1. I think it might have been a bit of self-aggrandizement, but back in around 1993-94, I used to encourage students to follow their lights and used myself as a possibly mediocre example. I told them about things I did, alone, that I called Private Eccentric Pleasures (PEP).
I might have been overstating what I enjoyed by referring to them as eccentric, but they were personal and they always gave me pleasure.
I frequented Eugene's WOW Hall to hear jam bands and other rock/jazz/blues music, almost always by myself, and joined other revelers and danced solo. I cocooned myself into a private dancing world, gyrated, perspired, grinned broadly, and enjoyed these nights while 100 percent sober. I never smoked weed or used hallucinogenic drugs and I abstained from alcohol from January, 1986 until October, 1996. This PEP was a natural high!
Other Private Eccentric Pleasures I enjoyed included driving by myself to Portland just to see movies that often opened a week ahead of when they premiered in Eugene. I went to movies all the time in Eugene by myself, a pleasure I had first begun to curry in Spokane from 1982-84 and that continues to this day -- I just wish I went to as many movies in theaters in 2025 as I did all those years living in Spokane and Eugene.
But I really enjoyed the theaters in Portland, being in the city, being an anonymous person, and being able to think about and relive each movie I saw as I tooled back down I-5 to return home.
Now my PEP is going to Sacred Heart Medical Center for labs twice a month and to visit the transplant team periodically.
That's what I did today. I was out the door around 5:30 a.m., drove to Spokane, glided into the parking garage I use, enjoyed the friendly greeting of the security guy I checked in with at the main hospital, went to the check-in area where I ran into and had a great visit with fellow Kellogg native Dave Macri, got checked in, and enjoyed the always friendly and efficient Angela as she filled vials with my blood and sent me on my way.
Then, just because I enjoy the vibe there, I went down to the basement to the cafeteria, ordered a 12 oz double latte, and read more of Lone Wolf. I caught snippets of Sacred Heart personnel yakking about their work or giving each other a hard time or just relaxing on a break.
I didn't listen hard. I prefer to mind my own business. Most of my concentration was on the book I was reading.
But I did catch fragments of conversation and caught the tone. I could tell some conversations were earnest, others playful. The different tones created the good vibe I enjoyed.
Eccentric? I don't know.
A pleasure. For sure.
2. I left the medical center and cruised up Grand Boulevard to 29th and soon eased into a parking place in front of Great Harvest where I enjoyed an Oatmeal Blueberry muffin with a cup of coffee while reading some more of Lone Wolf. I enjoyed the vibe and energy of the people working at Great Harvest and the people, mostly my age or older, dropping in for food and drink, either to enjoy in the shop or take out.
3. More Personal Eccentric Pleasures lay ahead in Coeur d'Alene. I stopped in at Supercuts for a haircut.
PEP. I enjoy Supercuts.
I blasted over to Costco and fueled the Camry.
PEP. I enjoy Costco.
Then three major sources of pleasure -- are they eccentric? I sat at the counter at Breakfast Nook and read more Lone Wolf while dining on a Jack cheese and mushroom omelette, hash browns, sourdough toast, and coffee. I loved how packed it was, mostly with old-timers (including me), and the non-stop activity of cooks preparing meals and an army of mostly middle aged or older servers energetically and with friendliness and charm waited on customers with efficiency and warmth.
Then I waltzed into good vibe central at Trader Joe's and picked up a few groceries for home and continued my waltzing in good vibe stores and bought raspberry kefir, freshly ground peanut butter, and a variety of delicious produce items at Pilgrim's Market.
I returned home happy. I had bags of groceries. I was nourished. I had hardly any hair on my head!
And, to my relief, the lab results looked stable, encouraging me that my body and my new kidney are doing pretty well together.
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