The First Sunday of the Rest of My Life

Yesterday, the van having at last been made rideable for me again, I went to Mass with my parents at St. Gregory's. We attended the 5:00 PM "youth Mass"--the same Mass coming home from which I encountered the wayward Volvo SUV a little more than a year ago. My parents offered to bypass the near-fatal intersection and drive to chuch via the freeway route, but I decided it was high time to put the past behind me.

The intersection did not appear much altered, although the problematic left-turn light had been moved to make its signal clearer to the people waiting at the light, attending their turn at San Diego Roulette. The weather was hot and the sun a radiant yellow-orange disc, glaring in the faces of westward travelers, just as a year ago. In any respect, farewell now to all the troubles to which the recently bygone twelve months have born bloody witness.

After Mass we drove to Pat and Oscar's in the mall at the west end of Mira Mesa and had dinner with my parents' Bible studies group. I ate the "Meal for One" dinner, with pepperoni-mushroom pizza, bread sticks, coke and Greek salad.

Coming up the sidewalk from the parking lot to the restaurant I met Nancy Holder, her husband and daughter. What a small town Mira Mesa is! It was great to meet someone I haven't seen in over a year. Nancy is the only really good creative writing teacher at UCSD Extension whose classes I have had the pleasure to enroll in.

Speaking of creative writing, last night was the season finale of Deadwood on HBO. The final episode had all the elements that have made the series successful, including Swearengen's swearing, double-dealing politicians, greedy miners, obstreprous Chinese, murder, mayhem and assorted mysteries. One thing took me by surprise. Swearengen at one point gives Trixie an evelope with money for the Widow Garrett's wedding present, "courtesy of her child's former tutor, in absentia." When last I saw the tutor, she was leaving Al's office, envelope in hand, followed by that bearded henchman of Swearengen's. Are we to assume the lady met with unfortunate circumstances upon her way out of town? More scruitinizing will be required before unraveling the intracacies of this plot twist.