*****The Island Chronicles have seen a lot of action the last few days. It is because I am laid up with a messed up back and all I can do is write, so I am using it as a chance to catch up to the now. (On a side note, it is not recommended to paddle an eight foot Mini Max raft like a canoe using a Norris Paddle. It will fuck your back up........badly) If you have ever messed up your lower back, then you know how much it sucks............now imagine living on an Island with it..........yesterday I finally retreated and am recouping at an off Island location.........messed up back, heat, strippers, and shacking up with a girl.......those are the biggest deterrents to The Island Life.........in case anyone ever decides to do this, make a note. Enjoy Week 16 & 17.*****
"(The term) 'Controversial', as we all know, is often a euphemism for 'interesting and intelligent'."
~Kevin Smith~
Week 16 was a very different and interesting week, and it turned out to continue the trend of self-evaluation and discovery of a world I never knew existed.........a world full of interesting people. Monday was my day off, and I spent most of the day at my favorite writing spot......the big leather chair at Shockhoe Espresso. I love the atmosphere at Shockhoe Espresso. The diversity that cycles through on any given day is remarkable. First there is Lindy. No coffee shop is complete without a homeless guy in a light yellow button down shirt and a backpack ranting about modern society........wait a minute, that sounds like a description of me. hmmmm. There are lawyers, suits, hippies, cooks, security guards, hotel employees, bike messengers, feisty little business girls determined to prove themselves to the world, out of work writers and artists, med students, hipsters, high school kids, gay couples, straight couples, regulars, not so regulars, tourists, locals, and every beautiful women that works at The Martin Agency (and there are tons of those).........what does this group of people represent? Easy answer.......the ones that fell through the Starbucks Filter. And THAT, is what makes them so interesting............get it?
"I think...if it is true that there are as many minds as there are heads, then there are as many kinds of love as there are hearts."
~Leo Tolstoy
On Tuesday I met up with a new friend. The day before moving to The Island I ran into two girls sitting on the Southside Floodwall watching the sunset. As it turned out, they ended up being the first two random people I ever told about The Island, and we still talk today. (thanks to the joy of Facebook) I walked with one of the girls to Pipeline after having coffee, and had a very interesting discussion. During the course of it she explained to me that she was basically stuck in a holding pattern for one year and was ready to move on, but her tone made it sound like she was ready to get out of RVA and move on to the next phase now.....she just couldn't. I told her that was actually a cool position to be in........it gave her the ability to do whatever the hell she wanted for the next year......then I realized someone should be giving me that advice. I was in a holding pattern, which gave me basically the ability to do whatever I wanted to do......only my timeline is every day, because the boys get older and older everyday. It is amazing how much you can learn about your own life by talking to someone else about theirs.
"A lot of people resist transition and therefore never allow themselves to enjoy who they are. Embrace the change, no matter what it is; once you do you can learn about the new world you're in and take advantage of it."
~Nikki Giovanni~
I spent the end of Week 16 hibernating for the entire weekend at a friends house, off The Island......I am not going to lie. Sometimes the A/C, cable, a shower, and soft warm couches are a good thing.......but only when done in limited amounts........like mushrooms.....I'm kidding.........mushrooms are perfectly fine all the time. Hibernation weekends are like a battery re-charge. (not like being laid up with a fucked up back. This just sucks) I didn't talk with anyone all weekend and have found that I am very comfortable with solitude after two seasons on The Island.
The hibernation period began the process of my med withdrawals from Celexa. This was part of the reason for the isolation. I felt like I had the flu all weekend and was content with simply bearing with it until it passed. Part of the withdrawals included a sixteen hour sleep session, the wonderful world of diarrhea (I know....TMI), tingly sensations in my fingers and toes, and sleeping patterns that rotated in three to four hour shifts............I am pretty sure weed has never had that major of an impact on the human body. The system really baffles me. In short, the withdrawal systems continued for almost three weeks, slowly wearing off as time passed.
Week 17 continued the pattern of withdrawals, but by the end of the week I was itchin' to get back to things so I headed back out for The Island Life. Late in the week I enjoyed an evening paddle with a friend from Charlottesville. I planned to meet up with him at First Break. It was a beautiful solo paddle out to the top of Belle Isle, but while soul surfing First Break a strong storm blew up quickly and I retreated to hiding under my canoe. I didn't do this because I am a wuss. (I was already wet) I did it because the temperature of the rain drops felt like they were just above freezing. Seriously, the weather patterns lately are awesome, and I cannot complain about being cold in the middle of August in RVA, but these rain drops felt like little ice bombs. The cool part about it was the storm was quick, and after blowing through, the evening sky revealed a magically beautiful sunset, just like hundreds of other sunsets The James offers up all the time. It truly is and always will be my favorite river in the world.
"They say all marriages are made in heaven, but so are thunder and lightening."
~Clint Eastwood~
The end of Week 17 brought on the "Shit Gets Real" part of the story. I had lunch with a friend who is also a police officer. His main concern was my safety, and he made some valid points about the behaviors people can display when backed into a corner that they don't want to be in. A perfect example is me. I was backed into a corner when I was threatened with losing the boys, and I made some pretty stupid decisions that made things worse...........The Fat Bastard of Fourteenth Street was backed into a corner earlier this year, and made some pretty stupid decisions that made things worse. The difference between the two situations was this. I actually felt bad for him at one point, and backed off because of it.............Marcelle has never backed off on me, and I don't think she ever will. So if I can deal with it, then he can too. Next time, keep the cops out of it.
"A man does not die of love or his liver or even old age. He dies from being a man."
~Miguel Di Unamuno~
"See ya on the rivah"
~Justin Harris~
