Days in the life...
(10-21) It seemed like I was wearing shorts and a t-shirt to work a few days ago but now there was this biting chill in the breeze. Whenever the wind would pick up I'd grimace a little. The temperature had dropped about 20 degrees a few days earlier and has never recovered. It may be nearly two hundred days before I see 70 again. Tonight was especially bad due to the rain. It's the coldest rain I've felt since perhaps last April. I find myself walking faster to get where I'm going, trying to spend as little time in the elements as possible. I'm kicking up leaves that have recently fallen to the ground and looking at those that are left, hanging on for dear life to the only home they've had the last 6 months. Since the leaves are so freshly fallen, those that aren't too wet make a crunching sound under my feet. For me that's the official sound of autumn, brown leaves crunching under foot. It's a bittersweet sound. On one hand, it's so enjoyable to kick and crunch the leaves but on the other it's the death knell of nature. It's the beginning of the end. I know this cold rain will give way to snow and ice and gloom in the coming weeks, but thankfully it does take some time to happen. There is time to prepare. Speaking of preparation, if only I had been more careful, I wouldn't need to be on this rescue mission.
(10-22) I was perplexed. I thought for sure I lost my ID, Bank Card and Subway Card on Saturday night at the Korner Kafe but when I walked there last night all the lights were off and there was this little sign on the door that read "Sorry, we didn't make it. Thanks for your patronage". This was annoying for 2 reasons: 1- This place had good food and offered some nice vegetarian and vegan choices which is always a nice option in this world of cheeseburgers and chickens. Now don't get me wrong, I love to eat those things but I have increasingly more friends who prefer vegetarian foods or like to sprinkle them in with the occasional Big Macs than ever. And 2- My ID, Bank Card and Subway Card may have been lost inside a few nights earlier and the place has not only closed down but there is no number or sign of people to contact. Ugh.
(10-23) It had been 5 days at least since I lost the holy three (readers note: the holy three will now be my ID, bank card and subway card- The subway card is included in the holy three because there is at least a sub and a half currently on it.) and with no sign of retrieval in sight I had to finally start the moving on process. I had been monitoring my bank account online and no charges or attempts were made so I kept thinking optimistically that someone was either holding on to the holy three or attempted to mail them back to me. There was something inside of me telling me not to cancel my bank card just yet so I didn't although I monitored my account multiple times each day to make sure nothing fraudulent was going on.
So why start the replacing process after only 5 days if I felt so optimistic? Well, my ID had my old old address on it. No that wasn't a typo; it had my address 2 addresses ago so any attempts to return them to me in person or through the mail would not find their way to me. So with my bank account holding steady, my ID was first on the docket.
I left work a few hours early so I could get down to the DMV and get this done. My policy with the DMV is to go there about an hour before closing. Have you ever gone at 10am? The place is packed. There are people everywhere, chaos as far as the eyes can see and most obviously, the lines are long. I hopped on the train and made my way there arriving right before 3pm. I walked in and went right to information where there was one person in line... nice. After receiving the form and the information I needed I had to go to another line where again there was one person in line. Before I could finish navigating my line through the line dividers so I could stand behind the man, he had been called to a window. Now I was next.
Within a minute I was called up, paid $15 for a replacement ID and left the DMV spending a grand total of about 10 minutes there. It may have been the shortest DMV visit I've ever had. Other than the $15, that was pretty painless. I was feeling really good about my situation, my day and everything but one thing was missing... food. It was after 3pm and I hadn't eaten all day. I would either remedy that on the way home or after I arrived there.
My thoughts were dancing all around in my mind trying to find a partner. I was thinking of going back to work for an hour or so. I could probably make it back to work by 4 if I hopped back on the train. Part of me thought that since I left work I may as well do with the day whatever I wanted. We were only talking about an hour or so anyway of work. The thing that made up my mind came down the tracks, ringing it bells and slowing down right in front of me. The train was crawling with people. It was standing room only and then some. I can get claustrophobic when I am boxed in like that with people all over me. It would be really difficult to ride that way for 8-10 stops. I didn't want to ruin my good mood (we all know how fragile these things are) so I just started walking up Main street alongside the train.
I walked up Main for a while and then crossed over to Delaware. My mind started thinking of possibilities. I could grab a sub from this deli over on Elmwood. I could get some bread pudding over at this store on Elmwood. I could stop at Wilson Farms or the Co-op and get a few things I need for the house. Guess where those places are... yep on Elmwood. I was just walking and thinking, taking in the sunshine and getting some exercise. After walking about 20 minutes I was coming up on Delaware and Allen, an intersection that would normally scare the hell out of me but my mind was on food. I was thinking Arbys. Before I could get to the corner of the intersection I found myself at a counter ordering a beef and cheddar. I sat down and took my time. I chewed with admiration. I was in such a good mood that the sandwich was better than usual. Has that ever happened to you? Your mood ends up being so good that everything around you is enhanced. It happened to me.
