While You're Waiting, Part 2 .............

I posted my last entry around 2:00  yesterday afternoon. Since then, some things have changed.

About 2:30, I got a call from the Director of the Woodbridge Health Department. She apologized for keeping me waiting, but she hadn't got all of the answers until just now.  They just got the pneumonia vaccine in, but the price is now $80 and it doesn't look like my insurance will cover any part of it. I thanked her for the call and hung up.

 There wasn't any reason to go into the misinformation on the flyer I had or the fact that a simple "I'm sorry but I don't have any information for you." return call on Friday would have been nice. I could tell from her voice that it wouldn't register.
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While I was online researching something else, I decided to check the bookseller's site which has my recent order. I'd gotten an email on Sunday that the book had been shipped, but I've been burnt on this already.

Surprise!

I now have a USPS shipping number on the package that can be tracked from it's origin point in Flagstaff, Arizona. It's coming regular mail so I don't expect it until next week, still ... it's good to know.
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I was up early today. It was a kind of chilly morning, but the sun was up and I was feeling good.

I had nothing in particular to do, so I decided to treat myself to a breakfast at Perkin's. But first, I had a few things to do.

I headed up to Avenel. I wanted to check out a Laundromat there. I've been using one near my local Shoprite, but I'm not happy with it. This other place is not as convenient but I needed a change and I wanted to see what they charge. I stopped in quickly, checked it out, and got back in my car. As I was backing up, I saw this guy working on his truck.

 
The people in the Laundromat weren't paying attention to what was going on outside. The sun was bright enough to hide what I was going to do.

Point, press, Flash.

I drove to Perkin's and enjoyed my breakfast.

Still enjoying the day, I headed up into Iselin along Chain-of-Hills Road. This is a winding road and, in one section, has trees that cover the roadway. That's when I cm up behind this guy.

Sunlight filtering through the trees and no one else around.

Point, press, Flash.

I had no particular place to go, so I turned up Wood Avenue to Iselin.

I had my windows down, slightly, now. It was still crisp out, and sunny - just the kind of day I love. I was feeling great. Turning up one street at random, I saw this guy up ahead, standing in the street.

I had no idea what he was doing or why he was standing there. All I knew was that we were the only one's out here at the time.

Point, press, Flash.

I decided that I would swing back to Shoprite and pick up some New England Clam Chowder for supper.

It was gonna be another couple of days before my book would be delivered and ....

... you have to do something while you're waiting.

While You're Waiting..........

One of the things you can count on in life is that you wind up - more often then not - waiting for things.

 Most of the time, it's no big deal. Like Saturday, for example. I had a lunch date with my daughter and I had to wait in Red Robin a little longer then usual. Not a big deal because they sat me in a booth facing the door and I ordered our drinks. Plus, I had time to really look through the menu.

Sometimes, however, it becomes a big deal, and I've been trying to work my way through two situations that are taking more time then they should. Let me explain ...
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Recently, I came across an article that Ian Mckellen would be playing an older Sherlock Holmes in an adaptation of Mitch Cullin's book "A Slight Trick of The Mind". I am a big Holmes fan and I immediately logged onto a discount on-line bookseller that I use. I found a Trade Paperback of the book and ordered it. Later that day I got the email confirm of my request and they charged my account. The next day, I got another email that they couldn't fill the order after all and was issuing me a credit.

At least I didn't have to wait.

I logged into another discount bookseller that same day, found the book and ordered it. Again I got the email acknowledgement and they charged my account. Two days later I got an email that my order had been shipped. I thought, "Hey, alright. This is gonna work."

Now, I had to wait.

 Not for long. Four days later they emailed me again. They apologized, but they couldn't fill the order. They refunded the purchase price, and gave me a credit to use towards a future purchase.

Now I'm in over a week, and I still don't know if I'm gonna get the book.

I logged into a popular on-line site, found the book, and ordered it. Like before, they acknowledged my order and charged my account. Again, two days later (which was yesterday) , I got an email that said my book had shipped.

Now I wait again.
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The second situation is health related. This is the time of year that I start looking into getting a Flu shot. Also, this year, I need to get the Pneumonia shot. I live in Woodbridge and the Health Department usually holds a couple of clinics where they offer these at a discount. Basically, they would  bill my insurance for the Flu shot, but I wasn't sure what the process was for the Pneumonia one. So I drove over last Tuesday and asked. After about 1/2 an hour, no one could come up with an answer and they weren't even sure that they had the vaccine so they gave me a phone number and asked if I would call back in 2 or 3 days.

