giving thanks
November 28

East Bay

It's been an exciting couple weeks, to put it mildly.

Thanks for cold water:
I was on my first assignment since the surgery, very exciting for me, a big step back into the real world. Well, I didn't know how real it was about to get.

Since I don't see anyone at my current residence (that's about to change, more later), I made an appointment to meet up with a client at one of the local hot tubs. I've been to a couple, and a gotta say, I prefer tile over wood, especially when wood is located in Tenderloin Adjacent. I found a parking spot some blocks away, and so as not to cause too much attention to myself, I left my crutches in my truck and slowly made my way through Pacific Heights to my destination.

I met a truly nice gentleman in the lobby and we spoke for awhile before dealing with the receptionist who tried throwing shade at me, but you know what? If you don't let shade stick, it just slides off.

And soon our clothes were sliding off in our super warm chamber. We showered and sunk into the hot tub. I thought this would be great for my knee, still bandanged up, but I found out otherwise from my physical therapists. We got down to business, I kept myself aloft and propped up and at face level for my very attentive friend.

Ok, maybe too attentive. After a while I needed to get out of the water, it was just too hot for me, it's like when I sleep, I have to stick my legs out from under the covers to regulate my temperature. My friend got out but still had his legs in the water.

He had worked up a sweat, plus it was already hot in the room, but then his head started to fall forward! His eyes closed and his breathing got exaggerated and uneven. Was he having a heart attack? What could I do? Oh great, another stint in jail because of my dick.

I splashed some cold water on him from the shower and propped his head up, splashed more water and spoke to him and slapped his face a few times. He woke up in a sweat and didn't know what was going on. I used my towel as a fan and circulated some air and helped him out of the tub and onto the bed.

I blew some more air over him with the towel then got dressed and bought some bottled water from the front desk. I was tempted to ask them what they do in this situation, I'm sure this wasn't the first time something like this happened.

Back at the room, My friend sipped some water and took a cold shower to wake himself up. He was still sweating, but anyone would in that room. More flagging with the towel, some rest, and our time was up so we got dressed and sat in the lobby until he felt able to walk.

We hobbled our way like two zombies the several blocks to my truck, which I found amusing, what did it look like to the strangers around us who had no clue? I drove him to his car, where he napped for about fortyfive minutes before driving home.

What's the lesson here? Water! Oh yeah, we were having a great time in it, but neither of us were paying attention to our dehydration. Drink up, especially if you're going into a hot environment, that includes hot as in the guy you're with, because it's easy to get distracted and forget things.

Thanks for kind landlords:
I'm not sure how, I don't really care why, but I was able to get a lease on an apartment with a friend of mine in spite of our less than stellar credit reports. This helps take my mind off the weasle who was my last landlord, who'm I'll be meeting for the first time in Small Claims Court if he doesn't pay back my security deposit. The new landlord seems genuinely kind, that's a new combination to me. If I ever become a land owner, I'll keep this guy in mind.

What's the lesson here? You never know where you'll find kindness, and blaming it on the housing slump in San Francisco is a little cynical.

Thanks for kind parents:
Both my mom and dad sent me get well cards with money inside for my surgery, which was really sweet of them, especially since I didn't ask for any. I'll make it up to them someday.

What's the lesson here? If you can salvage your relationship with family, do it. Once it's gone, there's no getting it back. And that's why I'm driving down to Southern California, to spend a little Thanksgiving time with family.

Thanks for the kind friends:
Thanks to all of you, friends, coworkers, customers, fans, we're all on this planet together, and I want to remind everyone who has touched my life that you are a part of it and I'm grateful for the joy and lessons I get from you. Enjoy your holiday, thank you.

what I'm reading right now: The Old Farmer's Almanac.
what songs I can't get out of my head: 'likufanele', Zero 7, and 'Always', Stevie Wonder.

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