After eating, breathing, stretching out and washing it all down with a Pepsi I exited the restaurant and proceeded to the corner of Allen and Delaware. As I got closer the worry started. A dark cloud seemed to appear over me and drops of concern began to rain on my parade. I started to feel scared, very scared. You see, this was the intersection that I was struck by the Oldsmobile last December. It hit me as I crossed the same way I was fixing to cross again.
Now someone in their right mind would simply cross a different way to perhaps the other corner or maybe walk a block and then cross or do something a little more rational but there I was face to face with this vile corner and I couldn't budge. We had a standoff... the first one to blink loses.
I went about a minute before I blinked. I sneered at the corner and uttered "you win this time but we will meet again." In all seriousness, I hesitated to cross and then decided I wouldn't and about a minute later the bus passed by and I got on and took it back towards my house. I've crossed that corner with friends since the accident but not alone. The paranoia consumes me... I keep avoiding it.
(10-24) I went and paid for a replacement ID, it was Friday and I was feeling pretty good about everything. I checked my bank balance again online: still $5.04. I really should have called and reported my card lost days before but something was preventing me. I had the number I needed written down so it would have been easy enough but I just couldn't do it... and it's not like anyone was trying to use the card or anything.
Lunchtime brought a nice surprise as one of my buddies at work, Brad, wanted to go to Edritos for lunch. Edritos is a burrito/taco place which has bounced around from a few places and neighborhoods around the city. I guess they haven't found the right spot yet, but it's not for lack of quality food. They went from Elmwood to downtown and now to Hertel Avenue which some people are starting to call Little Elmwood, or the next best street after Elmwood in the city. I bet the rent is lower on Hertel so it's easy to see why they have undertaken the move.
About 6 of us from work piled into Brad's car and we proceeded to burrito goodness. I had chicken and guacamole and when asked if I wanted pinto or black beans I just said yes. Yes, I'll take em all. My burrito was constructed, overloaded and wrapped tight and could've knocked out a small child if one was walking by and I chucked it at its head. Of course I'd never do such a thing and waste a solid pound or two of lunchtime perfection... and I guess it's not nice to hit kids upside the head with a burrito. Awkward moment... okay, moving on. I had burrito love and cookie love (they sell cookies too 3 for $1.25 and worth it!) and headed back to work with the crew.
I got into a groove at work for a bit and then had to go up front to either talk about sports for a minute or ask a question, sometimes I forget which, and a co-worker walks up holding my lost ID in his hand. For a second my eyes cannot believe it. I reach out and grab my ID and study it, thinking somehow this could not be what it obviously was. Everyone around at that moment barraged the man with questions. Most of them were basically the same question, one that I asked as well, which was wondering where the ID was found. This saintly wonderful person was emptying trash into the dumpster and it fell out of the can and into the trash. I immediately thought 2 things, perhaps you did as well: 1- What the hell was my ID doing in the trash? And 2- My bank card and Subway card must be in there as well.
I was still scrambling to understand this luck that had been given to me. Now it all made sense. That's why no one tried to use my bank/visa card, because it was sitting in a trash receptacle all week! As I was putting it together and wondering about the possible ways my 3 cards would have ended up in the trash one of my co-workers was already digging in the dumpster trying to find one or both of the remaining cards. Within 2 minutes he found the Subway card. Now only the Visa check card remained. I asked a small but eager bunch of helpful co-workers to not worry about it and I set forth alone to find my bank card.
I grabbed a huge flattened cardboard box and set it up on top of a palette. This was a massive box, enough to carry a gaggle of wild dogs in. How much is in a gaggle? That's a good question. The box was about 4 feet by 5 feet and 4 feet deep. I stood there, face to face with a full dumpster. I slowly opened the side door of it and placed this large box right next to the door. I began to pull garbage out of the dumpster and into the box, all the while looking for my Visa check card. At first it was easy, the stuff on top was light shipping materials, paper and things of that nature. But the second level started to get gross. All of a sudden I was pushing my way through coffee grounds, wet napkins, and chicken bones. I was a little dejected remembering how easy and how at the very top the other 2 cards were but I would not be denied.
I dug and dug and as I did for 10 minutes I noticed that my makeshift temporary trash holder was filling up fast. As I continued to dig and look my thoughts started to drift towards maybe constructing a second box when I saw a glimmer of red. There, sitting flat face up on a piece of cardboard was my Buffalo Bills Visa check card. The red Bills helmet on the side of the card shined like no piece of trash I had ever seen and in fact that was because it wasn't really trash. It was my life returning to normal again. Another week, another adventure.
