Entry #200!

September 7, 2003

According to the software I use to manage my website, this is entry #200 for AGSHender.Net. This is also just about towards four years of entries, though I’d have to double-check to get the exact date I started up the site. I know it was in September, and I know that it was towards the beginning or middle, so it’s coming up. That’s a long time to be running a blog, especially in this day and age where everyone seems to run a blog site now, or at least those of us who are hip do it. I wonder if that makes me geeky if I’ve done it for four times as long as most people?

Yesterday’s trip to Lincoln City was fun. We set out around 10 AM with three other convertibles trailing us. I took my camera but didn’t take any pictures, though, so you’ll have to picture it. Two red convertibles–the Mercedes 500 series we rode in and a 1965 Corvette Stingray (one owner!), a black convertible–a 1986 Corvette, and a white convertible, a Mazada convertible of some sort. The weather was beautiful, in the mid to high 70’s and sunny, and so we set out for Lincoln City on back highways.

That sounds easier than it actually was. Part of the trip was on gravel roads that my Dad knew were there, but the other cars weren’t expecting. They didn’t have faith in my Dad’s navigational skills, but then again, I had my doubts at moments, too. When you’re on back gravel roads that aren’t on the map, you do tend to get a little bit worried. My compass that I keep on my keychain came in handy, though.

The weather cooled down as we got closer to the coast, too. What began as a nice 75 degree day chilled down to a 57 degree drive in light rain. We didn’t even put the top up, actually. Dad was nice enough to have brought two sweatshirts, althought he one he made me wear was far too small for me, and it didn’t even come down to my waist. So while that helped a bit, I still rode in a car shivering until we stopped in Lincoln City and he put the top up for the rest of the trip. Even if I’d thought ahead to bring jeans and a sweatshirt, there’s no way I could have fit them in my duffel bag I brought over here to my Dad’s house. I’m staying here for five nights, so between my clothes and my suit, no way I could have brought them easily. Oh well. I made it out alive.

The only problem I had with the drive was that about halfway through, I really had to go to the bathroom. I mean really badly. I had gone before I’d left, but I guess that wasn’t enough and my bladder kept expanding. Towards the end of the trip, I was in some real discomfort. My lower back was hurting, though I wasn’t sure whether that was from sitting in the same position for so long or from some backlog into the kidneys. On our final stretch of road that went for 24 miles, I was literally doing a countdown of the mileposts I saw, counting until we got to a city again where there would be a gas station or something. I didn’t want to laugh not only because it hurt so much, but because I was literally afraid I’d lose control. THAT’S how bad it was. I haven’t had to go to the bathroom that badly in YEARS, not since I was a little kid. When we finally pulled into Lincoln City, I was practically gasping the pressure was so bad. We pulled into the first place we found, a Chevron station, and I walked my straightest to the restroom, which was thankfully unoccupied.

Now, I know this may be crossing the line a bit in terms of appropriateness for my website, but I won’t go into graphic detail. It actually hurt so much that I couldn’t go very much, and when I was done I knew that I still had to go beacuse I could feel the pressure still oin my bladder, but there was little I could do about it. I just had to wait until my back stopped hurting and the pain from my newly-enlarged bladder subsided. What a horrible experience that was. My body didn’t stop aching until later that night, and my back thankfully got better after a good night’s sleep, whatever caused it to hurt in the first place.

The meal itself was good. A party of eight always makes a racket, but we had a lot of fun. My Dad and I had a couple of pints of beer apiece and a good solid meal (the only one I had of the day, actually–I had expected to eat around 1 and then have dinner, but we didn’t eat until after 3, so I was full for the rest of the day), and then after laughing and talking for a bit we all took off in separate directions. Some of the group wanted to go to the outlet stores, some wanted to head over to the casino that’s in Lincoln City, but my Dad and I just wanted to head home so that he could feed Maddie and the cats. That sounds like an Elton John song. “M-m-m-maddie and the cats!”

We got back about 5:45, and then I ran up the Blockbuster to pick up a movie for the night. I knew exactly what I wanted, so I rented this week’s $0.99 rental, “Identity,” a movie I’d been wanting to see since it was in the theaters earlier in the year. No one would ever go with me, though, so I knew I’d have to wait until it was on video. Good thriller, interesting movie. Not anything what I thought it would be like, though that was a good thing in this case. Worth a rental if you haven’t seen it.

By the way, in case you’re wondeing why I don’t always have a picture at the end of every news post, it’s because I can only do that when I’m in front of my desktop computer that has my webcam hooked up to it. When I’m in my room at home posting from my laptop, I could run into the computer room and snap a picture to upload, but I don’t always remember or I’m too lazy. I know–me? Lazy? Nah. When I’m here at my Dad’s house, I don’t have access to a webcam, so they’re always pictureless. Just an FYI, so certain people don’t call me lazy for not putting a picture at the end. Hint, hint, o sister of mine.

So Dan, I got your email yesterday, but I haven’t had time to respond to it yet. Stop mooching wireless off your neighbors and get to work! And Michiko, where have you gone to? I haven’t heard from you in like two weeks or more! That’s about all I have for now, though. Not much of a 200th entry, but then again, I’m not foing a whole hell of a lot. Most of today was spent sitting around, and I’m sure the rest of the day will be spent doing similar activities. I’ll let you know how the big party goes tomorrow with my bartending skills helping to smooth things along, as well as if I hear back from the foks in Salem anytime soon, which I guess will be this upcoming week sometime.

No picture for now, obviously. Besides, you all know what I look like. The webcam image on the right hasn’t moved in about two months or more, but yes, I know I have to make it move again. There’s a lot I still have to do. Maybe for the site’s official four year anniversary I’ll get on the ball and get everything I’ve been meaning to completed–or started, in some cases. Later, all.

Posted in Geekery, General