Day Six

Day 6: 07 Aug 2010.

It's been one of those "good thing I have a routine" days. Routines keep my mind from wandering off.

Of course, I have a bunch of them. Routines, that is. Routines and logic -- they're my homeboys, I guess. I used to make lists -- I don't need to anymore. Each day has a series of tasks I need to accomplish if I want to feel normal.

Here's the Saturday routine: Up at sunrise (as always). Breakfast: coffee and eggs (yeah, the Asian market has eggs. Don't want to know what bird they came from). Walk down to the fitness room at my apartment complex and do 45 minutes of circuit training, then run two miles on the treadmill. Come home and change into some junk clothes, then clean the entire apartment. My place isn't big, but I clean like a crazy person.

Usually takes about six hours to clean the place, and I end up smelling like bleach and carpet shampoo. Place is spotless, though. Then, of course, a shower is in order. After that, if I need it, a trip to the grocery store. My fridge was empty today, so. . .

Aki was working at the register today. He's one of the few people I have regular conversations with -- yeah, I know that's sad. I've been in Wilmington over a year, but I don't get out much. Aki, Marie, and a guy down at the dock, Frank, are my social circle. I don't have a girlfriend or anything, unless you count a girl I flirt with on Twitter from time to time.

Don't feel bad for me. I'm not lonely, or anything. I just don't feel the need to be around people much. I still keep in touch with my old friends, too. Facebook's great for that -- I keep contact with high school and college buddies almost daily.

Wow. I just looked at what I wrote. That does seem kinda pitiful, huh? It's not that bad, really. I say again -- not lonely or anything.

Anyway, back to the market. Like I said, Aki was at the register. He's a couple of years older than me, maybe 26 or 27. I like him -- he's always smiling.

"Hey, Travis. How're you doing, my brother?" Aki said as I put my groceries on the belt.

"You know. Muddling through. You?"

"Surviving, man. Mom's in town, and she brought the little sister with her. Of course, they're too cheap for a hotel, so. . ."

"Ugh. Don't envy you that."

Aki lived a few buildings over from me in the same complex. His apartment was the same as mine. That meant his mom and sister were sharing his studio apartment -- and while they were fine for one person, three was impossible.

"Yeah, I'm thinking about not going home tonight. They've been here all week -- I'm about to strangle 'em. Kidding. I think."

I held up the case of Tsingtao beer from my shopping cart.

"You could come over and help me kill these," I said, shrugging.

"Don't toy with me, man," Aki said, grinning.

"Beer, Modern Warfare 2. . . could be a plan," I told him.

"Sold," he said.

It wasn't the first time Aki had been over to my house for beer and XBox -- I'd also been over to his place (he had a PS3). And after the strange week I'd had, it wouldn't hurt to have another human being around.

I got home and read for a little while. I'm in the middle of a book called "The Weaponless Warriors" by Richard Kim -- history of Okinawan Martial Arts. It was interesting. I found it a few weeks back while grocery shopping, and it was cheap, so I threw it in the cart. I'll read pretty much anything.

About 7:00, Aki showed up and we drank and played XBox for the better part of five hours. We both suck, but we don't really care. It was good to have a normal day and some companionship. Aki finally decided to go home and face the music a little before midnight.

After he left, I cleaned up the bottles and went to turn off the XBox, but I noticed I had a new message on XBox Live. I went to my Inbox, figuring it would be Tran (my buddy from college and my one Live friend) trash-talking about our last Halo match.

The message had no sender, and only the following message: 36.12121,-115.17773.

I figured it was just a glitch or something. Yawning, I turned off the XBox and went to bed.