Junior Mince

Well well well…

 

***

 

I’ve been up since 4:30 yes indeed I have and why yes I’d certainly like a fine caffeinated beverage if you’ve got it just give it to me INTRAVENOUSLY if you will and no I’ll be just fine thank you now get the heck away from me.

 

***

 

Dreamed I was breaking trees with my hands. Yeah, sort of like those gorilla demonstrations of dominance you see on documentaries. Guess that was part of the fallout from my little run-in with “junior.”

 

***

 

Woke up and simply could not get back to sleep. I was replaying the near-fracas in my head, then got “Sabbath Bloody Sabbath” by Black Sabbath stuck in my head.

 

THEN I realized I’d have time for a long run if I’d get my butt out of bed.

 

***

 

So I got up, did some writing, put on my stuff and headed for the track. Really, the track doesn’t allow folks out there when the sun isn’t up. At 5:45am, well, that meant I was breaking the rules. And sure enough campus security came sniffing around, but they didn’t run me off.

 

My run was good, yes. Stamina was decent, mechanics okay… 47 degress felt a lot colder than that out on Tiny Hill. I ran four miles, BUT… cripes, this calf thing is flaring up.

 

It hurts a bit. We’ll see what tomorrow brings, but if this injury recurs I think I’ll have to shut down the running for a good while, dang it. I can’t keep doing this. That’d mean no Big D race next month, which is disappointing. Maybe this fall I could run again.

 

***

 

I’m a little tired.

 

***

 

I’ve received some good input, some good opinions about what happened at the video store last night. Really, no one told me anything I didn’t already know: I could have handled that better. Having a pissing contest with a 17-year-old (or 18 or 20 or whatever) was asking for trouble. Just leaving would have been the best bet. Or addressing him calmly, if at all.

 

Fighting a minor would be a big mistake. I don’t need to go to jail; I’m a parent, and good parents don’t do that.

 

In fact, I’d probably get kicked out of school if they caught wind of that.

 

I am certainly glad I had the nerve to stand up for myself; believe me. And prevailing in a war of words with this kid was a modest victory at best. I’ll take a lesson from this and move forward. Hell, it had been 16 or 17 years since I blew a fuse…I guess I’m not that much of a hothead.

 

***

 

And you know, I ended up feeling kinda sorry for junior.

 

***

 

Friday we leave for Phoenix. C’mon clock, don’t be cruel.