I waited until day 3 (Friday) to call. The woman who answered the phone remembered me but said that the Director would be out of the office for a couple of hours. She took my name and number and told me I'd hear back later in the day.

I waited.

No one called.
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This morning, I woke up early still waiting on these two situations.

I had some errands to run and didn't get a chance to call the Health Department until about 9:30. The same woman answered. She figured out pretty quickly that I hadn't gotten a call back. She really didn't have any information but she took my name and number again.

Now I'm still waiting and I'm frustrated.

I drove up through Avenel and into Colonia. Along Chain-of-Hills Road, I came up behind this guy.

My windows were up due to the chill, but I had the time to lower them. This is a quiet stretch of road, and there was no one else around.

Point, press, Flash.

I drove on.

I was heading towards the Post Office on Middlesex Turnpike, and then intended to drive to Target. Just past the MetroPark Train Station there are a few small apartment developments. On a whim, I drove through.

Having made a left onto one of the back roads, I suddenly came up behind this guy.

I didn't have a lot of time, I just reacted.

Point, press, Flash.

I skipped Target, and headed up to the thrift shop in South Plainfield. It was one of their sale days and I was looking for some sweat shirts. I actually picked up four, and headed down Plainfield Avenue towards the library in Metuchen. I made a left on Smithfield, and saw this guy standing on the corner just up ahead.

I was ready. I made the right at that corner so he'd be on my passenger side.

Point, press, Flash.

It took me a few extra minutes to get back on track and I stopped at the library. I didn't find anything interesting there so I decided to head for home.

Everything is still open. But, I am feeling calmer.

I guess you have to have something to do ..

.. while you're waiting.

A Different Perspective...............

Doyle called yesterday.

 He said he'd catch up to me somewhere along the line today so I should stay out until at least noon. This time, I thought I knew what this was about. Four years ago yesterday, we met for the first time down at Robert Wood Johnson University Hospital in New Brunswick.

That's when he proposed my involvement in The Project. That's when this whole thing started.

I began my day by stopping at the Main Library on St. George Avenue. There was only 1 other car in the front lot. A silver SUV on the right-hand side. I parked on the left. As I got out, I saw an older man standing on the grass to the side of the SUV, smoking a cigarette. I assumed he was the owner.

I walked up the ramp to the front doors, but they were locked. That's when I remembered that they don't open until 10 in August. Annoyed, I walked back to my car. I was all set to back out of my space when I noticed the old guy through my rear window. He was still standing there.

He could have told me that the library wasn't open yet, but he let me walk all the way there and back. I took a quick look around - we were the only ones there. I backed up straight into the empty spot between him and his SUV. He ignored me.

Point, press, Flash.

I drove on. I had some other stops to make.

I stopped at Dunkin' Donuts for a blueberry muffin and a small iced tea, black. I had a book with me ("Night of the Hunter" by Davis Grubb) and enjoyed a leisurely breakfast.

I decided to start at the Target in Edison, and headed down along Chain-of-Hills Road. I love this road. It's a winding, quiet little stretch. Up ahead I noticed this woman.

I slowed down a bit, and did a quick check of my mirrors. All clear.

Point, press, Flash.

I spent about 15 minutes in Target. They had some small 3-drawer, plastic storage units on sale and I wanted to see what they really looked like. I ultimately didn't get one, but I did pick up some OTC meds that I needed.

From there, I drove over to the Barnes & Noble's in the Menlo Park Mall. I wasn't looking for anything in particular, but I do like to browse. I checked the time when I left the store. A little after 10. I had to stay out for another 2 hours.

I headed towards the thrift store in South Plainfield that I like. I drove down Parsonage Road to Route 27, turned left, then right on Grove, and left on Oak Tree. I passed a small strip mall along the way and, on a whim, drove through. In the back, I saw this guy.

No one was parked back here.

Point, press, Flash.

I drove on to the thrift store but didn't go in. Today was one of their sale days, and I don't like dealing with the type of crowd that draws. I turned back to Oak Tree, took the left on Wood then the right on Inman. I was heading to Iselin and a used book store there.

This one doesn't quite have the ambiance of the one on Main Street in Metuchen, but I've gotten some great buys here and they know me well enough not to have to keep an eye on me. They also have this "Buy 12 Get One Free" thing that they do and I only had one more hole to punch on my card. I picked up a copy of "Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep?" by Phillip K. Dick for $4.50. My next book there will be free.

I walked back to my car, and found Doyle leaning against it.

"Hey, Denny!" He stuck out his hand. I shook it.
"Doyle. Good to see you. How're things?"
"Same old, same old." He smiled, "Just wanted to bring you up to date on a few things."
"Oh? Are there things happening? Does this involve Gordon?"

