Everyday, I create a list of things that are going on that day. The Daily To-Do List. It's a nice creative outlet for me.
One day I decided we were going to the slides. I posted a note on the board about people finding me for a late night trip to the slides. A few did. Some others needed some quality peer-pressuring.
Some of those involved some serious difficulties with patience. Once I got people turned on to going to the slides, they were chomping at the bit and eager to go. I had to do some damage control before people got out of control.
Calm down all, we'll head out shortly. Besides, it's always better late at night.
We finally rounded up the whole crew and headed out, really late.
The crew caught the F Streetcar down to the Castro and we hiked the rest of the way to the Seward Street Slides.
Some people needed to take a moment to muster up the energy for the slides.
If you haven't heard of them yet, you clearly haven't read earlier entries in this blog. Go back and read it all. Go on. Do it.
The slides were great. I shot out of my slide and almost broke my ass on the ground. Fun. It was working even better than the last time I was there. Maybe I had a really good box.
Most of us got one good slide in when a local walked up and announced to us that we were done. He told us it was too late and the park was closed and we were leaving. We argued briefly but realized he was going to keep this up. I suppose we didn't need the cops called just because we wanted to have a good time and enjoy life like kids again.
Alysha and Kristina hadn't gone down yet and we told him we would take off as soon as they came down. He told us, "No." Hmm.
So, I marched to the top of the slides and told them to go down. They were concerned about pissing him off. I explained that he was already pissed off, so it really didn't matter. We trekked all the way across the city to enjoy some slides and we were going to do it. Besides, he shouldn't have moved next to a park if he didn't want to experience anyone else enjoying life every once in a while.
Alysha was committed and took the ride. Kristina refused and walked back down.
Everyone walked about a half block away. Dave and I realized we weren't done, so we ditched the group and ran back for one more trip. We snuck up the hill, grabbed some boxes, and felt like kids again. Worth it.
We had previously discussed donut eating competitions and decided that donuts were a must for the trip home. We stopped at the nearest Safeway which was luckily open all night. And they had some nice looking Krispy Kremes.
Chris was insistent that they be heated up and they were nice enough to do this for us. One guy went back to the deli counter and heated up a dozen donuts one by one in a microwave. What a guy.
I tried to give him a tip, but he said he couldn't accept it.
I savored my donut. And then another. And then a half.
We had two left and decided we needed to give them away.
It is harder than you would think to give away donuts late at night. People are instantly suspicious.
"Why would you want to give me free donuts?"
"Um. Because donuts are good and we thought it would be nice."
"Well, no thanks then."
Bars were letting out and we figured someone would love free donuts. Nope. Still suspicious, even when drunk.
We finally found one guy to take both of them. And he seemed to really love 'em. Mission accomplished.
Dave noticed this cartoon strip in a window on the way back home. Synchronicity?
Thanks Bizarro.
After Chris egged me on, I ended up telling three stories which took the entire walk home to get through. I discussed eating horseshoes with horseshit on my hands as a kid, eating myself sick at a state fair a couple years ago, and burning down a friend's house. I suppose those could have been short stories, but they seem so much better when they take 20+ minutes each.
The moral of the story is don't forget to enjoy the slides in life every once in a while or you miss out on some pretty important stuff.
Or something like that.
3 comments:
once I was overwhelmed to have fun. I wanted to hit a police car with a snowball. I hit one solid when standing on the roof of a train station. he didn't know where it came from! So I just had to do it again, again, again... then ran like hell laughing all the way. Sometimes ya just gotta do it.
Just a few things...
Do you take requests? At this point, a few months into your trip, I'd love to see a post that revises your hopes for thsi trip and brings them up to date. It seems like the purpose of the trip has changed somewhat.
I find it difficult to believe that you told any one of the three stories that you mentioned (particularly the fire one) in twenty minutes. You're rounding down aren't you? You rascal.
Oh and slides kick ass. This story reminds me of rolling down a hill in a barrel. Blair knows what I'm talkin' about.
I miss you.
hills? barrels? a jedi craves not these things....
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