1. Last week I mentioned putting both sunscreen and bug spray on before going for a run. Eventually, I went to wipe sweat from my face with my bug spray-covered arm and practically blinded myself. Well, this week I decided to one-up myself. Rather than take the long way of getting bug spray in my eyes I decided why not just spray it into my eyes and mouth from the start. There were tons of bugs around as I was getting ready for my run and I was in a rush to get that protection on my skin. So much so that I ended up getting in in my left eye and a bit in my mouth. There’s a pre-run tradition I won’t be starting.
2. As a content creator I typically spend most if not all of my free time working on various projects. Podcasts, videos, articles, blogs, etc, all in the hopes of growing my brand. There are times I wish I could do more but then I remember that pretty much all of the successful creators have a team behind them to help with the work, whereas I am just myself. So I think I’m doing alright, except for the whole having no life due to this content work, but oh well.
3. I understand as a writer when pitching a book to literary agents they get loads of submissions. This means that it might take weeks to get a reply, often a rejection, but such is the life of a writer. But when you finally respond after OVER A YEAR that takes the cake. I’d rather you don’t reply at all than give me the lame brush-off after a year. It’s like asking someone out and them waiting over a year to text you ‘No.’
4. While out for a run on the bike path on a hot humid afternoon I saw a really cute girl running toward me. We both smiled and waved and continued in opposite directions. A few minutes later as I slowed down I looked behind me and she was now running toward me. Was this to be a serendipitous moment? No of course not, she waved and smiled as she passed and left me in the dust. I thought about trying to run after her but that was a recipe for falling on my face.
5. While driving I was behind someone going relatively slow. They also seemed skittish, pumping the brakes anytime a vehicle stopped at a crossroad like they thought the other vehicle would t-bone them. I had no idea of the depths of their skittishness though. They needed to turn left down a side street. A car was coming the other way but was several hundred feet away. Rather than turning down the side street like 99% of people would this vehicle waited. They waited what felt like hours but were likely 6-7 seconds. To me, it was the scene in Austin Powers where the man is in front of the approaching steamroller but it is far away. The man just yells for like 15 seconds before getting squished. That was funny this was foolish.
6. When I started the original version of this blog in 2010 my goal was to do some sort of travel writing as my main source of income. Years have passed but my wish is still similar. I would love to drive around the country recording podcasts at various locations. Maybe I can get 5-Hour Energy to finally sponsor me, that was a recurring joke in the original Initial Impressions blog.
7. I went for a long run/walk. I did a loop as far as my route. On the way out I passed a man washing his car in his driveway. Cool, it was a beautiful morning. On the way back I passed the same man still in his driveway, still washing his car. The only problem? My loop was 8 miles and it was a good hour and a half in between seeing the man washing his car. Even at its dirtiest, I might need 45 minutes to thoroughly wash my car. Oh well, maybe he really wanted to savor the feeling?
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8. I’m torn. I found out that the father of one of my formerly closest friends died. Part of me wants to reach out and check on them. Another part remembers that phones, emails, etc, work both ways. In the nearly 4 years since we last spoke I have lost several family members and friends and didn’t hear Word One. So I remain on the fence as far as being the one yet again who bites the bullet and bridges the gap of reaching out.
9. There was a cloudy humid day this week. It eventually led to some rain in mid-afternoon. I was at a beach and it started coming down. I checked the radar and it was full of reds. I decided to get moving before the worst of it. Little did I know the ‘worst’ was so close and the sky opened up in a downpour the likes of which I’ve rarely seen on Cape Cod. It was like driving through rivers within minutes. Luckily I made it to the supermarket safely and the rain let up a bit to let me head inside...and then the power was out inside the supermarket because of course.
Song of the Week: Hole Hearted - Extreme