He nodded.
"Yeah. It seems he's active again. Three weeks ago, his Flasher signal was registered in New Providence, up in Union County. Two weeks ago, down in Cape May. Last week in Trenton. He's out there again, all right."

I was quiet for a moment, taking it in. I thought about telling Doyle about the box Gordon had sent me, the unopened one in my kitchen, but I didn't.
"So .. you still can't find his tracker, only the Flasher signal?"

This time, he was quiet for a while. He took a deep breath, then let it out slowly.
"Denny, that about sums it up. We're still scrambling, but this whole NSA leaks thing has everyone's panties in a twist and I've been spending way too much time reviewing personnel records." He stood up straight, stretched, then slapped me on the back.
"And I didn't want too much time to go by without wishing you a Happy Anniversary."

He actually grinned. Then he sobered up.

"Seriously, Denny, this Gordon situation seems to be heating up. I don't know what that means or where it's heading but I got a gut feeling about it. Whatever he's planning is gonna happen soon."
"You think he's planning something? It all seems pretty random to me. Like ... you know .. what I do."
"No. Well, maybe. I think what he's done so far has been random but I have a feeling that he has something in mind .. some kind of end goal. I just can't quite figure out what it might be."

His phone went off. He listened for a minute or two, then closed it and shrugged.
"I gotta go, Denny. Look .. I don't know what Gordon plans on doing, so be careful, OK?"

I told him I would.

"OK. Well. Good to see you again, Denny."
We shook hands and he headed towards his car. Then he turned around and looked back at me.

He saluted.

Then he got in his car and drove away.

I got in my car and sat there a while.
I like Doyle. He's a nice guy who believes in his job.
Should I have told him about my contact with Gordon? This bothered me but I finally decided not to.

I owed Gordon that much.

Doyle had a singular focus on the situation.

I had a different perspective.

Two Days in July.........

After weeks of backbreaking heat, burning sun, and brutal humidity we got a real break yesterday. Yes, the sun was out but somehow it felt less severe. The humidity was gone. The breeze was cooling. It was like an early Spring day and I was out early.

With nothing to do and no where in particular to be, I lowered all the windows on my car and just drove around. I decided to start in Sewarren since I hadn't been there in a while. They've come a long way since Sandy hit them, and the improvements showed. People were back in their houses and the streets were free of debris.

Along one of the side streets I came across this guy.

I pulled over to the side, pretending that I'd gotten a phone call and miming a conversation on my cell as I watched him go from house to house. I came to the conclusion that he was leaving fliers in the mailboxes. I left him to it, and drove on.

It was too nice a day and I was in too good a mood. Still, I started to feel the urge.

I drove into Avenel, and entered the PathMark shopping area. As I made the turn, this guy was in front of me.

This time, I had to drive on by. It was just too open. Damn!

I decided not to go into the store, but drove around the back. That's where I came upon this guy, loading some stuff in his trunk.

I had the itch now. It was like something crawling under my skin. I looked around quickly but we were alone. I swung my car to the right so that he'd be on my driver's side.

Point, press, Flash.

I left the lot and headed up St. George's Avenue into Rahway. There's a comic book store in a strip mall up there that I haven't been to in a while and I wanted to see if they were still there and, if so, what their hours were.

Having checked that out, I drove around the back so that I could come out at a light. That's when my phone went off. I pulled over to answer it.

It was an automated message from my pharmacy that a prescription I'd called in was ready. I cut it off and was going to drive off when I saw this guy.

He was on his way back to his truck, and I was in the perfect place. I inched a bit forward as he entered the back of his truck. I had plenty of time to look around.

Point, press, Flash.

I made the turn, caught the light, and carried on with my day.

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Last night it was so cool that I had to get up for a blanket. After that, I slept like a baby. In fact, I was  so comfortable that I slept in this morning.

It was like a day in September today. The kind of weather that I like, although maybe it could've had a bit more sunshine. I only had the 2 front windows open in the car.

I needed to do some food shopping, so I headed for the local ShopRite. The landscaping/cleaning crew was there making a lot of noise and walking through the lot without regard for any of the shoppers. When I'd gotten what I went for, I sat in my car watching this one guy drag a garbage can full of trimmings across the lot - paying no attention to anyone trying to go in or out of the lot.

I watched him climb into the back of his truck then started my car. I drove down one row then up the next so that he'd be on my passenger side. There was no one in the immediate vicinity and I took a chance.

Point, press, Flash.

I drove home, dropped off what I'd bought, and drove out towards Fords. I was going to go to the thrift store in South Plainfield because Thursdays are discount days for cardholders (and I am one), but they wouldn't be open for another hour. I drove in and out of several of the cross streets until I came across this guy.

