A bit of a hike to the post office. Another weekend off to a procrastinatingly bad start. Last night I was so tired that I feel asleep here at my computer before I could answer the 3 e-mails in my Inbox. This morning I took a bit of a unplanned hike. A little background information.

Last week sometime, I purchased a couple of DVDs online during a moment of boredom. I received the postal delivery notice that delivery was attempted on Tuesday or Wednesday. I assumed that they would probably redeliver on Saturday. Up here, the post office closes at 5pm (Mon thru Friday), and at 1pm (on Saturdays). Just to get out of the apartment I decided to walk there and pick up the package myself. Remember, I think I’ve mentioned that I’ve used to live here before I moved to Japan about 6 years ago, so I had a vague idea where it was. Now, I am the kind of person that has the strangest of luck. Could the package have been sent to the post office that is near the Yonker’s Metro-North station. I have a monthly pass that would have allowed me to travel without extra expense. Or, I could have walked the 20 to 30 minute walk…no problem. The Yonker’s station is also pretty much a straight walk…no real hills to deal with.

However, my luck sent the package to another post office, one that (I must have mentally blocked this memory) was about an hour’s walk away...one way. The walk started with about a 10 minute walk up a 45 degree hill. I’m talking steep! My memory was playing tricks on me. I was sure the walk was about 30 or 40 minutes…not an hour one way. The post office was located in a kind of suburban office complex where most of the buildings are only one store high. Oh, and the post office (of course with my luck) was located at the very far corner of the office complex. From the entrance of the complex to the post office was about a 6 minute walk…without a sidewalk in sight.

So, you are probably thinking I hated the walk. Actually, I enjoyed it. I just liked complaining. After picking up my package (only one DVD arrived, the other will be delivered February 1st.), I stopped by the Dunkin Donuts in the office complex. I ordered something called an omelet supreme with a plain tea (no sugar or milk). From the look of the menu, I thought I was ordering a super sized, but it turned out to be fairly regular. The cost was $4.86 for the omelet and tea; I could have gotten a meal at McDonalds or Chinese takeout. The tea was about 16oz, and very, very hot! I was being a bit of an old fuddy-duddy. I didn’t like the plastic sipping lid. After a bit of a struggle to get the lid off, I wondered if that was a bright idea. The cup was filled to the rim…piping hot. And, I had a wobbly table. Why did I take off the spill-proof lid?

Not really being a social drinker, I had not idea how spill-proof (or dribble-proof) the lid was. Being the old man that I am, I was not impressed with the fancy lid. It looked like the lid of a baby’s spill-proof lid. Besides, if I am going to put something piping hot to my mouth, I want to see what it is. Don’t I sound like a cranky old man? The very kind I swore I would never become.

Well, moving on. After Dunkin Donuts, I went to the bank to take out $40. I am low on funds until next payday. The walk home was peaceful and uneventful. I enjoyed the walk. At home I watched the DVD. Actually, it was a bit of a waste of money. After the DVD, I watched a couple of Sci-fi shows on MY 9 channel 9. Around 5pm, I walked up the hill to the Chinese takeout to buy an order of fried chicken wings with an order of shrimp fried rice. I also bought a couple of iced honey buns from the nearby store. I did not have my regular appetite, I almost did not finish the rice, and I only ate 2 of the 5 chicken wings. After dinner, I read a few back newspapers from last week. And now, I am writing this blog offline. I will now log online to post this entry. Hopefully, I will be able to answer the e-mails in my Inbox.