Tina's Walking Journal 🌳🚶🏻♀️🏡
Archive
August 2024.
August 31 2024
Temperature: 64°F
Condition: Clear
Wind: none
There's been an office chair sitting in the front garden of that flat from the '50s every day for at least the past 4 days. Assuming it's been out there this whole time, it's been rained on twice.
I will never understand this city's obsession with college football. We don't have a pro football league around here, so I guess we have to manufacture hype over this otherwise small-time NAIA team. Why do I bring this up? Well, it's their first game of the season later on this evening, and there's so much regalia all over the place, like banners and shit. People are already hauling out their offset barrel smokers and kettle grills for tailgate parties. I'm sure a few people have been watching Steven Raichlen online to prepare for this, but I'm also sure that the dish of choice will be underdone hotdogs and hamburger patties burnt to beyond a crisp.
The frost heave around here is ridiculous. I tripped on exactly 3 sections of pavement.
I noticed moderate roof damage on a house that probably happened during the much-talked-about severe thunderstorm last month. It's in kind of an obscure place that I wouldn't have noticed if I weren't looking at a bird. I hope the homeowner knows about it (they probably do).
August 30 2024
Temperature: 66°F
Condition: Mostly cloudy
Wind: none
People sure are taking their own sweet time clearing away tree limbs from that severe thunderstorm we had last month. Of course, there's only one tree removal service in town and none of the bin vans accept plant material. That probably has something to do with it.
That same dog from yesterday was jumping on the picture window again. When I say that, I mean, they're standing on something (probably a couch), leaning against the window, and using their front legs to essentially "jump" on the window. There was another dog, being walked by his human, who seemed genuinely concerned by my existence; as though he'd never seen another person before. I call this dog "he", because that's what his human called him.
One of the university's community flats has a rubbish skip with "Rise Up and Vote" painted on it. I wonder if whoever did that realised the implications of broadcasting their message at that particular venue? Especially since, this year, young people seem poised to vote for third-parties, essentially throwing their ballots into the rubbish. "Enjoy Capitalism" would have been a better message to grafitti on a skip, since everything from spent napkins to gaming computers will end up in there.
I've tried to walk a different route everyday for the past week so the camera network can't determine a pattern. Fortunately, there are a lot of possibilities, depending on how far I'm prepared to walk.
August 29 2024
Temperature: 79°F
Condition: Partly cloudy (mostly sunny, whatever)
Wind: Light from the southeast
There was a radon detector set up on an inverted bucket in the downstairs corridor. It had a green light on it, but I couldn't figure out if that meant it was turned on or if it wasn't detecting any radon. Possibly both, maybe neither.
I finally found where that weird bus that's been converted into a camper parks. As you might expect, the house appears to belong to an elderly man who was into technology back in the '70s and '80s. I imagine he probably met both Captain Crunch and Steve Wozniak at some point.
There was a dog in a house who seemed so desperate to be let outside, they were jumping on the picture window. It may have had something to do with me passing by, but it may also have been a feeling of panic since there didn't seem to be a car parked nearby. I often wonder what my cat used to do all day when mum was at work and I was at school. Was she convinced it was the end-times and she'd be alone forever? Or did she know that we'd be back at some point?
Someone finally chopped down that unsightly shrub in the back alley that was blocking access to the back door. Of course, they left it in chopped-up sticks in exactly the same place it was when it was alive, so now it also blocks sidewalk access.
Have you ever noticed that all middle-American backyards of a certain age smell the same? They all smell like weeds, old fertiliser, rusty metal, and gasoline. So many people around here have a gazebo in their backyard that looks like it was built in the '70s, possibly used on and off for a few years, and then converted into an open-air toolshed or got so splintery that the egresses are nailed shut to protect young grandchildren and grandparents suffering from Alzheimer's disease alike. Only one gazebo still appears useful, inasmuch as it has relatively new patio furniture inside it.
August 28 2024
Temperature: 77°F
Condition: Sunny
Wind: none
I walked kind of fast this morning. I told myself it was because I'd get a better workout, but really it was to keep ahead of the bugs. I don't want West Nile Virus or whatever they call monkeypox now, but I have to get out otherwise I'll go mad again.
Doorbell cameras are just an unfortunate fact of life now... I guess it's not like the corporate feudal state doesn't know where I am at all times of the day, but it's just like... I mean. Most people use the cameras to deter home invasion or mail theft. Thieves are not going to be deterred by cameras; it's never worked in the past, it's not going to work now. All you're doing is providing Amazon with a network of security cameras in order to track movements and sell you stuff you don't need.
A dog started barking when I walked by someone's house. I like being barked at; it shows me that I exist. If I weren't real, dogs wouldn't bark at me.
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