Episode #196: Adventures on a Saturday

With nothing really gelling or coagulation for a meaty topic today, I thought I would share my (mis)adventures this past Saturday {11/5/23}. The day started relatively okay-ish, with my normal visit to my local branch of one of the biggest banks in CT. I say "okay-ish" is that as of the latter, the vibe has been so terrible there (new staff and a town that has a mighty Karen/Kevin vibe to it) for me that I have gone to the branch next town over for quality customer service and no aggravation.

Anyways, the T.L.:D.R. version of this visit was this: ask the same question three times before getting an answer, which was quickly followed up by a question so moronically stupid that it went beyond Al Jaffee territory and into me simply palming my face so hard that I fell to the ground unconscious, which afterwards I said, "I'm not going to answer that."

Fast forward to the early afternoon. I had already planned out a potential route for my Saturday walk, which was very adventurous to say the least....{to be continued after the break}

break: the reason why it was so adventurous is due to the fact that after seeing a recent pic of myself looking rather portly, I decided to do Noom without actually spending money to do Noom. This basic concept, coupled with some new meds from my new doctor, has so far allowed me to lose about 9lbs, and has allowed me to reduce my maintenance meds while giving me energy that I haven't seen in decades.

{continuing from the previous point}...as I'd decided to take the long way to the local middle school before taking longish roads back home. But as I crested the first hill and came across the first dead end street, I made an executive decision to take the pleasant detour to Someplace Else. So off we went, traversing the dead end road to a local town path that cut through behind the church and through the senior citizen's/disable living housing village.

Along the way, I came across a monument dedicated to a couple of fallen local police officers (long story as to why this memorial was such an out of the way place instead of the center of town).

It was kind of buried in the leaves and really nothing much going for it besides the simple engraving. A little annoyed this was the only memorial to these police officers besides an annual motorcycle run for the male and nothing for the female, I finished cleaning off the leaves before continuing on my walk.

About ten minutes later, for I am a fast walker, I decided to stop at the library to buy some used c.d.s. Sadly, all they had on sale were those in the New Age Pop/Country genre that really wasn't for me, so against my better judgment I decided to check out the used books. I say "against" because at this point in the year, it was just me/myself/I walking, with no backpack to speak of. But.....I found a couple of books that the library was culling from their shelves that were selling for roughly 7% of their cover price ($2 each).

Granted, the title of the first one hooked me, I mean, let's be real, someone inviting me on shore to be killed and eaten is definitely a book worth checking out. In this particular case, it seems to be, according to the inner jacket, a lovely memoir/history about visiting/living in New Zealand.

Now the second one grabbed me simply because it's about a part of Hollywood that I actually never really heard/read about. Which for me, is the equivalent of a Harry Potter devotee saying, "What? There's actually something new that I haven't heard of before?"

The book, from a casual thumb through, showcases all the bars/clubs that were frequented by a who-who's of Hollywood celebs from the 30s thru the 60s, along with all the juicy stories. So this will be an interesting read.

In any event, the problem we now faced with our walk, was carrying both medium sized tomes in a plastic bag for the rest of my walk. Which kind of sucked, because it forced me to change my homeward bound route quite a bit. So instead of really going back home via quite the circuitous route of the local elementary school, which ultimately would have allowed me to beat my personal best of 13k+ steps/5.5+ miles, we had to settle for a shorter and less meandering route through some main drag/residential streets that got me home about an hour earlier than I had expected.

Overall, it was a most refreshing walk. No near misses or even far misses by distracted motorists, either walking on the road or in the crosswalk, so that's a plus. I think I will put this route on my walking agenda again before we get a good old New England snowfall that would make walking in the woods, somewhat dangerous.

That was basically the highlight of my Saturday, as the annoying part of my Saturday was trying to figure what I had left for completed manuscripts or potential manuscripts (found 40+ short stories that I think I can make super meaty and filling), which might be a post for another time. Have a fun filled Monday and remember, you can always pretend the world does indeed revolve around you...as long as you play nice.

{c} 2023 by G.B. Miller. All Rights Reserved