Wednesday, November 15, 2006

 

Back at Home

Got back on Friday. Tracey picked me up in Portland at nearly midnight. She didn't recognize me with my beard, she called my name like a question, 'Drew?'. We hugged eachother for a long time.

Saturday at home, I spent the day putting things back in order. There were clothes to be washed, food to cook and a home to get used to again. I ran out to the grocerie store and the bank. By the time I got home I was ready to lock myself inside. I forgot how confusing the grid system of roads can be when you don't have them memorized and you're speeding around in a car. We had a few friends over Saturday night and I caught up on what's been going on.

Sunday was an easy day, watching football and writing. I had no desire to go out anywhere so I stayed in and picked up minor tasks that lay strewn around.

Monday, Tracey went to school and I worked on my list. Saw my grandfather, got a haircut and spent a few hours at the laundraumat cleaning our down conforter and my down sleeping bag. Tracey went to the doctor for the third time about her stomach pains. She's pretty sure she has an ulcer. They scheduled her for a barium cocktail and radiology to check it out.

Meanwhile, I found out that my health insurance lapsed while I was gone. Despite what I was told when I made inquiries about taking the time off of work, we didn't have any coverage for the months of October or November. I'm looking into the options, but more than likely we'll have to pay for Cobra insurance. Tracey visited the doctor a number of times in October and I got an MRI on my ankle. We need coverage to keep those injuries and ailments covered in the future.

Tuesday I drove Tracey and two friends up to Portland. They flew to Denver and are spending a week there attending a Green Buildings Conference. The school paid for their airfare because they are volunteering at the conference and will be representing the U of O. They'll be staying with my friends Chris and Kelli, just like I did when I was in Denver.

I pulled the bike out of the box and re-assembled it. The airline treated it very well, no bruises.

Today, Wednesday, I went back to work. It was good to have structure again. I got all caught up on what has happened since I left. No big surprises there. After work I went over to REI to see my friends and chatted with Jude from the bike shop for a while about the trip.

This evening I had dinner at my uncle's house. He's been driving my grandfather over for dinner every night and I think they all enjoy the closeness of family. I know I did - it was good to feel somewhat at home there.

So, I got a new email address - you can all feel free to use my old one if you have that, but I didn't want to broadcast it across the internet. If you don't have that address, send me an email at:
lifespoke@hotmail.com

I don't know why I didn't think of that earlier.

I'm too tired to write something very interesting right now...some reflection on my time at home. But I've been writing plenty about it offline. Here is a small sample of what I've put down:

I’m lethargic. My system is transitioning from the constant effort to the constant atrophy. The things I have to do seem slow and unimportant. A huge difference from living each moment into the next, a series of efforts stringing in a line to get me where I’m going. Here I could sit on my ass all day and at the end of the day I’d be right where I need to be – right where I started, here at home with Tracey.

I don’t have to weigh every purchase against the pain involved to haul it with me. A bottle of garlic is wheeled to the checkout, carried to the car, driven ‘cross town, carried up the steps and placed in the refrigerator. It’s there when you need it and it doesn’t have to minded while it waits for you to use it again. A bag of potatoes, onions, three hearts of romaine, a bottle of blueberry juice, two bars of soap, two bottles of wine and a whole chicken. Waiting for me, part of a passive system that only requires I use it before it spoils. No breakage, no worry over portion size, no packing up soap when you’re done using it, toothbrush in the cup in the cabinet next to a full-sized tube of paste.

Time is in flux as well. Time on the road was everything – I have to ride to X town by dark tonight or my whole schedule is messed up. Get up early, one hour before I’m riding, glancing at my watch the whole time to keep it within that hour. Ride for an hour then stretch and eat. By noon have eaten such and such amount of food. I know the exact time of sunset and I have to make it by then. Once I get there I have to know the time of dark in case I need to set up my tent under its cover. Time zones change, an hour here, an hour there. Speed is measured in increments of one hour – miles per hour. Ten miles per hour was the realistic time out there.


# posted by Andrew Bascue @ 10:34 PM
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