Subtropical Lady

December 1992 (first half)

12/1/1992 Tues. 10:11 PM

That was really nice of Kim to send that package, but can you believe I still haven't gotten my parent’s package? What's taking so long? I guess this is cuz of the holidays. I hope I finally get it tomorrow.

Dennis took me to the doctor and amazingly enough; I wasn't there all that long. He gave me yet another cream to use for downstairs and refills.

I also asked him about a place around here for ear surgery. I'm going to call Boston information for the address and number of Mass Eye & Ear infirmary as well as Mass General. Then, I'm to call the doctor's office back and ask for Kelly who handles records. She's gonna get them from Boston. After that Dr. Kareus will send me to someone for his opinion and recommendations.

Andy took me to the King's Table which is an all-you-can-eat buffet. We snuck some chicken out in a bag.

He taped Reasonable Doubts for me as it was on while we were gone. I'm watching TV now. Hunter's coming on next.

Last night we went to a place called Marie Callender's. I got some good quiche there and he got London broil. I gave our waitress a red jacket for her kids. It was a nice jacket I got from mom, but it was a major hassle getting it on and off. In exchange, the waitress gave us each a free slice of pie.

On my way out Andy and I grabbed 3 balloons that were by the door. They're on the floor now as their helium is gone.

12/2/1992 Wed. 2 AM

I'm still not tired, but I must try soon to fall asleep, as I want to keep a day schedule for a while.

I really hope I get my package tomorrow. I hope I also get letters from Tammy and Lisa too. Maybe even Bob will write.

This will be the first b-day with no misery. No isolation or crack houses around me. No snow. No bitter cold weather. I only had one other b-day in semi-warm weather. That was my 24th b-day in Florida. That was no fun. Yes, this will surely be the first b-day when I'm finally truly happy and content. Of course, I'd still love to be able to quit smoking, make it in the music business and be a butch lover. Now there's no way in hell or in this life I'll ever look at a butch and say, "God, she's gorgeous!"

As for becoming a singer and quitting smoking, well, I don't know about that either.

Another weird thing about turning 27 is the fact that I wasn't even supposed to live to see my 17th b-day. Also, I look 17 still, depending on how I'm dressed. It's amazing to retain my youth and so much energy after all I've gone through both physically and mentally.

Andy told me he's invited Diane, Donna and Velma over for cake and ice cream Fri. night at 7:30. I explained to him (and he does understand) that this is very weird, awkward and a little embarrassing for me. I'm not used to this or being around so many people. At least not for a very long time and 3 people I barely know are a lot for me. I'll feel sort of "on the spot." I'm only used to family members around on my b-day or one or two friends that I know quite well. I will tell Andy to tell Diane, Donna and Velma that I may be embarrassed and that I'm not used to this, so they'll understand and not mistake me for being stuck-up and unappreciative.

Well, he's gone to bed so I think I'll leave a message for him. When he wakes up he's gonna leave me messages.

Once again, I hope I get my package, but at least I got my doctor's appointment done and over with.

8:43 PM

During commercials, I'll write.

I finally got my packages today. I got a gorgeous bracelet with clear stones of many different colors. I got a really nice necklace which is sort of hard to describe. It's like Indian and western. She sent a gold chain necklace and 2 gold chain bracelets, but the bracelets are too big.

She also sent this little tube-like thing that's 2 feet long or so. When you tip it from end to end it makes a weird and funny sound. To me, it sounds like someone's puking. I played it on Andy's machine and he thought it was Melissa, the CP lady!

I also got 2 more of those little teddy bears with hands that clasp together. Now I have 3 of them clasped onto the stick on my blinds in the kitchen.

I got another tiny little stuffed animal, a cigarette case, a box of pads and tampons, paper towels, toilet paper, laundry detergent, sunscreen, a box of instant potatoes, hot chocolate, a nice and different cosmetic bag, a strap-like thing for the wrist, hot oil treatment, a can of grape jelly, a troll key chain doll, and a little toy piano with 1½ octaves.

12/3/1992 Thurs. 1:04 AM

Tara called earlier and said she and Tonya had a birthday card for me. When the phone rang I thought it was Andy and I asked, "Are you eating?" I asked this cuz he always calls and eats on the phone munching in my ear.

Tara was telling me about this funny dream she had and I knew I had to tell Andy about it. He laughed. She told me she dreamt she was getting married to Madonna and was at her house. Madonna was cooking her dinner and she said to Tara, "I want you to meet my parents before we get married." And Tara just said, "OK, sure, fine."