He was moving at a good clip, and there was no one else around. I passed him on my passenger side.

Point, press, Flash.

I didn't find anything I liked at the thrift store so I headed home.

Yesterday was like an early Spring day and today was like one from the Fall.

That seems a little strange but it's just two days in July.

Responses.........

I've mentioned before that I go to church on Sunday.

 Well, not so much these last couple of months. I've had some physical problems that have made me change when I take some meds, and - to be honest- there's been a couple of really hot days that I didn't want to go out at all.

But I went this morning. It's sort of an anniversary for me.

Five years ago today, I was diagnosed with Congestive Heart Disease.

I won't go into anything specific right now. What counts is that I'm still here.

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What struck me during the Mass this morning was the Responsorial Psalm. This takes place between the Old Testament and New Testament readings prior to the Gospel. The Lector reads the Psalm and the congregants respond with a particular line from the text. The line this morning was..

"Turn to the Lord in your need, and you shall live."

Tie that in to what I was remembering from five years ago, and you can imagine what was going through my mind.

After Mass, I sat in my car trying to make sense of these feelings. I remember everything that happened during the whole experience. Every action, every reaction...

 every response.

I don't remember turning to God, particularly.

I don't remember feeling depressed.

I don't remember despairing.

I do remember doing what they wanted me to do. Blood tests. Doctor's visits. Changes to my meds. Whatever.

I do remember not being scared. Not being afraid.

I don't remember ever thinking that I was going to die.

Thinking  back on it all this morning, what I guess I remember most was a sort of calm. A kind of acceptance. Whatever was going to happen would happen.

Perhaps that, in a way, was turning to God - letting His will be done. I don't know.

 All I do know is that I'm still here.

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I had breakfast at Perkins.

I stopped at Shoprite for the paper and some other things and went home.

When I got there, I found a small box on the seat of the recliner in my living room. There was a note on top.


                  You'll know when to open this.

                               G.

Gordon.

 I haven't heard from him in months and then he leaves me a package. I wasn't sure what to do.

I stared at it for a long time.

Finally, I put it in a cabinet in my kitchen, under the place where my microwave is.

I didn't know what else to do with it.

I didn't know how I should react to it.

I didn't know how to respond.

An Interesting Day

It used to be that the really hot weather didn't come in until August. That isn't true anymore. Lately, we've been dealing with heat waves, where there's nothing but bright sun and blistering heat, mixed with depressingly overcast days with crushing humidity. The last few days have been a mixture of both.

Now I go out earlier then usual because I want to be home before the sun starts to bake things. I never leave my house with less then 4 bottles of water. I've dealt with dehydration before and I don't want to have to deal with being hospitalized again.

I drove up St. George Avenue to Shoprite. I wanted to get today's paper, my usual lottery tickets, and to see what was on sale. To get to that parking lot, you have to take a jug-handle (a distinctly New Jersey way of making a left turn) so I was in the right lane. As I got closer, the car to my left sped up, cut me off, and made the turn ahead of me.

Son of a Bitch.

I followed, and parked on his left side. He was on the phone.

I didn't think. I just acted.

Point, press, Flash.

I went into the store, bought what I went for and a blueberry muffin for breakfast, and got back into my car.

I was feeling good.

Interesting.

I had a prescription to pick up at Walmart, so I cut through a nearby housing development to get to Route 9. Along the way I passed Pelzman Park and saw this guy heading my way.

It's a quiet, out-of-the-way area and we were the only one's around.

Point, press, Flash.

I made the left onto Avenel, the left onto Route 9, and headed for Walmart.

I picked up my prescription, opened the muffin and a bottle of water and headed for Metuchen. The library would be opening soon.

There was nothing interesting at the library and I headed for the thrift shop in South Plainfield that I frequent.

Nothing interesting there either. I had finished the muffin and was on my second bottle of water. I was headed for home when I remembered something.

I live in Woodbridge Proper. They have some interesting parking regulations, but I'm exempt because I have a Resident Parking Permit. Well, the other day I noticed that my permit was due to expire soon, so I decided to stop by the Municipal Building on Main Street and get it renewed.

I drove down to Route 27 and, as I was coming up to my turn off, came up behind this jogger.

 I found it interesting that this guy was out jogging in this heat. No one else was. In fact, there was no one else around at all.

Point, press, Flash.

I made my turn and got to the Municipal Building in about 20 minutes.

There was no problem renewing my permit.

As I was leaving, 2 policemen came in. They were discussing the fact that they'd found a guy dead in his car in the Shoprite parking lot earlier. It was the heat, they decided.

