Today’s epistle

I’m walking out of Medved Running Store yesterday afternoon (Tuesday, April 28, 2009) on Monroe Ave. in Pittsford — the place I’ve bought many running shoes and running watches.
It’s one of two additional errands I hooked up with a blood-draw.
I exit the store and and a giant gold Firebird snorts up in the rain.
Pimply dude inside with a purple mohawk and lotsa flesh-metal rolls down the driver’s window. “Any idea where ‘Genesee Regional Bank’ is?”
He’s cracking a large envelope.
“I’ve never even heard of it,” I say; and walk away.
Suddenly a thundering roar breaks out, and the Firebird is accelerating madly across the parking-lot.
Firebird stops at a faded blue Econoline, and I notice a building with “G.-R.-B.” on the side in large neon letters.
“That’s an old bank building,” I think to myself. “I bet that’s ‘Genesee Regional Bank.’”
I approach the Firebird, now parked and silent, pointing at the building. I’ve already passed the Bathtub, and mohawk-guy confirms that’s what he was looking for.
“Used to be a Marine-Midland Bank,” I say.

“Pittsford” is a large ritzy suburb southeast of Rochester. The store isn’t actually in the village, but in the town. Monroe Ave. is a main thoroughfare through the town and to the village. Medved is in a shopping plaza along it; in an area swamped with shopping plazas.

I run to stay in shape. —Have for years. Still can, despite my age.

The “blood-draw” was for a PSA assessment. Prostate-Specific-Antigen. A high level of PSA in the blood can indicate prostate cancer. I have an appointment at Urology Associates of Rochester next month to go over the results.

A “faded blue Econoline” is an old Ford Econoline van; the usual means of selling stolen merchandise in a slum parking-lot.

The “Bathtub” is our 2005 Toyota Sienna van; called that because it’s white and like sitting in a bathtub.

“Marine-Midland Bank” was a large area-wide bank in the Rochester area through the ‘80s. It merged with other banks to became nationwide HSBC; and apparently that branch failed — as have others. “Genesee Regional Bank” is new to me. —Banking in this area has had significant upheavals over time. Many are now nationally affiliated.