We Are All Weird

On both Saturday and Sunday, I slept in, which was bliss. I feel like I have not had a good long sleep in for a while. Summer was busy this year. I always set my alarm for 9:45 on Saturday and Sunday so I don't miss that hour's steps. Saturday I slept until 9:30 organically and Sunday needed the alarm.

Saturday we did nothing. I had thought of doing yard work, going out and around and trimming the morning glories back, but the couch had my name written all over it. I didn't do anything at all but play games on my phone. At about 5pm, Geoff came upstairs and I dispatched him to the market. 

"I don't feel like going," I told him. 

"Neither do I, but I will," he replied. 

Thankful for that kid. He got stuff for four meals, which is good, and on Tuesdays and Thursdays he is not going to be available to do a market run after the gym, since his class starts this week. 

I thought about having a fire but Linda and I talked on the phone while I walked Toffee, and then it was a little too late to start a fire. 

I'm surprised now that it is dark by 8pm, because that's sometimes the perfect time to walk. And it always was light, but now is not. Toffee thinks everything in people's yards is suspicious and she pulls and jets all around. It makes walking her hard when she thinks the tree stump she saw earlier is a bunny.

Sunday started out with a lot more of doing nothing again. I folded laundry - what I think is the equivalent of 11 baskets - while Doug took a nap. So that is a major victory. Doug pitched the idea of us going into see an organ recital at the National Basilica in Brookland, to hear an organ recital. They have done this every Sunday evening all summer, and next week is the last one. I think the concept that we're leaving the DC area and all the interesting free cultural things that are at our disposal are going to disappear or become a schlep very soon.

We had dinner at a DC pizza chain and it was actually the best pizza I've had in the area, ever. I didn't want pizza, but it wasn't a huge pizza, and that's okay. 

The concert was at 6pm but we were early and enjoyed walking around. Since the last time we visited the campus, there is this wonderful and amazing sculpture called Angels Unaware in the new Welcome plaza. The scripture underneath from the book of Hebrews encourages us to show hospitality to strangers because there could be angels among them that we are unaware of.  

It always rings true to me, and living in DC these days, which under the current administration has become one of the least welcoming, least hospitable, least loving places on earth, we see kindness shine all around amongst regular people being kind to others. I see it every time I come into town. I just do not see it coming out of our official ruling seat. Ever.

The sculpture features all sorts of refugees, from those willing to come to America, and those who were stolen and brought here against their will. 

I could have studied it for so long, there is so much to see in here: the faces; the bodies; the gestures. It hurt my heart to look into the faces, look at the muscles straining in some of the hands, think about the suitcases, the babies. 

But it was time go move along and that was probably a good thing. 

Not just the parents and the baby, but the little one to the right and her lovey rabbit. I'm glad it was time to go.

We went into the cathedral, and the mass was ongoing so we walked around the building. There was a 5:30 carillon at the beginning for a half hour, so that was the "opening act" for the organ recital. We sat outside and listened, enjoying the pleasant night, and using the little computer in my hand to find out how the carillon is played at this cathedral. It's very interesting. 

While we were eating pizza, we had seen a woman in town, walking and dancing, gesturing and having a good time. She came up on the steps of the cathedral while we were there. She had ear buds in, and what seemed to be a small mixing bowl strapped to her belly by what looked like a baby wrap, like a moby strip. She was drumming on it, and dancing all around. Living her best life. Okay, you go, girl?

Here are a couple videos, I'll try to put them in a table later so they are side by side. The first one is about 90 seconds of her dancing, the second is less than 30 of people coming out of church and passing her.

Neither of us were sure what her deal was, and it was killing me to not go over and ask her what she was doing. Parishioners came out of the cathedral as the service ended, and no one paid her any mind. Some people looked at her, but no one engaged or bothered. 

They just went on, and so did she. 

There was a young man standing on the steps watching her, and he was a little stunned. She danced away, down the steps, behind us, and he said "what the actual hell?" and I heard him. We made eye contact, and he shook his head. "That is incredibly disrespectful." He said. 

I shrugged my shoulders and said, "We don't know what her story is. Maybe that's her act of worship and praise, who can say if nobody asks her."  To me, it wasn't disrespectful. It was weird yes, unexpected sure, but she was not hurting anyone, she wasn't yelling or doing anything outrageous. This is DC. You never know what you might see.

On the other hand, he had on a sweatshirt glorifying crusaders. And to me, honestly, in this The Year of our Lord 2025, let's not pump up worship of crusades and crusaders, okay? Can we learn that those years were bad? And bad things happened? And crusaders were horribly misguided people? Maybe? Can we just not act like what they did was awesome? 

Nothing she was doing was on any scale, especially mine, horrible, wrong, or disrespectful. He seemed a peculiar person, too. He noticed Doug's shoes. I'm not sure which one of them said "hey we have the same shoes," but the kid said "these are organists shoes."

"Oh! Are you an organist?" I asked. He told me no. And that was it.

He may not be an organist but he is very much an organist fan, though. He told us the carillon was being played by Paul Hardy, and he seemed to know a lot about him. But he wasn't the organist for tonight. M. Chad Levitt was there to blow our socks off. 

The kid sat a few rows behind us, and he played "air organ" along with some of the pieces. There were people sitting four rows behind him laughing. They had their faces covered with their hands or the program. They just couldn't even with that guy. 

I felt badly for him. He was jamming to his very favorite just like I lose my shit at 4:19 during any performance of Guster's "Come Downstairs And Say Hello" when Brian goes at the hand drums. Or other people hit that banjo drop in a Mumford & Sons song. 

He was so there for it. And loving it. And they were just laughing at him. I thought of the reaction that kid had to the dancing woman on the steps, he thought she was wrong and disrespectful, and those kids thought he was laughable and a joke. 

We're all weird, aren't we? Weird to someone. And my heart is always full of thoughts of kindness and hospitality the best I can, even if - to be honest - I may make some sort of "what's up with that guy?" comment before I'm exhibiting my kindness. 

Anyway. It was a great night and we were home before 8pm. I kind of thought we'd go out but our favorite place in Brookland closed a while back so. Home. We can drink for less at home, to be honest. 

Another work week begins tomorrow, with my heart hoping for an update on our lease situation. Hold us in your hearts, okay? I'd like the end of September so Geoff can give a good long period of notice to work. I need to be of good heart. 

Saturday digits

exercise: 12/12 hours. Three walks: solo while Doug & Toffee napped, 22 min/1.02 miles. In the house while making dinner & Doug and Toffee were out, 20 min/1.3 miles. With Toffee, forcing the last 2k steps so help me God, 22 min/1.01 miles ; 11k+ by bedtime

blood glucose:

9:30am: 120
4:45pm: 135
10pm: 105 

food & meds:
10am: phentermine+jardiance 
noon: mac & cheese w/ a lot of bacon
2pm: met+glip
7pm: bowl of tortellini and red sauce 
9pm: met+glip

Sunday digits

exercise: 12/12 hours.  Several short walks, to and from the metro, around Brookland DC. 11k+ steps by bedtime

blood glucose:

10am: 135
4pm: 139
10:30pm: 121

food & meds:
10am: phentermine+jardiance 
12:30pm: bowl of plain greek yogurt w/granola bar crushed into it
2pm: met+glip
4pm: protein bar
5pm: sausage+ onion pizza at &pizza 
8:45pm: met+glip
red wine & diet ginger ale