She also told me she's still very very busy with school and work. She told me her boss was gay and somewhat attractive and feminine. She said she doesn't wear makeup too much but when she does she's pretty. She has shoulder-length hair. When she finally met her girlfriend she could see just what I meant when I said fems go for butches, butches go for fems and there are plenty of butches with other butches. This girlfriend of hers was pretty damn ugly. She told me she feels the same way I do and doesn't want a relationship. She just wants occasional sex as she's got very little free time, needs her space and doesn't want to go through the bullshit. She's getting with guys the same thing I've gotten from women. The guy says he'll call and never does, or he's always there.

I told her I was gonna tell her something I never thought I'd ever be brave enough to say after the Maliheh B case and several others. Well, I told her that if she ever does get curious, she doesn't have to be shy. I'm here and I'm attracted to her and would never and could never put strings on her. Well, I know she'll never approach me for sex, but she did say I'd be the first one she'd go to cuz she knows me and she also thinks that butches are ugly.

2 AM

I just finished watching a talk show and I just threw in a tape of the edits.

My check comes today. Therefore, I must see if Dennis will take me to the store. I've got to get some groceries to hold me over till I get my food stamps. I didn't get any mail today so I hope tomorrow I get letters from Lisa and Tammy. There are only a few other errands and places I may go to.

Andy's gonna pick up my prescription and we may go to a swap meet on Sun. I sure as hell hope he doesn't want to go early cuz there's no way I'll be able to get up.

This Saturday afternoon I'll be picking up my picture at the office.

I still haven't begun my story and I have not done more editing, but I'm definitely gonna want to write letters to my family. I'm gonna have lots to tell. I'll also write to Kim, Bob, Nervous and Fran.

I was a little ticked off at Kara earlier. You know how it is with people. I tell them to call me first and they do so for two months, then they knock and wake me up. It turned out OK, though as UPS came not too much later. Kara also came over with Ashley. I can't stand it when she brings her over. I had us all out on the patio, so she couldn't trash my place. If Kara holds her down, the damn thing screams. The reason why she brought her was cuz after she visited me, she planned on seeing Brian and Angel. I didn't know she knew them, and I thought they moved. They were in Idaho for the last 3 months.

Earlier, a little before 7:00, Andy came over to see what I got from mom and dad. He also looked at all my journals. The covers, that is. I think number 13 is the ugliest, but he likes it. 6 and 7 are quite boring, too, but I took care of 6. Yes, I fixed it up quite nicely. I took an old barrette with a bow on it. The material and pattern of the bow are pretty. It's on a velvet black background with stripes of red and blue through it that are sort of glittery. I cut the bow off the barrette. Then, I ironed out the bow flat. I cut the pieces to fit the cover of number 6 which is a small journal, otherwise, I'd never have enough material to cover it. Then, I glued it on. I used a toothpick to spread the glue out on the journal, then just slapped on the material.

Andy's now trying to sing Desde La Oscuridad. Actually, this is the edited version. Kara heard it and was dying of laughter. I put this on the tape I made for her.

Believe it or not, but luckily for me, I am actually getting sleepy. Sleep is exactly what I hope I can do now. I certainly didn't get enough hours of sleep last night. Barely 6 hours, so I'll go try really hard to fall asleep.

2:53 PM

I woke up at 9:00 to take my meds. Also, there was some loud mouth granny and a little girl traipsing by, and I'll kill them if I ever hear them again that early! Those that get up early have no respect for those who don't get up early, I swear. I went back to sleep till noon.

Today's a gorgeous day and there's a breeze, too. I have my bedroom window and sliding glass door open. My ceiling fan is on, too. It's nice to be able to air the place out during the day in the winter and at night during the summer. In Springfield I was only able to open the window from late May to early September just to air out the smoke and dust, only to let the pollution in.

Well, my clothes are in the dryer now.

I went over to Andy's to call for the phone numbers and addresses of Mass General and Mass Eye & Ear Infirmary.

I called the doctor's office to ask for Kelly, but the office was closed. Why so early, I don't know.

While I was over at Andy's, Fran left a message. It figures I would just miss his call. He'll have to call me back when he wants to.

I got no mail today but my check's in the bank, so later Dennis and I are going to the store. Shortly after I got up I went to Dennis's at 12:30. He had some meat and noodles for me that were leftovers they were sick of. It was good.

I told them about the stuff my parents sent and that I have enough paper towels to open a store with. I am going to bring them two rolls cuz Bea uses them like crazy.