(10-21) It seemed like I was wearing shorts and a t-shirt to work a few days ago but now there was this biting chill in the breeze. Whenever the wind would pick up I'd grimace a little. The temperature had dropped about 20 degrees a few days earlier and has never recovered. It may be nearly two hundred days before I see 70 again. Tonight was especially bad due to the rain. It's the coldest rain I've felt since perhaps last April. I find myself walking faster to get where I'm going, trying to spend as little time in the elements as possible. I'm kicking up leaves that have recently fallen to the ground and looking at those that are left, hanging on for dear life to the only home they've had the last 6 months. Since the leaves are so freshly fallen, those that aren't too wet make a crunching sound under my feet. For me that's the official sound of autumn, brown leaves crunching under foot. It's a bittersweet sound. On one hand, it's so enjoyable to kick and crunch the leaves but on the other it's the death knell of nature. It's the beginning of the end. I know this cold rain will give way to snow and ice and gloom in the coming weeks, but thankfully it does take some time to happen. There is time to prepare. Speaking of preparation, if only I had been more careful, I wouldn't need to be on this rescue mission.
(10-22) I was perplexed. I thought for sure I lost my ID, Bank Card and Subway Card on Saturday night at the Korner Kafe but when I walked there last night all the lights were off and there was this little sign on the door that read "Sorry, we didn't make it. Thanks for your patronage". This was annoying for 2 reasons: 1- This place had good food and offered some nice vegetarian and vegan choices which is always a nice option in this world of cheeseburgers and chickens. Now don't get me wrong, I love to eat those things but I have increasingly more friends who prefer vegetarian foods or like to sprinkle them in with the occasional Big Macs than ever. And 2- My ID, Bank Card and Subway Card may have been lost inside a few nights earlier and the place has not only closed down but there is no number or sign of people to contact. Ugh.
(10-23) It had been 5 days at least since I lost the holy three (readers note: the holy three will now be my ID, bank card and subway card- The subway card is included in the holy three because there is at least a sub and a half currently on it.) and with no sign of retrieval in sight I had to finally start the moving on process. I had been monitoring my bank account online and no charges or attempts were made so I kept thinking optimistically that someone was either holding on to the holy three or attempted to mail them back to me. There was something inside of me telling me not to cancel my bank card just yet so I didn't although I monitored my account multiple times each day to make sure nothing fraudulent was going on.
So why start the replacing process after only 5 days if I felt so optimistic? Well, my ID had my old old address on it. No that wasn't a typo; it had my address 2 addresses ago so any attempts to return them to me in person or through the mail would not find their way to me. So with my bank account holding steady, my ID was first on the docket.
I left work a few hours early so I could get down to the DMV and get this done. My policy with the DMV is to go there about an hour before closing. Have you ever gone at 10am? The place is packed. There are people everywhere, chaos as far as the eyes can see and most obviously, the lines are long. I hopped on the train and made my way there arriving right before 3pm. I walked in and went right to information where there was one person in line... nice. After receiving the form and the information I needed I had to go to another line where again there was one person in line. Before I could finish navigating my line through the line dividers so I could stand behind the man, he had been called to a window. Now I was next.
Within a minute I was called up, paid $15 for a replacement ID and left the DMV spending a grand total of about 10 minutes there. It may have been the shortest DMV visit I've ever had. Other than the $15, that was pretty painless. I was feeling really good about my situation, my day and everything but one thing was missing... food. It was after 3pm and I hadn't eaten all day. I would either remedy that on the way home or after I arrived there.
My thoughts were dancing all around in my mind trying to find a partner. I was thinking of going back to work for an hour or so. I could probably make it back to work by 4 if I hopped back on the train. Part of me thought that since I left work I may as well do with the day whatever I wanted. We were only talking about an hour or so anyway of work. The thing that made up my mind came down the tracks, ringing it bells and slowing down right in front of me. The train was crawling with people. It was standing room only and then some. I can get claustrophobic when I am boxed in like that with people all over me. It would be really difficult to ride that way for 8-10 stops. I didn't want to ruin my good mood (we all know how fragile these things are) so I just started walking up Main street alongside the train.
I walked up Main for a while and then crossed over to Delaware. My mind started thinking of possibilities. I could grab a sub from this deli over on Elmwood. I could get some bread pudding over at this store on Elmwood. I could stop at Wilson Farms or the Co-op and get a few things I need for the house. Guess where those places are... yep on Elmwood. I was just walking and thinking, taking in the sunshine and getting some exercise. After walking about 20 minutes I was coming up on Delaware and Allen, an intersection that would normally scare the hell out of me but my mind was on food. I was thinking Arbys. Before I could get to the corner of the intersection I found myself at a counter ordering a beef and cheddar. I sat down and took my time. I chewed with admiration. I was in such a good mood that the sandwich was better than usual. Has that ever happened to you? Your mood ends up being so good that everything around you is enhanced. It happened to me.
