March 6, 2009, 2AM

I was driving home from the University of Washington area. I spent the last hour running out of gas, running down to the nearest gas station, finding it was closed, walking for a half an hour down to the 24 hour mart, buying a gallon of water, emptying the gallon in rose bushes, filling it up at the 76 station, and walking a half an hour back to the car. My hands took turns holding the gallon so the other could stay warm in my pocket.

I got to the fork in the road. Turn left and I would wind along the edge of Lake Union on a small back road. Turn right and I would get home quickly and put this whole sorry business behind me.

I said to myself, "Let's go left, just for the romance of it."