Like everyone else, my thoughts have of late often been of NYC. They still are.

But, life does go on. And as always it's strange. I have a strange thing happening.

For the better part of two decades I've planned to retire from the FD at 20, which I did last month, and try my hand at scuba on a professional basis. Who knows, maybe I'll be good at it and maybe I won't, but it's what I've wanted, and what I've planned for.

Well, to make a long story short, I'm probably going to have to postphone everything by at least a month, maybe two .... because .... I've been called to testify in a case wherein the estate of a now deceased woman is sueing the estate of her deceased husband .... and General Motors .... for events alleged to have happened with regards to a one-car moter vehicle accident wherein the husband met his demise. He basicly did this by driving their overloaded station wagon into what amounts to a brick wall on a clear day and a dry road. She survived the accident but died of other causes about a year ago. They had no children.

I'm trying to study for school, close on the last of the land I'm selling (at least that came off today), and pack to leave my house and home of 17 years, and what I'm actually having to do is read and re-read my testomony from last months deposition.

I told them all along. Both sides. I've begged and I've pleaded to not have to appear at all. Everyone said, everyone agreed, I would be done, gone, by next Monday morning. Day by day it's been set back till now we're into the week after.

And school got moved, sort of, a day earlier.

I'm so mad I could spit.

When did duty, forgive me if I wax too formal here, but when was it that duty ever called and I didn't answer? I'll respond for myself and say never. Fires, tornadoes, floods, bombings, even the time an unfortunate gentleman drove his car into a dairy lagoon, everything that was ever asked of me. I've testified many times before the court and always told the full and complete truth and always tried to be helpfull to everyone involved. But this is bad timing for me.

And they, both sets of lawyers, they just don't care. They think I'm just kinda not getting my priorities straight. The case is what's important.

Maybe they are right, but can't I be wrong just this once?

And I just can't get over the fact that everybody named, in all that paperwork, and it's a mountain, everybody named as a plaintiff or defendent, except GM, is dead.

The part I just can't seem to make the suits understand, is that this wreck was over six years ago. I've see ... jezz, I don't know, 1000 ... 1500 ... patients since then. Something like that. I don't remember anything from six years ago, and what memories I did have were over-ridden, thereby destroyed, by the memories of the pictures they showed me, something like six weeks ago. Now I don't know, honestly, what I remember from the day of the wreck and what I remember from looking at the pictures.

I mean, if I thought my testemony was in any way important, I'd just bite the bullet. As it is, I have to take my lawyer, who is also my friend, with me, Monday, to beg the court to let me go. Friend or not, this is being heald a two and a half hour drive from here .... this is gonna cost me.

Well, I'll quit whining now. Man, I got to get out more. This thing now withstanding, I've got to be getting on.

I'm not under any order from the court, by the way, except to show up Monday and cool my heals till I'm told. But, I can talk of this. I would not if I had been told not to. My deposition is already public record.