After eating, breathing, stretching out and washing it all down with a Pepsi I exited the restaurant and proceeded to the corner of Allen and Delaware. As I got closer the worry started. A dark cloud seemed to appear over me and drops of concern began to rain on my parade. I started to feel scared, very scared. You see, this was the intersection that I was struck by the Oldsmobile last December. It hit me as I crossed the same way I was fixing to cross again.
Now someone in their right mind would simply cross a different way to perhaps the other corner or maybe walk a block and then cross or do something a little more rational but there I was face to face with this vile corner and I couldn't budge. We had a standoff... the first one to blink loses.
I went about a minute before I blinked. I sneered at the corner and uttered "you win this time but we will meet again." In all seriousness, I hesitated to cross and then decided I wouldn't and about a minute later the bus passed by and I got on and took it back towards my house. I've crossed that corner with friends since the accident but not alone. The paranoia consumes me... I keep avoiding it.
(10-24) I went and paid for a replacement ID, it was Friday and I was feeling pretty good about everything. I checked my bank balance again online: still $5.04. I really should have called and reported my card lost days before but something was preventing me. I had the number I needed written down so it would have been easy enough but I just couldn't do it... and it's not like anyone was trying to use the card or anything.
Lunchtime brought a nice surprise as one of my buddies at work, Brad, wanted to go to Edritos for lunch. Edritos is a burrito/taco place which has bounced around from a few places and neighborhoods around the city. I guess they haven't found the right spot yet, but it's not for lack of quality food. They went from Elmwood to downtown and now to Hertel Avenue which some people are starting to call Little Elmwood, or the next best street after Elmwood in the city. I bet the rent is lower on Hertel so it's easy to see why they have undertaken the move.
About 6 of us from work piled into Brad's car and we proceeded to burrito goodness. I had chicken and guacamole and when asked if I wanted pinto or black beans I just said yes. Yes, I'll take em all. My burrito was constructed, overloaded and wrapped tight and could've knocked out a small child if one was walking by and I chucked it at its head. Of course I'd never do such a thing and waste a solid pound or two of lunchtime perfection... and I guess it's not nice to hit kids upside the head with a burrito. Awkward moment... okay, moving on. I had burrito love and cookie love (they sell cookies too 3 for $1.25 and worth it!) and headed back to work with the crew.
I got into a groove at work for a bit and then had to go up front to either talk about sports for a minute or ask a question, sometimes I forget which, and a co-worker walks up holding my lost ID in his hand. For a second my eyes cannot believe it. I reach out and grab my ID and study it, thinking somehow this could not be what it obviously was. Everyone around at that moment barraged the man with questions. Most of them were basically the same question, one that I asked as well, which was wondering where the ID was found. This saintly wonderful person was emptying trash into the dumpster and it fell out of the can and into the trash. I immediately thought 2 things, perhaps you did as well: 1- What the hell was my ID doing in the trash? And 2- My bank card and Subway card must be in there as well.
I was still scrambling to understand this luck that had been given to me. Now it all made sense. That's why no one tried to use my bank/visa card, because it was sitting in a trash receptacle all week! As I was putting it together and wondering about the possible ways my 3 cards would have ended up in the trash one of my co-workers was already digging in the dumpster trying to find one or both of the remaining cards. Within 2 minutes he found the Subway card. Now only the Visa check card remained. I asked a small but eager bunch of helpful co-workers to not worry about it and I set forth alone to find my bank card.
I grabbed a huge flattened cardboard box and set it up on top of a palette. This was a massive box, enough to carry a gaggle of wild dogs in. How much is in a gaggle? That's a good question. The box was about 4 feet by 5 feet and 4 feet deep. I stood there, face to face with a full dumpster. I slowly opened the side door of it and placed this large box right next to the door. I began to pull garbage out of the dumpster and into the box, all the while looking for my Visa check card. At first it was easy, the stuff on top was light shipping materials, paper and things of that nature. But the second level started to get gross. All of a sudden I was pushing my way through coffee grounds, wet napkins, and chicken bones. I was a little dejected remembering how easy and how at the very top the other 2 cards were but I would not be denied.
I dug and dug and as I did for 10 minutes I noticed that my makeshift temporary trash holder was filling up fast. As I continued to dig and look my thoughts started to drift towards maybe constructing a second box when I saw a glimmer of red. There, sitting flat face up on a piece of cardboard was my Buffalo Bills Visa check card. The red Bills helmet on the side of the card shined like no piece of trash I had ever seen and in fact that was because it wasn't really trash. It was my life returning to normal again. Another week, another adventure.