Today is Ash Wednesday. I got home from work to find a note from Elise. She said she had gone to church and would be back later this evening. I laughed when I read that note. It reminded me of my first experience with Ash Wednesday…
Philip and I took trigonometry our junior year in high school. Philip came into class late and took his assigned seat (Ivey, Janicek) right in front of me. As nonchalantly as I could, I nudged him and whispered “Dude… dude…” He turned around, looked at me and whispered “What?!” I, being the kind of friend who would tell you if you had spinach in your teeth, motioned to Philip to brush his forehead as it appeared as if some dark dirt had accumulated above his brow.
It was that day that I learned what Ash Wednesday was all about. Apparently during your lunch hour you’re supposed to extinguish cigarettes just above the gap twixt your eyebrows. I’ve decided to give up on this as people tend to look at me strangely when partaking in conventional religious practices. I try, but those Catholics still confuse me.
Yesterday was Fat Tuesday. We didn’t indulge. Instead, we stayed home, made dinner and watched a movie. Ever since eating at the Thai Kitchen in the Lincoln Village Shopping Center a couple years ago, I’ve become a big fan of Thai food. I had been putting off cooking Thai until last night. I made basil chicken with red curry. I’m a big fan of spicy food but this time, I couldn’t handle my own creation. I overdid it on the chilies.
Yesterday also marked one year since I had started working at Scott & White. I didn’t realize this until today. I told myself a few months back that if I were still employed by S&W, I would do something drastic. Luckily yours truly did not find himself running with scissors last night. Instead, we watched The Ring. Really good movie. Elise had to explain the ending to me. I’m getting a little slow in my old age.
I’ve started walking to work again. I walk almost a mile more each way than I did when I was walking to work from our apartment in Temple. I was almost to work yesterday morning when my boss saw me and picked me up. Upon getting into his truck, he said “What are you doing walking?” I said “I was trying to exercise, and you ruined it.” He said “Okay, I won’t pick you up again.”
I walked approximately a mile towards home yesterday evening when Elise picked me up. She was on her way home from the grocery store when saw me walking. I told her that between her and my boss, it didn’t seem like they want me to be healthy.
I walked all the way to and from work today. It’s quite a trek but I feel good doing it. Just before Elise picked me up yesterday, a group of migrant workers traveling in a pick-up truck yelled “Odelay, gringo!” Nobody ever yelled anything at me when I walked in Temple. Ahhh… to be back in Austin.
During my walk this morning, a little old lady with a bad leg made it a point to say “Good morning”. That made me smile and started my day off right.