Two days ago, I set out to the local gym at the civic center in Maryland Heights to "check it out" about 6:30p or so, just after they had closed for the day of course. I haven't been to a gym in years -so how how would I know if that was odd or not. I assumed they close early and thought nothing of it. I really wanted to weigh myself though, just to get an idea of where I am.

Well, I drove on into the evening and decided to take a longer route home -passing by the nearby high school where you could see the track field from afar. The gate was open, so I continued in and parked near the stadium style track field. I lazily walked up the few steps into the track field and gazed at the bright halogen lamps that lit up the field.

Inviting. That's what I thought of it as I broke into a jog to start my 2 laps of the evening.
Halfway around the first lap my heart was pounding. I emptied my mind of all thoughts and listened to the rhythmic pounding and heavy breathing. I missed this. What now filled my mind was the memory of my high school sports days -the seven-a-side rugby, the 3000m steeple chase. I used to be quite active.

100 yards to the finish line I slowed to a walk and reality settled back in. I would have to make this a regular part of my activities to get back in shape. I'm going to work hard to make this happen. My goal is a few inches off my waistline for a start. Then refine my plan as I go along. There's a chance this will work.

Driving down the street earlier this afternoon, I witnessed a near head-on collision. A white mid-sized sedan on my left ran a red light into the path of a dark colored sedan making a left turn onto the freeway. The driver of the white sedan immediately got out of the car and darted a few steps away from the scene -to the casual observer one would have imagined the car would burst into flames given the haste in which he made his maneuvers.

What immediately caught my attention was the leaking antifreeze from the white sedan. I figured there wasn't enough antifreeze in a car that size to warrant a hazardous material cleanup crew.

Anyhow, I wished I had remembered to carry my Canon Powershot SD770IS digital Elph. -Not exactly a picturesque moment, but nonetheless more evidence than words could tell. I pulled out my Samsung SCH-i760 Verizon phone and dialed 911. It rang for at least 30 seconds. I hang up as the operator answered. I re-dialed and told my story. -Help was already on the way.

I activated my four-way blinking lights to secure the scene, left the comfort of my car and approached the scene on foot. I inquired into the status of the occupants. No one seemed terribly hurt -save for the driver of the white sedan. She was in obvious shock, holding her neck, crying, and unbelievably she was talking on her cell phone. She was certainly not available to answer questions at the moment.

The first officer on the scene arrived within 2 minutes and immediately assumed command of the area. She interviewed me as a witness, took notes and jotted down my name and address. My work here was done. I left shortly after to continue my errands -I still had to pass by the fish market to buy some cat fish for dinner.