I was wide awake at 4AM. Should I start my day now, as I am driven to work on my first day of retirement, or should I respect the process now that I am likely stressed and sleep more? I picked sleep.
It was strange not to sign in to work and read emails and Slack updates. Then, I read the news to be ready to start my day at Nike and head to Swift on WHQ. Instead, I took my time making liberal coffee and enjoyed the process, French Press, of turning Equal Exchange grains into the liberal liquid that gets me started in the morning. I toasted a NYC bagel and added cream cheese. All this I took to the home office, now truly my office, and started on one of the things I am not changing, blog writing.
I struggled with three things while writing. The nervous energy that nearly had me blow off sleep was back, and it was doing calmy writing. The lack of a framework impacts my ability to remember and assemble the story. The boiler plates are gone, as most were based on working at Nike! My focus is gone. I am texting friends often or chatting on Facebook. I am on the Internet more than I have ever been. It is hard to focus, and soon, time disappears.
Aside: I am on word count 226 and it has been an hour. My usual is 600 by now.
I find my shacky written voice and start describing my last day at Nike, which was likely also my last day working a real job. Recalling the events and trying to be an observer is more like remembering a nightmare; not that it was terrible, but the memory is colored with emotions to the point it is hard to, like describing the color blue, to do more than recount events. I try to keep it light as I was, I remember, bemused by the events as it was so surreal. A cosmic joke: let us pay you about a year’s salary and cover medical expenses until the year’s end to make you do all those things you never had time for. F**k yes! Do I need to sign away my soul? No, we just need you to go away. That’s fine! Off to Morocco.
I was in my PJs until the afternoon. I had reheated leftover Jambalaya and ate that. I continued to surf the net and read various communications from friends who were just learning I was no longer an employee of Nike. Some folks are very unhappy that I am free. Those who remember who did most of the detailed work on the main system still running the money at the shoe company. They are unhappy that Nike would release me. I tell them all that I am fine.
I finally dressed, put on a T-shirt, and headed to the Hummingbird House. The owner, Michelle N., was there, and I wanted to say hello. Jennifer and her family were on vacation, and I chatted with Michelle. It was good to see her again. One of the residents remembered me and waved when I left. I did not go more than a few steps inside, as the emotions would spill out if I started to look for Susie.
Next, I drove to the Washington Square Mall. I walked through without getting tired or staggering–a vast improvement. While many things helped, I think the trip to Texas and New Orleans, with all the walking (and Absinthe), changed my health. I feel like I am returning to an even better me. There I found the luggage store.
For more than I f**king imagined, I bought the perfect bag for traveling. It’s insanely expensive: a suit bag that folds into a normal pulled overhead bag. Wow! After telling them I was headed to Morocco, I got a neck pillow and a boring name tag. They suggested something unimaginative, a grey metallic-colored name tag. I then rolled my new acquisition (it was so much that I should book it as an asset) out of the mall. Done!
I stopped at the ATM to get some cash, Morocco is cash-based, but I expect my ATM card will work in the new city (as they call it) Casablanca. Next, I stopped by RiteAid and visited the travel-sized section to get a folding toothbrush, cheap razors, a tiny toothpaste tube, and AirBorune from the cold aisle. With my immediate covered, I return home. Corwin is headed out. Later, he returns with an updated truck and a new muffler for under $400. We agree that I will pay off what he still owes on the truck and get the title and registration to put in his name. He will pay me back. If he managed to pay half of the time on time, I would forget the rest.
Corwin had called and asked for the cheaper muffler, but when he arrived, they had somehow sold that one just before he got there. Corwin, having met Dad Wild and hearing all my stories of bate-and-switch, graciously let them put on the more expensive and slightly better muffler for the same price. The guy was even called “Bob.” Corwin is rightfully proud that the late-model truck is sounding and running better. Excellent.
Aside: Parents will recognize this process. Corwin had a tough childhood on the streets, so some lessons must be redone. Be responsible, and we will make it easier for you—that kind of thing.
I read for a while, and poof, time is gone again, and I am headed to The 649. It is my delayed birthday dinner with Dondrea and Z. The 649 was the Trivia contest, and the tables were all booked, so we sat outside. We had a nice appetizer dinner and some drinks. Z got a fruity variation of a Moscow Mule with no booze she loved. Dondrea tried a cider, and later, I got her a sample of a sour beer that shocked her with how good it was.
The day ended, and the winds were frozen, hinting at the desert. I am too cold, and Dondrea and Z have homework to do. We closed out at The 649 with Natalia, and I introduced Dondrea to Crystal. The place was packed, so Natalia walked the card machine to folks to let them pay.
We headed to our homes, and once Air Volvo was parked, I put aside the iPhone and read. I wanted a break and was soon buried in the history of ancient Phoecian from 1177 BCE to about 600 BCE. Eric Cline, in his book After 1177 BCE, told an amazing story that is now updated with the recent scholarship. The use of iron is now more nuanced, as is the creation of the alphabet. If you like your history with endless footnotes and scholarship, then this is the book you want.
I remade the bed and completed my laundry. I showered, and soon after 11, I was comfy reading. I got up and bought seats for my flight (last-minute cheap flights require you to buy a seat selection or wait to enjoy one assigned—I paid about $150 for seats). After that, I could sleep knowing that the trip was ready. I did prove hydration twice. The night seemed to be gone, too, in a poof.
Thanks for reading.
Alohawild (Michael Wild's) Website 