the loop. Ahhh... if only.

Shoulder

For the last year, I've had near-constant shoulder pain. I've seen doctors, chiropractors, physical therapists and acupuncturists. I've had x-rays and MRIs. No solutions and no relief.

Over the weekend, I got a massage at a different salon than I usually go to. The massuese told me that he doesn't think anything is wrong with my muscles. "The right shoulder is associated with being too hard on yourself," he said. "Are you down on yourself a lot?"

"You mean that my shoulder pain is emotional?"

"Well, I'm just saying you could pay attention to how you are feeling when the pain is the worst and maybe there's some connection."

I thought about it. Maybe I should be in therapy and not getting stuck with needles, cracked back into place and rubbed with hot rocks.

But as much as I subscribe to most of the new-age holistic school of thought, I couldn't buy this. Especially when Google showed no relevant results for a search of "shoulder and 'hard on yourself'."

Bathroom Discourse, Part 5

I was combining a trip to the bathroom with a trip to the water cooler when one of the designers joined me en route. We said hello and walked side by side.

"Are you going to the ladies room?" she asked.

I didn't want to walk into the ladies room together, though I was planning to go there before the water cooler. "No," I said and indicated to my water bottle, "Water."

"Oh good," she said smiling. "I don't like to go to the bathroom when there are people I know in there with me."

I feel the same way, but I didn't tell her. I gave a little laugh, then she went straight and I turned left towards the kitchen.

Best Cross-Marketing Ever

While I would only give the Simpsons movie an "it was good" review, the promotions for it would get an A+ (if I was in the position to give grades). I enjoyed seeing Homer on Burger King commercials and Marge when I visited JetBlue's website. There's nothing like The Simpsons to make something boring into something half-worth paying attention to.

You could also go on the movie's website and create a Simpsons character that looks like you. Here's my best rendition of me.

Best of all, of course, was the idea to turn a dozen 7-11 convenience stories into Quik E Marts: complete with life-size cut-outs, Buzz Cola, Squishies, pink sprinkled donuts and employees in Apu costumes. Free-standing buildings also had spray paint courtsey of Bart on their exterior walls.

The closest Quik E Mart to me was in New York City. It wasn't the best in the country, but it was worth the trip.

Decorating My Purple Room

When nothing seems to fit on an otherwise empty wall, try paper butterflies.

Waving Goodbye

When you hit a certain age, you don't want your mom to walk you to the bus stop and wave goodbye once you board. It's embarassing.

Do parents ever tire of their kids waving goodbye, or rushing to greet themwhen they return?

This morning at the train station, there was a woman sitting in the driver seat of a minivan that was idling on the close edge of the parking lot. She had two kids in her lap. They were waving wildly out of the open window, calling, "Bye, Daddy! Bye Daddy! Bye bye!"

At first, I couldn't tell who they were waving to, but then I noticed a man a few feet away from me, waving inconscipuously at the minivan. The kids persisted: "Bye Daddy!" He seemed embarassed. His kids were breaking the otherwise quiet wait.

Finally, he must have decided there was no stopping them, and he turned toward the parking lot and raised his hand high to wave and shout back, "Bye! Have a good day!" Then he turned away again and pretended to look for something in his bag.

As the train approached, he again turned back toward his family and shouted, "Look -- here comes the train!"

The kids stopped shouting their farewells and watched the train approach with open mouths. Then the little girl waved at the train as it pulled to a stop, while the mom whispered something to the little boy and he pointed toward the platform.

The whole scene was endearing and made me want kids I could wave goodbye to, kids who were fascinated by the train that only angers and exhausts me.