3:19 PM

In 10 minutes I'll be going to get my clothes out of the dryer.

I'm watching this amazing story of an 80-year-old woman who came out of a coma after 30 years.

4:09 PM

I just finished my laundry.

Andy should be slamming in soon and at around 6:30 I'll be going food shopping with Dennis.

The other day I looked through the paper for what was available in the cat ads. All the ones that were too good to be true were gone. Some were neutered and spayed and even declawed. Had their shots, too. Those kinds of cats are gone the second the ad for them comes out.

4:55 PM

I am now sitting at my kitchen table which is much more comfortable.

I have my lace skirt hanging over one of my chairs. I didn't want it to shrink. I wore that and my black tights and a tight black camisole with my denim lace jacket I got in Norwich when my pictures were taken. I'm sure curious to see how they came out this Saturday afternoon. I'll be choosing from about 6 pictures. I hope at least one comes out good since I'm not keeping it and it's going to Tammy. It's one thing to keep a so-so or bad picture of yourself. It's another when you're gonna give it away to a family member or a friend. Before I mail it to Tammy, I'll show it to Andy and maybe Tara. When I get the pictures back from Tammy that are going to Kim, I may show them to Tara first.

Tara and Tonya aren't sure if they're gonna buy a HUD house or not. They heard they're usually in pretty bad shape. I can believe that, but I also heard the waiting list for that is years and years. Plus, they're not a top priority. A family, homeless people, or handicapped people would be considered first. I don't think the two of them combined are low-income. Maybe average.

Dennis and Bea are the second and third friends I've ever had that are not low-income. The first was Kim.

9 PM

I'm watching TV now.

Earlier, Dennis, Bea and I went to the grocery store.

My ATM card was canceled cuz it was only a temporary card. Now I must go get a new one.

Fran called and we spoke for about 20 minutes.

I'm doing Andy's laundry which I'll get out of the dryer soon.

12/4/1992 Fri. 6:30 PM

I got up at 1 PM today and there was no mail. Everything's late cuz of the holidays.

Dennis and Bea gave me a $5 gift card.

As I was returning to my place a girl was calling out my name. I thought to myself, who is she? Well, she had a big and gorgeous plant with her which I surely wasn't expecting. Perfect timing, too, as she almost missed me. I figured it was from someone around here, but the card said, Happy Birthday - Love, mommy & daddy. That sure was nice and the plant's beautiful. There's a beautiful ribbon on it too. It's an indoor plant that doesn't need a lot of light and it's supposed to purify the air.

Tammy called and I also spoke to Lisa, Becky and Bill. They said tomorrow I should get their check, letters and my pictures. She said to buy whatever I wanted but make sure I tell them in a letter what I buy.

It's been raining today like crazy for the first time in nearly two months. It took Andy an hour and a half to get home. Due to the flooding and lots of car accidents, he's called off the cake and ice cream till tomorrow. It's not safe for Diane and Velma to be out driving in this rain.

Earlier Dennis and I were in the pool and the Jacuzzi. The pool was so warm and you could see the steam coming up from the Jacuzzi and the pool due to all the moisture in the air.

Andy will be over soon and I'll tell him to call my parents collect and he can now give them my number.

Tara may be over here later, but I'm not sure. Kara called me, too.

12/5/1992 Sat. 12:41 AM

Well, I sure do have lots more to write about since the last time I wrote. I'll go in order of events.

Andy came over with my present in a really pretty bag that says happy birthday. I'll write all the stuff he wrote on the card, but first, he got me two very pretty journals.

He also gave me tons of no-postage-necessary cards for several different magazines and information about a variety of different things. I sent stuff to Fran, Nervous, Bob, Bobbie, Russell, Jim, Debbie, Barbara, Mattie and Mark.

I decided the timing was right. I had Andy call my parents with me on the other line pretending not to be there, to tell them I just got a phone (sooner than expected). He gave dad my number.

Dad answered and when he picked up he said, "Happy birthday!"

I heard Andy giggle. I laughed too, and of course, I had my mute on.

Dad called me right back and I thanked them both for the plant. I also told them how much I loved one of the bracelets they sent as well as other stuff in the package.

I told them what Andy got me and about my card and $5 from Dennis and Bea, my call from Tammy and my package from Kim.

Then ma said they couldn't get me my b-day gift as they were both sick. Then, she said, "Do I tell her, Art?"

