I took a long-planned, much-needed day off yesterday to run around and get myself medically poked and prodded and generally declared sound enough to continue existing for another year (though the permission to masticate only applies for the next six months).
As all relaxing days-off should begin, mine began with me waking up at the crack of dawn to finally consolidate my loans before the July 1 deadline. As I understand it, because I'm still in school I could only consolidate the federal loans I have so far (two subsidized, two unsubsidized, totaling $37,000!!!!), so that's what I did. Eventually. Following repeated crashings of the relevant website.
Then I rushed up to the pool where I teach to take a shower. The place where I'm living has no water pressure to speak of (why does this always happen to me?) but one of the perks of the swim job is that I have access to the locker rooms. So at least I have a place to get clean. Although I do tend to feel like an ancient Roman, commuting to my bath...
But I also had business up there, apart from the ablutions. A sub would be teaching my classes that evening, and I had to make up the end-of-class certificates for her to give the kids. So I did that, and then got in the car and rushed down to the South Bay for a dermatology appointment. From there I dashed off to the dentist, where I rebuked him for asking how I was doing while the hygienist was still hacking at my mouth with pointy objects. "How could I possibly answer honestly under such duress?" I protested.
After the teeth cleaning it was time for a haircut, where more pointy metal objects were thrust towards my skull. Then it was back to the doctor's office for a physical.
Following the slew of appointments where pretty much everyone went after me with sharp instruments, it was time for the fun part of my day to begin. I headed back up north and an hour or so later arrived at the Marin County fair. I remember when I was a kid really liking fairs - particularly the Sussex County (New Jersey) one my summer camp took us to. I think I'm a little over it now, but I still like Huey Lewis and the News as much as ever, and that's where they were playing. Fortunately the band itself was well-tuned, so it wasn't another occasion to endure more sharp instruments.
(Sorry.)
Anyway, I had a great time, as usual. I got a spot right up front and took off my shoes to dance on the grass. We kept getting buffeted though by the security guard who'd barrel through the crowd to over-enforce a no cameras policy, leading the woman next to me to comment that we weren't standing in a good place.
"Oh, no," I thought, as the music from the stage washed over me. "This is the perfect place to be."
I'd brought the magazine my picture was in with me to show people. Comment by Huey, after I described the two-hour photoshoot: "Now you know what it's like."