Chapter 4 – Beginning

Growing up, I never had summers like these.  Like many people I spent my summers relaxing at home or going on vacations abroad.  At home, sometimes I was a couch potato for extended periods of time.  I’d have marathons watching Lost or House MD.  Sometimes I would take a trip to Mexico or  South America and do all of the typical tourist stuff there.
One of the things that I liked to do around my Los Angeles home was to go to the gym in the morning.  I’m not talking about a 5 or 6 am workout before work time, I mean a 9am workout after I wake up from sleeping in.  While most people were at work, I worked on my cardio, abs, chest, and arms.  Most of the people there at that time were business execs, college students, or anyone else whose lifestyle didn’t revolve around a 8-5 workday.
I read somewhere in a newspaper that gyms, churches, and gatherings with friends were the best way to meet dates, not bars.  In retrospect, I’d say it was all of the above, but I didn’t thin that way back then.  I’m not sure how long ago I read that article, but I didn’t believe it until Eden changed my mind.
I’m almost embarrassed to admit this.  I never really thought people would get together in the sweatbox of a gym.  There are actually some women’s gyms in the area where women can workout without being drooled upon by leering guys with adhesive eyes.
But one morning I was swimming laps in the gym working on actually doing the butterfly stroke without looking like I was drowning.  After twenty minutes I got and and a girl at the spa called out to me.
“Hey can I ask you a favor?”
“Um, sure.” I said.
She was a 24ish typical looking LA girl. She had brown hair, brown eyes, and acted like she spent too much time in a beach town. In that short little instant, somehow the way she asked me instantly drew me to her like a siren.
“Could you tighten my back strings? It’s new and it doesn’t quite fit me right.”
The first things that I thought of in my head were, “Oh yeah” and “Oh gosh!” I was both excited and nervous at this impromptu opportunity.
As I approached her, I felt my nerves tingle. I knew I had to untie and tie her swim top without looking like a slobbering idiot.
After I untied her top, I think that in my nervous clumsiness tickled her on her lower back. When she twitched, I caught a glimpse of something that I shouldn’t have seen. I was excitedly guilty. After she let out a little giggle I quickly tied her laces tightly. I felt really awkward and I didn’t want to show that I was enjoying it.
As I walked away I could’ve sworn she took a glimpse at my crotch. I think she caught a glance at my not-so-subtle protrusion. I hoped she didn’t, but I’m pretty sure she did.
“Thanks.” she said.

The next day I was so self conscious as I came into the gym. I didn’t want to look or talk to anybody. I just wanted to workout by myself without any type of social interaction. As beautiful as she was, I didn’t want to run into the girl from the day before. I decided to proceed to the treadmill.
“Can you help me unbutton my top?” a voice called out from nearby.
“Oh please, can you help little ole me undress?” said mockingly by this girl who took the machine next to me. She was not the same girl as yesterday. This girl was a cheerful redhead who seemed like Kirsten Dunst in the movie Elizabethtown but with red hair.
“No, it’s okay.” I awkwardly said as I began my cardio warmup.
“I saw you yesterday at the pool, it was hilarious! I could so tell she was flirting with you and you kept tripping over yourself.”
“Well, she asked for help, and I was being a gentleman.” I defended.
“You mean you were being a guy!” she replied.
“If you say so.”
I just wanted to let it go. I wanted this conversation to be over. I felt uncomfortable that this girl saw what happened the day before. I think she knew how awkward I felt and decided to take advantage of it.
“My name’s Eden.” she said with a smile.

Chapter 3 – Last Summer

If you looked through my eyes you might probably say that everything that I told you was totally unreal and that it didn’t actually happen.  You’d say, “Wally, you’re full of crap!”  But it did happen.  It’s summers like these that help me make it through the work season.

Almost every night Efren and I explored every after hour spot between Santa Monica and Hollywood.  Lounges, bars, and night clubs were our usual playgrounds.  We probably met thousands of new people last year.  Some of my favorite memories were the intoxicated after parties in the houses of people who made too much money and wasted it on the latest expensive, luxury, or high tech toys.  There were homes with multiple pools, home theaters, and it was alright to make a big mess since they had a cleaning service come through daily.

