February 16, 2008
Saturday
Afternoon: In the sleet and wind gusts strong enough to knock over lawn chairs and flip umbrellas, the Kick Kats beat the Lava Jets 3 – zip! When we arrived at the field it was so cold I turned right around and went back home to get stocking caps, gloves, and my overcoat. Shayna played well in the second half (only 85% in the first half) and had two opportunities to score on crossovers after corner kicks. After the game, walking back to the car across the field in the mud, she reported that her last kick was actually a score because the goalie caught it behind the goal line, but the ref didn’t see it. One of the lessons of the game, I reply, and I told her I thought she attacked the ball better today.
El Milagro: In at 4 and right into my chair on the back wall. My legs and shoes are still soaked from soccer but the place seems warmer than usual. On the way in I see Gladys the Tech and go by to say HI to her: “long time no see…” and she smiles a “Hi” but doesn’t explain where she’s been. Carol the Tech sticks me effortlessly and painlessly and Kim the Nurse completes my Nursing eval. My dialyzer and baths are correct, I note.
Rosie the Tech is floating around and we have a short conversation about the Democratic Primary, being on different sides and each making a brief statement supporting our choice. This comes up because Bill Clinton is down the street tonight, opening Hillary’s Austin campaign office. I share that I signed up online to go to the event right after dialysis. No matter whom I support, I always like to hear Bill talk.
I am listening to Saturday’s All Things Considered while waiting for the UT / Baylor game at 5:30. I hear an interesting interview with a guy, Mike Doughty (not our Mike Doughty) who is a singer and Army Brat Poet who is discussing his songs and growing up with an Army dad who wouldn’t discuss Viet Nam. In the interview, Andrea Seabrook mentions that he was in a poetry class taught by Sekou Sundiata*, who also was, I believe, a mentor of our friend Reggie. It is a small world out there… or, maybe it is just that many of us attend and draw from a small crescent sliver of the world… at any rate its been awhile since I heard anyone talk about Sundiata. She mentions that Doughty quotes Sundiata on the album cover…
"Everything in the dream is the dreamer"
I ponder this and doze on it for awhile while ATC melts away into Garrison Keeler at Indiana U, singing in his Prairie Home Companion and I tune that out to tune in to a brief movie enroute to the game… watching the psychotic seductions of Alex (Glenn Close) in Fatal Attraction just enough to be scary (about 20 minutes) and then turning over to ESPN for the game.
I watch the game progress and note that it feels good to watch a game that I know we are gonna win throughout. But then in the third quarter, despite the fact that everyone is shooting the lights out (70% for both teams) the Bears are catching up and even get to within 2 points and I find myself getting nervous. In the end we squeak by the Bears with a win and play our regularly high pitched play for the last few minutes and I sigh a relief at the end: UT 82, Baylor 77… Sorry Charlie.
Rita the New Nurse comes over to decannulate me and I’m outa there and on my way thru drizzly streets to the Bill Clinton show. Hillary’s Austin headquarters is in the old Kinky Friedman headquarters, which used to be the Ben White Enterprise facility. I drive up to the place and there’s cops with flashing cars sparkling in the puddles all over the parking lot... and every other parking lot within 8 blocks is full to the brim. I cruise around slowly, looking for a piece of turf to put my truck on, swinging past the place a few times. There are swarms of people descending on the joint, like the flocks we see coming to Zilker for a Stones concert. I finally give up and decide that even if I get in, I won't be able to get up front.
I drive on home and watch Bill on TV. Turns out he is an hour late, so it was a good move on my part to forgo the whole thing. And, so it goes.
Notes: In at 75.9 and out at 74.6 Kgs.
*Sekou Sundiata reading “Bring on the Reparations” online at
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IWhnZPeW644
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