Dad said, "Well, we didn't want to tell you, but we can't leave here. We've been quarantined."

I asked what they meant and ma said, "The health officials won't let us leave cuz we have herpes. Therefore, we were never able to get you your present."

I burst out laughing as I realized what they were talking about.

Then ma said she wanted to get the phone rules straight (of course). She said she'd never accept any collect calls anymore as they're too expensive (she's oh so poor). They'll call me, but she doesn't want to pay to talk to a machine. I told them my machine broke so the phone company gave me one. She asked, "You ordered voice messaging?" I burst out laughing and she said I could talk to dad now. I told dad that if my phone rang 4 times, hang up. Also, I'm constantly in and out of here so I can’t guarantee I’ll answer when they call. I'm no longer a caged animal like I used to be.

10:53 PM

Before I get into what happened last night, I'll first cover today's events. Well, I still haven't gotten Tammy's check as the mail's running so much later due to the holidays.

Andy and I will be going to the swap meet tomorrow. He'll buy what I want and I'll pay him back. I wish I knew what the amount of the check is. My guess is $25.

I picked up my picture today along with Mary who was on her way to pick hers up at the same time. It can out so-so, but it sure could've come out better. I just don't take so well to the camera.

Believe it or not, Jeff woke me up. Half the time I'll always be woken up no matter what, so it seems. This is understandable, though, cuz he was moving. He gave me more hangers, a plant and this really nice, pretty, huge wicker basket with silk flowers and leaves in it.

I did some rearranging in here, but I sure do wish still that I could afford a 1-bedroom.

Dennis is fixing one of my speakers today and tomorrow he'll do the other one.

While I was at his place I looked at the cat ads. There was only one possibility, but it was gone. He's gonna leave tomorrow's paper by my door in the morning as he'll be awake earlier than I'll be.

I'll leave him two rolls of paper towels with two funny notes on them.

Andy, who was here earlier, forgot his. He forgets everything.

He and Velma were over for a while. Andy made himself and I pork chops. Velma cut his hair and gave me a b-day card and a pretty purple hairbrush.

Andy and Velma were supposed to go back to his place to make a cake, but I guess he fell asleep. He hasn't called and I haven't heard him over there.

While he was here, he gave me 6 pictures of Fay. So 3 will go to Nervous and 3 will go to Fran.

I wonder what Randy's been up to? I haven't heard from him.

12/6/1992 Sun. 12:17 AM

Well, I'm not ready to fall asleep yet and I probably won't till around 4:00, so why not write?

Before I forget, that guy Bill whom I met with Randy at the grocery store never called last Monday. I last talked to him on Nov. 27th. He gave me the typical, "I lost your number." He said something about going to L.A. for the weekend but he'd call when he returned on Mon. He also gave me the number of some girl Kathy to call. She also hasn't returned my call, so forget it. That tells me how serious they really are.

Andy did fall asleep, but I went over there anyway. Velma was watching TV and finally, Andy got up and frosted the cake, put candles on it, and they sang Happy Birthday.

Andy said to make a wish, but my 3 wishes are not grantable. 1. Being a singer. 2. Meeting a feminine gay woman. 3. Being able to quit smoking. All else I'm happy with so I didn't make a wish.

Then, I thought of two other wishes, but they're also not grantable. 1. Becoming madly attracted to butches. 2. Being able to do a career I hate.

While I was there I heard glass smashing in the parking lot. I checked Velma's and Andy's cars, but they were fine. Then, I realized I didn't want to be seen in case someone did do something bad and be connected to it. Stacey will try to pin whatever happened on me.

Tomorrow night I'll probably do some letter writing. Maybe editing, too.

Tammy still never mentioned speaking with Sheila. At this point, however, I don't really give a shit. I've got permission to be here. Period. And I'm not a murderer.

I'd never ever date a cop, even if she were drop-dead gorgeous. Some of them are good like Mark and others I met. Others think they're God, above the law and can do anything. Well, not in my book.

12/10/1992 Thurs. 5:45 PM

I sure do have lots to write about so I'll get on with it now. Bob called last night and we spoke for 4 hours. He moved but is still in Turners Falls.

Fran also called but not for long. He got beeped by an important call, so he said. Andy and I really wanted to talk to him, too.

I sent letters off to Bob, Fran and Kim. Rather than send Kim those pictures, I'll send her the negatives. Nervous oughta be sending back the few pictures I sent him. When and if he does, I'll send them to Bob who says he's still gonna come out here with or without Christina.

