Highway Robbery

Today I was robbed. And I didn’t put up a fight. Nary a protest.

“You can just throw that in the back. I work for the recycle anyway,” said the young man in the white truck, jerking his thumb over his shoulder.

I’d just picked up a 24-ounce AriZona Tea can and was shaking out any remaining drops of beverage when the truck pulled out of the drive across the street at Waste Management. The driver, wearing his official neon safety vest, figured he was doing me a favor and was appreciative of my effort, too.

“It’s good to see people who’ll do that,” he called as he pulled away.

Not from my morning run. This is Saturday's sunset.

If I’d been thinking I would have told him I was collecting. He would have been happy about that. And I would have had one more can. But it was pretty nice of him to stop and pitch in with the effort. I ended with quite a haul anyway. And there’s always more out there – sadly. Illinois really needs to enact a deposit on aluminum cans and glass and plastic bottles. It would reduce litter for a start, and picking up those cans and bottles that still found their way into the gutters and ditches and fields would be more lucrative.

In preparation for the Bix 7 next weekend I again did the double bridge route: W.C. Jackson west to Louisville Road, southwest to Henderson Street, south to County 10 bridge, east to Old Thirlwell Road, north on Saluda Road, east on Davis Street to Day and back to Seminary Street via Fifth. I didn’t even look at the dog that charged me, barking loudly, near Fifth and Seminary. Since one of the girls sitting out with him got after him, I figured I’d only exacerbate the potential for an encounter by making eye contact. Glad that worked out like I thought.

Today's Stats

Temp: 81-84 degrees F

Distance: 5.51 miles

Weekly Total: 8.87 miles

Treasure: 33 cans (and the one that got away)

iPod Playlist (Shuffle):

American Pie – Don McLean

Say Goodbye To Hollywood – Billy Joel

That Thing You Do! – The Wonders

Monster – Lady Gaga

Safe – Phil Wickham

Don’t Let Me Go – Billy Squier

Expecting – The Call

Toes – Zac Brown Band

Take Me To The River – Talking Heads

She’s So Mean – Matchbox Twenty

On Broadway – George Benson

Busted – Matchbox Twenty

Tell Her About It – Billy Joel

Bad Woman Blues – Trampled Under Foot

O Mary Don’t You Weep – Bruce Springsteen With The Sessions Band

Tender Is The Night – Jackson Browne