Picking Up Maybe Not So Good Vibrations? in Everyday Ramblings

Because we met at the gym yesterday instead of Weight Watchers, Mrs. Sherlock asked if we could meet a half hour later. We did our default river loop walk, but backwards. She wasn’t feeling well so we kept it modest but as we were walking on the floating east side platform that is right next to the freeway we looked up and saw these folks living rough with a campfire at 9:30AM on a Saturday morning.

There was a very dark vibe out and about. It was cold but not freezing and damp, very damp but not raining, and there was this weird hard twilight feel. I took a bunch of pictures of the trash and encampments we saw all along the way.

Then as we were walking across the lower pedestrian deck of the Steel Bridge we ended up walking behind three teenage boys that were listening to some sort of rap that was audible to all three (and us). They were all white, and one had on batman pajama pants over his boots and one had some very low hanging pants with gray patterned boxer shorts and a red bandana in his back pocket. He was smoking a cigarette.

Individually, they would have seemed like nice fresh-faced young men but together and with their heads bent towards each other they were menacing.

That was the point I believe.

Even though there were lots of folks running and riding bikes in the gloom I didn’t feel safe so we walked up a few blocks and I ended up taking a nice warm light rail car back towards home. I still ended up getting 19,000 steps yesterday but it felt very luxurious.

I haven’t seen the new Blade Runner but I think the atmosphere here yesterday morning was a bit like that.

I blame Paul Ryan. I have decided to blame everything on him. :)

In a completely irrational and emotional response to his cheerful desire to take away any sort of safety net good people have put in place.

I have been listening to a meditation talk series on “The Trance of Fear”.

She talks about surfacing and getting to know one’s deepest fears. And I know one of mine is being forced by circumstances to live in a tent in a noisy spot on the cold hard ground with no heat or running water.

Of course I would adapt. We do. But really I am attached to my creature comforts and I very much do not take them for granted. Clean dry towels for instance. Oh yeah, and privacy, or at least the illusion of it.

Earlier before I left the house I cut up a couple of colorful bell peppers and finished cleaning out the refrigerator and when I got home after a trip to the grocery I made this super yummy gluten free Shepherd’s Pie with sweet potatoes on top …and this bread pudding mix for making these delicious individual servings of bread pudding in the microwave with vanilla yogurt and berries on top.

I was in a trance of domesticity, waltzing around to Verdi’s only string quartet on my headphones.

Now I need to get ready for church and to do a little shopping. I get this big discount at Athleta if I wear their clothes to teach and I am going to take advantage of that.

May the vibe be just that much lighter today.

Last updated January 07, 2018