I smiled to myself as I walked back to my car.

It had been an interesting day.

The Nature of Things.......

Doyle called yesterday.

Well, actually, he sent a text to the drop phone. He said that I should do whatever I would normally do today and that he would catch up with me somewhere along the way. He added that he had a narrow window, so if he didn't see me by noon we'd have to wait for some other time. This wasn't how we did things usually, but I had no way to argue with him about it.

I was up early. I left my house about 8, figuring that I had about 4 hours to fill. Somewhere along the line, Doyle would contact me.

I drove up into Avenel and stopped at a Krauser's for the paper. As I was getting out of my car, a bird swooped down past my windshield. I walked around the front and saw it pecking at something. I tried to get a better look, but it grabbed what it had and flew away.

I knew what it was.

A cicada.

They've been buzzing, humming, and flying around throughout the area for weeks now. I've had one land on my leg while I was getting gas at a Hess station on St. George Avenue, and several that have hit my windshield while driving around Avenel . Think about it. 17 years underground and many of them get eaten by birds or get smashed into windshields.

I guess that's just the nature of things.

I stopped at a Dunkin' Donuts for breakfast. I had a toasted Everything bagel with vegetable cream cheese and a medium-size iced tea, black. I always carry a paperback book with me, so I sat at a corner table - reading and enjoying my meal. So far, nothing from Doyle.

I got back into my car and took the right turn towards Edison. Along the way, I saw this guy.

 He was making a lot of noise with that leaf-blower and that really annoys me. I lowered my windows.

Point, press, Flash.

I drove on, heading for Metuchen and the library there. I took the back roads. It didn't take long before I saw this guy.

He was on my side but the area was too open. I drove on, changing my mind about the library for now.

I headed towards South Plainfield along New Dover Road. There's a thrift store there that I like to browse through.
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It was now about 10:15, and I'd left the thrift store without buying anything. I figured that I still had about 2 hours before I could go home so now I drove to the library in Metuchen.

On the way, I saw this guy walking towards me. We were alone but, when I lowered the passenger side window, I could hear the cicadas humming in the trees.

I closed the window and drove on.

Way too much nature for me.

I decided to drive to the Menlo Park Mall.
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Every once in a while, I like to go to Menlo Park and sit in one of their relaxation areas - a set of chairs and sofas strategically set up around the two floors they occupy. I like the one facing the exit towards Barnes & Nobles. I was early enough to get a spot there, and sat down with the paper and a bottle of water that I had brought from my house.

I was done with the paper and was half-way through the crossword puzzle when I heard..

"23 across is "stretch'".

 I knew that and - annoyed - I looked up at Doyle.

"I knew that."
"I figured." He moved around the back of the sofa and sat next to me. He held out his hand. I shook it.
"So... How're you doing, Denny?"
He was dressed in casual clothes. Well, casual for him. Deck shoes, black socks, pressed jeans, and a short-sleeved, button down shirt. I found myself grinning.
"I'm good, Doyle. What's new with you?"
"Same old, same old." He stretched his legs out in front of him, twisted his neck and shoulders back and forth, and settled back with a sigh. "Ahh, that felt good.....So.... I've been away, obviously, and I thought we could catch up, you know?"
"Yeah...OK...so where've you been?"

He shook his head, grinning.
"Boston, of course. At least at first." He paused for a while. Looked down at his shoes.

"There was a lot of bad stuff up there, Denny. Real bad. Gonna take a long time to work through." He shrugged, then - physically - shook it off. He turned to me and grinned again.
"So...... as I understand things down here, nothing much has been happening, right?"

I thought about it a bit, but couldn't argue with him.
"That's pretty much it. Same old, same old for me too."

We were quiet for a while. Each of us thinking about things.

I broke the ice. "OK. .....  So.. I'm at a loss here. What happens now? Are we still doing what we do? Are you still having me tracked? And what's happening with Gordon?"

Doyle sat there for a bit, thinking it through, before responding. That was his nature.

"Short term.. yes. We're still tracking your implant. Long term... I don't know. I thought things were settling down, but now we're dealing with this NSA leaker and I'm not sure what will happen."

"What has that have to do with us?"
He shook his head again. "It's all tied together, Denny. You push the right button.. you topple the right domino.. it all comes apart. That's how it is. Just the nature of the beast."

His phone chimed. He opened it, listened for a bit, nodded, closed it, and turned to me.

"Gotta go, Denny. Stuff happens. Good to see you, though."

He stood and stuck out his hand.

I shook it.

It seemed like the natural thing to do.