I finally got Tammy's letter last Tues. I had to pay 64 cents for postage, but that's OK. She never even used the negs to copy pictures with. She just helped herself to a few of the originals.

My guess on the amount of the check was right. It was $25. I've cashed it already cuz I've had to go to the bank for a new ATM card.

Stacey at the office made an agreement with me not to cash my check in till the 3rd of each month. Well, they goofed and cashed it in on the 1st, but they made up for it without giving me any shit. I re-wrote a check for $15 less as that's the bounce fee. From now on I won't be giving them my check till the 3rd.

Speaking of SSI and SS, the yearly raise has gone through. SSI was $16 and SS was $426. Now SSI is $15 and SS is $439. SSI will be taking $10 of the $15 SSI check cuz of that bullshit overpayment. So, I should be getting $454, but I'll only get $444.

Still not enough for a 1-bedroom.

My niece still has not written to me, but oh well.

Andy gave me tons of no-postage-necessary cards. Also, tons of letters. One card he got from Jayke, plus two letters from her. Also, a postcard from Jayke and his sister Linda from Paris. He'd been saving these up and he gave me them to send to Nervous, which I will. I'll also send Nervous my sister's letter, the card from mom and dad that came on the plant they sent, cards from Andy, Velma, Tara, Dennis and other stuff.

Randy had been really sick with the flu, but I saw him a few days after my b-day. I'd given him $5 to pick up 2-3 packs of smokes for me, as he had to go to the store. He ended up buying me a carton.

I'm really tired and very hungry, so I'll have to continue writing later.

10:28 PM

Hunter's coming on now, but I'll write little by little on commercials.

I went to call Dennis yesterday just to say hi. His brother's wife Susie answered and she told me Bea died. At the same time they're grieving, they say it's a blessing. She was really miserable and out of it. I can understand this, but the shocking thing is how fast she died. Less than 24 hours ago from the time she died, she was her usual self. I was over there for dinner and she was functioning, despite the fact that she was out of it and wasn't aware of what she was saying or doing.

Bea's death got me thinking about my dad. She died so fast and I was just talking to her the other day. My dad could call me one day, being his usual self. The next day mom could call saying he died of a sudden heart attack or something.

11:40 PM

In 20 minutes In the Heat of the Night comes on, so I'll write for now.

Andy gave me a full-size picture of Gloria, which is on the cover of her Greatest Hits CD. Her hair looked pitiful, but her dress, shoes and net stockings were nice. I put her picture in my photo album along with the pictures that Tammy sent back.

Tara was over a few nights ago. She picked out songs for me to tape for her. She's gonna leave me her own blank tape one of these years. Tara's not a flaky, forgetful airhead, so this goes to show how busy she is. She hasn't even got the time to run a tape over here. I told her to leave it outside my door if she calls me and gets no answer.

Although the drawing of Tammy, Bill and the girls came out sort of shitty, it's nice to know it's finally done.

I need to write 4 letters at this time to Nervo, mom and dad, Tammy and Lisa and Becky. I also need to finish coloring my poster, which is almost done.

Bob left me a message earlier while I was watching Hunter. He'll call back.

I guess someone will soon be moving in down below me. I hope not, but no one has moved in next to Andy yet. When whoever moves in, I just hope they're quiet and never home. I hope it's one person who never has company and no kids! I fucking hate kids nowadays and can't stand to be around them. Why oh, why did I ever want a kid for half a second?

12/11/1992 Fri. 12:47 AM

My show's almost over, so I'll be up writing for a while. I hope, though, that tomorrow I don't sleep too late. It's gonna be 72° so I want to lie out by the pool. I was in it today and it was like bath water and it was beautiful. Chilly, though, when I got out. It was 70º today, or now yesterday actually. Today 72°, then 55° the next two days and 53° the next two days after that. That's a pretty quick and drastic change.

1:05 AM

Now I've got a few things to say about Kara. A few nights ago she was over and we listened to tapes of convos and edits. We laughed our asses off and had a great time. Andy called at one point and the 3 of us spoke for a while. That was cool, but that's as far as I can have them go. Andy's friends are his friends and mine are mine. I don't want him and Kara to talk on the phone or get together without me present. Even though Andy's gotten better with coming in between me and my friends when he's mad at me or someone or something else, and Kara has more of a spine than lots of others I've known, it's still too risky. There are two reasons why it's a little risky. One is cuz I notice that sometimes the more I'm against something, the more Andy's driven to push it on me. Not always, but sometimes and it also depends on the situation. The second reason is cuz sometimes Andy's extremely good at persuading people onto his side and pitting them against me. He does know he's been wrong about doing this to me in the past and Kara certainly has way more of a mind of her own than Brenda did and others I've known. Kara knows better, but here's an example of Brenda and the many others like her I've known. Brenda and I are alone. I say to her, "Andy walks too hard and it's annoying and unnecessary." Brenda says to me, "You're right. I agree and it'd annoy me too." Now Brenda and I are with Andy and I say the same thing I said to her alone. But now Brenda says, "He's a guy, so give him a break. Different people walk differently." Kara's much better than that.

