amusedSo about 9, my computer decided it was tired of playing Dr. Who DVDs and refused to respond. I tried force-quitting the program, even tried ending that program's process, all to no avail. I tried restarting, also to no avail. So I manually shut the confuser off. At that point, I started thinking whether or not to turn it back on. Decided I could use some fresh air, so got everything ready and went out.
Got outside, and if not for my bulk, I feel sure I would have become the first human being to fly without use of any mechanical device or even a glider, the wind was so strong. And I thanked my mother for teaching me about dressing warmly for winter, too, because I was not aware we had a glacier nearby, but the temperature of the wind seemed to indicate such.
I decided to go out into that cold and wind anyway, and so went out. I do not exaggerate when I say there were gusts of wind that literally stopped me in my tracks at some points. But as I kept going, eventually it eased up some.
Started out by walking through the nearby park and up the stairs to head toward Sandy. I was just walking for the sake of walking, and also to think (I do my best thinking when I can go out and about to talk freely with myself). I walked along Sandy for a while. I forgot when I decided to do it, but I turned at one point along a side street that I guessed (incorrectly, I think) would eventually run parallel to Tillamook. Within 15 minutes, though, I realised I was mistaken. But I knew how to get back to Sandy, so I continued forward.
Eventually, the road stopped going the way it had been, and split into several options. I took the left-hand path (*chuckles*) and continued on, still justifying my wandering by saying I knew the way back. Then as I kept going, it got progressively less clear. Eventually, I figured out that I wasn't sure how to get back anymore. But I didn't worry, because I was paying attention to the numbered streets. But after a few more minutes, I started wondering if I could get back. I was just about to admit I was lost when I spotted something vaguely familiar. I turned right towards it.
As I approached it, it became clear that it was a school
kengr and I once spent some time near as we went geocaching. One of my finest skills is my ability to create nearly-perect 3-D models in my mind of places I've been, something that allows me to pretend that I have any sense of direction at all, because by compating my map to the territory, I can wander into new places and not get lost very often. (It is my theory that a lot of my forgetfulness is because this map-making "software" is a memory hog in both storage and processing.)So I was back on somewhat familiar territory, knowing I was in a place I'd only been once, but remembering lots of nearby territory by the detailed map my brain had soaked up. But I wandered in the opposite direction from the way I remembered, for reasons that are unclear even to me. I justified my wandering again, this time by following the path of bus line #33. Then I turned at one point and followed the #10's path. Then I turned again, apparently determined to get lost again. Which I did, with an efficiency that can be outdone only by Lilla, who can get turned around while standing still.
Well I cannot describe all the twists and turns I took, but I can say that at least the view was scenic. It was a rich residential neighborhood up in the hills, with a spectacular view, and it seemed all the residents were rich enough that the nearest business was probably 1/4th of a mile away or more, or so it seemed to me. By this point, the wind would not have supported me flying down anymore, so I decided not to jump. Besides, those updrafts can be a bitch.
I eventually found an "island" in the middle of a road that seemed familiar to me, but nothing else struck any chords with me. I decided it was because the area had been dark last time I'd been there, and my scans were therefore unreliable. I considered calling Lilla, but, I dunno, I guess maybe I was *trying* to be lost. Hell if I know.
Anyway, I'll spare you the long boring details I can't remember. I eventually found a familiar park (also from that geocaching trip with kengr), found the #10's route again, and - since I was tired of being lost at last - followed it to Broadway. From Broadway it was an easy trip to Sandy. I stopped at the Starbucks for a well-deserved hot chocolate. Then I came here to the library.
One good thing I can say about getting lost, though, is that it helps me expand my internal map of the city. I might do it more often, in fact. It's kinda fun. :-)