The parties had people who were what I like to call “party junkies” that spend all their time partying and make a living just to party.  Their sense of fulfillment came from how and where they partied, and who they partied with.

There was this one particular party in the Hollywood hills home of one of Efren’s coworker’s brothers, Peter.  Yeah, people connect in interesting ways.  Anyway, Peter was an example of a guy who was spoiled by the real estate business.  The house had rooms after rooms and felt like multiple parties could be held there.  He had gadgets that put my home entertainment system to shame.  His cabinets were full of imported liquor that I’ve never even heard of.  The party had almost every single 20-30 year old Peter knew in the Los Angeles area.  There were herds of lovely ladies who just graduated from college and were eager to enjoy their newfound freedom from school.  The funny thing was they still had their college charm and acted like it was the best thing in the world to get drunk and act like strippers.  It was the best thing in the world.

Since my party life only happened during summertime, I never really considered myself a party junkie.  I knew I had a stable job; I knew I had a steady income.  I knew that my life didn’t revolve being a social bum 365 days a week.

Chapter 2

I wish I could work from home.  I hate putting up with a commute like most of the working world.  It annoys me to drive an hour to work and almost two hours going home.  The drivers who don’t look where they turn, drive slower than my grandma walks, and stop for no reason make me hate my life.

My boss is a detached bureaucrat.  He does everything, and I mean EVERYTHING, by the book.  He comes to work and leaves exactly on time.  He always dresses in the same style of shirt and tie (Thank God he alternates colors daily) and never goes on a bathroom break before or after lunch.  He never gets involved in workplace gossip or hangs out with the rest of us at happy hour.  Don’t get me wrong, he’s not a bad guy, he’s probably the best boss I ever had.  He’s also the most boring boss I’ve ever had.

I can’t complain too much, I’m pretty stable. I have a steady income, have all the material possessions I need, and 99.999% sure that I’ll be able to retire by the time that I’m 65.

You could say that I’ve fallen into the 8-5 rut that plagues most Americans.  Every weekday I wake up, go to work, work, go home, sleep, and repeat.  It’s my routine that provides me with an income.  I’ve come accustomed to eating and having a place to live.  It is the persona that I have taken on to survive in this world.  As all of us who went away to college know, during summer, all bets are off.

During this sunny season, business is slow and I get an annual two month vacation.  I have too much free time on my hands.  I often spend time hanging out at my friend Efren’s beach house in Santa Monica shooting the breeze and forgetting about the rest of the year.

For some reason, during the summer I’m a different me.  I can’t really explain it.  It feels so liberating to be away from my usual work routine.  It’s as if my daily restrictions don’t exist for those two months.

I go out at night and stay out without thinking of work next morning.  I wake up whenever I feel like it.  I don’t have to be attached to my email, juggle appointments, or worry about deadlines.  During summer, I don’t have to be myself.

Chapter 1

What if you were me?  What if you saw nothing but skinny blondes with short white skirts walking by when you drank your morning coffee?  What if you lived in uppity-nothing-bad-happens-here-ville?  What if you drove a sportscar, owned a 6 bedroom house on a hill and got bored easily?

Well, welcome to my life.  During fall, winter, and spring I’m a bureaucratic businessman.  I make a living consulting clients on how to manage their money.  I tell them how to spend and how to keep themselves from going bankrupt.  I work my ass off seven days a week all day and usually at night.  It’s all part of corporate America.

For me, summer is different.  It’s when I get to play.

21 – Moving

Hey Cheryl,

Ever since I came back, I’ve been packing and moving like crazy.  You missed out on all the fun yesterday, too bad you weren’t able to make it.  This whole weekend has been intense.  Fitting my belongings in boxes, trips to IKEA, and everything in between is making this not seem like a vacation at all. 

