From outside the box

The cold morning air pierced my jacket as I headed for the car to warm it up. "Come on doggies, lets go," I said while holding the back door open. They jumped in, eager to get out of the house and enjoy their morning trek down Esplanade to drop my son off at Chico High. Fifteen minutes later I'm walking into Bidwell Perk for a little morning pick me up. Same crowd, a few strange faces. I exchange smiles with a couple of folks that I must have met at some point in time but can't remember how I know them and don't really care. They don't either. Then there are always a few of those familiar faces you've seen around for years, the ones you avoid eye contact with because you've never formally met. You have this silent understanding with these people that if you never talk, then you don't have to acknowledge each other a thousand times in the years to come. I have this relationship with half of Chico. I suppose everybody does.

Next it's over to the paint store for a few supplies. "You haven't written a blog in a while," say's Jack, a Kelly Moore employee, as he walks by me into the office. "It's because of your mother Jack, she's not letting me get any sleep!" OK, I didn't really say that, I just wished I did. Why do you always think of the cool things to say after the fact?

Now it's about 9 AM, and I'm headed out to the job on the north end off of Keiffer Road. In the west I notice the snow draped over the foot hills and how it glistens in the morning sun light. As I drive out on north 99, I think about how little that area has changed in the 36 years I've lived in Chico. Orchards, green fields, scattered businesses, and run down houses fly by me as I reach over to turn on the radio. Ron Owens on 810 or Rush Limbaugh on 1290....screw it, their both gonna be babbling about the elections. I'm already bored with elections. I switch to FM instead for some music. Same old thing...."Why do you pick me up, Buttercup baby just to let me down"...."NOOOOOOO!".....Radio off.

I know, why don't I just think about what I could write about on my blog when I get time later this morning? Like Jack said, it's been a few days. There's so much going on to write about....the elections, that ridiculous budget Bush just came up with, the never ending war, our 9 trillion dollar debt, the economy....so much to bitch about! I don't know, who cares. Sometimes you feel like your either preaching to the choir or if they disagree with you, their probably not reading you anyway. So I guess I'll skip the whole blog thing again today. Maybe tomorrow I'll be fired up again to take on the task of enlightening the masses. I'll put republicans and religions in their proper place! I'll expose corporate greed! I'll nail the spin masters and right the wrongs! But not today. Today, I'm just enjoying......
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