One a those days...

I remember this day so well and thinking "Oh good god." It was critique day at UCLA and they are often unkind. I'm sitting in front of my painting hoping for the best...

It's been one of those days. Well actually two days. The storm started yesterday. I went to the park and swear to God this is what it was like. The wind was insane. I drive a tank but was being blow all over the road. I stayed in the slow lane doing 45-50! Seriously. Black Beauty is terrific, but a Mercedes has one major flaw...the wind shield wiper. It's famous for the one. Oh it looks all pretty and perfect, but in a rain storm it's a burden because think about it. It has to cover the freakin' entire windshield. By the time it gets back to the driver's side I can't see a damn thing. So I'm in the tide pool lane doing 45, hydroplaning and tractor trailers are passing me, throwing more water. "Thanks buddy...I couldn't see before, now I can't see at all." God please. I had so much trouble driving to and from the park yesterday. It was awful. I wouldn't recomment it. Certainly not in my car.

Then this morning. Not raining at all. I was late, but I was hurrying not to be later. God I really was. Got in the car and the storm clouds were black. Got to the end of the street. DOWNPOUR!!! What do you do? You just sit and laugh. What the hell are you gonna do? So I drive all the way to the park in the pouring rain at 45 mph. Get out and I'm walking on about a million freakin' Sycamore tree balls. All knocked off by the storm. I know. Don't speak. I'm in my cast and my flip flops. My cast is going all Willy Wonka on me as I hit each one and I'm in pain. I go for my running sneakers. Whoop...forgot them. So I'm at the park in my freakin' flip flops and cast. Don't speak. I feed everyone at the first station in the pouring rain. I'm soaking wet and I can't stop laughing. I pull up the 20 lb steel pole and get on the bike trail. I stop at the entrance to my path. You have to understand, the park is a mess. Trees down everywhere, leaves, branches, you name it...it's there. I saw a crew of people cleaning up when I entered the park. They're on community service and have this detail. What did they do? They put every freakin' limb and tree trunk at the entrance to my path. I'm serious. They have literally miles of space to put the shit, but what do they do? They pile it like a damn bon fire at a homecoming weekend to the entrance of my path. I'm wet, I'm in a cast, I'm walking in a flip flop and the puddles are huge and I've had a migraine for about 7-8 days. I looked to the sky. I did. Then I went and moved all of it. There are no words. Trust me. When I looked up I saw them watching me from across the park. Like questioning me! Get over here...I'll kick every single one of your asses. I was so pissed. I moved entire tree limbs. Weighted a ton!!! With a migraine. Trust me, there was no kindness left in me. And then they came while I was back in the woods feeding the ferals. I heard one say "Yup, there she is," because the Mercedes was parked just opposite, so it was pretty obvious. I didn't say a thing, but then I saw one guy throw a branch into the path and that was it. I was out like a flash, but unfortunately I tripped on my plastic Target bag!!! Off it came, so I was laughing by the time I got to the entrance to the trail because it was just too damn funny. But in laughter said to him, "You don't think I know what you're doing? Get back here and get that thing out of my way. " And he did. In front of about 30 people. He needed to learn something today. He's on community service because he hasn't. But this morning he learned something. I know he'll remember me and this day. It's fine to be a smart ass, but not a thoughtless dumb ass. After that I headed home. Oh dear lord!!! Raining so hard. Driving 45, 50, 40, 55, 60, 65...what?! It was hard. I want a BMW again. Much easier!

Then got back to Carmichael. Oh dear lord! Huge car pileup. Hummmmm. If I can just get to that parking lot. Get to the parking lot, take it to Manzanita. Perfect. Going down Manzanita...Oh dear lord! HUGE CAR PILEUP. If I can just get to that parking lot. I did and took it like a maniac! Police everywhere. Huge floods everywhere. But I know all the back ways. I was taking the back way home and saw all the damage to my neighborhood. Wow. I didn't know. Trees, limbs down everywhere. The damage is insane. It really is insane. I had no idea.