I know this may sound weird, but packing was kind of an emotional trip for me.  I went  through a lot of my stuff and it brought back old memories.  I also had to let go of a lot of stuff.  You know I’m a sentimental fool, so a lot of stuff was really hard to let go. 

Moving is also exciting at the same time.  The apartment is really nice, you should see it one day when you’re actually willing to drive outside of LA.    Picking out all the stuff for the apartment can be a hassle, but it’s really fun.  I feel like an interior designer.  I still have to bring some books and a booshelf from my parents’ house.  I still have to buy groceries; my refigerator is empty.

Have a great day,

Rod

20 – sd Bon farewell

Hey Cheryl,

I’m back!  San Diego was really fun.  The whole week long training was okay, but it was all about the free afternoons.  If you think about it, it’s almost like a paid vacation, I just have to work in the morning.  So every day, I had training on how to teach AP/Honors classes and then afterwards we were free.  University of San Diego has such a beautiful campus.  I could see the ocean walking around campus. 

Throughout the week, I hung out with my cousins, went downtown, watched a Padres game (SD won!), went to Mission Beach, rode the friggin awesome roller coaster there, toured Old Town, and had some really good Indian flatbread carne asada tacos. 

As much fun as I had, I’m glad that I’m back.

Rod

19 – RE: Dodecahedron

Hey Che,

Random question.  There’s no one one this big green earth I know that likes The Simpsons more than you.  So anyway, my favorite word is “eudaemonic.”  You’re smart, I’m not goin to tell you what it means.  But can you guess why it’s my favorite word?

Roderick

ps.  A humanhedron has one face you dork

18 – RE: I just had coffee with you

Hola Cheryl,

Ketchup doesn’t really taste good with coffee, but our chill session was pretty sweet.  By the way, thanks for introducing me to those “special” brownies.  They were really expensive but really good.  It only took one brownie to REALLY mess me up.  Man, I don’t know if I could handle another one.

I noticed the letter before last you wrote (14 – like a slug) was in poetic form.  When this whole Writer’s Workshop project came off the ground, I wrote everything on a pad of paper.  Then later on, I started writing stuff only online.  There’s this authenticity that only writing with a pen and paper first provides.  Even though it’s longer and more tedious, I’d rather write that way. 

Remember A Mic and Dim Lights?  It was the poetry open mic near Cal Poly that we used to go to in college.  The MC, Besskepp, believed that an honest freewrite on a piece of paper, napkin, or any scrap paper was poetry in its purest form.  I think that there’s a beauty that can be seen in unedited writing.  But it can also suck. Decide for yourself what you like.

Anyway, thanks again for hanging out yesterday.  It was a lot of fun.

Your friend,

Roderick

17 – RE: like a slug

Hey Cheryl,

I totally feel you on this.  I totally have been procrastinating on almost everything!  I still need to work on TPAs #3 and 4.  I need to register for classes for APU.  I too haven’t been keeping myself as physically fit as I originally intended to before summer.

I do miss the crazy early morning workouts we used to do.  It was something fun to do in the summer mornings.  Maybe I can think of something….

I know!…You can help me move!  (Oh yeah, I got an apartment in Rancho Cucamonga today.)  You can lift, carry, workout your arms, legs, back, and abs.  If you rush, you’ll have a full cardio workout! It’s a Win-Win.  You get a great workout, I get my apartment all moved in, and we get to hang out.

Well, I’ll be packing all day tomorrow.  I’ll be in San Diego for a teacher training next week. 

Hope all is good,

Rod

16 – Stuck in the Desert

Hey Cheryl,

How is the conference going? I’m all the way out in the Palm Desert for an educational conference. Out here, it’s really hot! There’s resorts, spas, pools, and country clubs everywhere! It’s also a retirement community. There’s senior citizens everywhere. And the bars here are full of them! So far, it’s been pretty fun. I’ve been learning a bit about the use of technology to help us in and out of the classroom. I’ll be back tomorrow night.

Ttyl,

Roderick