5:40 PM

Before the phone rings again, let me finish with what I have to say about Kara. I tried to decide whether or not I should settle. Well, let's just say there's no way I can settle for anything and everything. I also don't intend to be doing this all the time. I couldn't anyway unless I went to bars and went after butches only. I finally realized what I've been realizing for a very long time now. The ultimate attraction isn't meant to be, otherwise, God would send it. I'm 200% sure I'll never lust with a woman who's not only feminine but to whom I am very attracted. So, now I'm gonna go "in between." I'm not gonna stay celibate all my life and I'm not gonna settle for a man or an ugly woman. While Kara's ugly, at the same time she isn't. I like her personality and we share a lot of the same opinions and beliefs. I've gotten to know her and she's very understanding of my situation and wouldn't lose patience due to my not being used to being with a lover. She can go slowly and gently. We haven't had sex yet, but she knows how I feel. I spoke with her and I was honest with her. I told her everything I just wrote down. But instead of, "You're ugly, but you're not," I said, "You're not my main preference, but you're not a settlement either." So, it's her call now. I'll let her make the move if she wants sex that bad. I'll only initiate so much, then it's the other person's turn. I'm sure it will be a little scary, awkward and disappointing, but it gets a little easier to accept settling within reason. On the phone when we spoke she told me she was flattered. I didn't expect differently, especially when God always sets it up to be one-sided. I just wish God would let someone I'm attracted to break down and say, "OK, I'm not attracted to you, Jodi. You're not what I want, but all who's available at the moment, so let's just go for it till I can find a butch or whatever I want." If having lust were meant to be in my life, then maybe this would happen more often, but all I know is that if it doesn't turn me on, I can probably have it.

Kara may soon be calling.

Andy will be making us hamburgers later.

I chatted with Mary and while on my way back from the mailbox I got a Chanukah card from Fran. What a surprise, huh? The last time Andy and I were speaking with Fran, he asked the funniest question. Fran asked what is the difference between Hanukkah and Chanukah.

12/12/1992 Sat. 1:15 AM

Kara was over earlier and we had a nice chat and some laughs. Before she came over, there was a pledge drive on channel 8. Andy and I called one of the phone operators and you could see him on TV answering the phone. When he asked if he could have my pledge, I said, "No, I need my pledge to dust my furniture." I told him we didn't have any money and we are the very few and rare poor Jews. The guy said how much the station needed money and I said, "I need money too, so who's gonna pledge and raise money for me?"

This reminded me of the Jerry Lewis telethon in 1989 when Andy and I lived in Springfield. I'd call operator 23, if I could see her or him, then say I was operator 18 and ask if she could see me waving. I could then see the operator looking all around. Then the host of the telethon would come on eventually saying, "There has been phone trouble and New England Telephone is checking into it."

2:30 AM

I hope the food stamps go up soon, but either way, they never give you enough.

Earlier Andy made us burgers, which was nice. I'll still need to go out and spend cash on food before the 15th.

I left a note on Dennis's door the day after Bea died. I said I was sorry, but for him to call if he needed anything. I also wrote that I wouldn't call or go over there till he got ahold of me. I have not yet heard from him and I hope he's doing OK.

Now I'm gonna go back to the night of my b-day. Denny's gives a free dinner and dessert on your b-day. That's nice, but here's the part that's extremely bad business. You must eat there and you can't take your food home. A person should be able to order anything they want on their b-day as well as take their food home. We were gonna go to 2-3 Denny's, order me dinner, have two bites of it, then take it home. The first Denny's made me eat my dessert there, but they let me take my food to go. The second Denny's wouldn't let me take my food home. It was a stupid policy and I was in a rowdy mood as it was. Our waitress was no less than 6'4" and she and the manager wouldn't budge on the issue. Andy went up front to grab a handful of napkins so I could wrap my food, but he let her take them away. Then I got mad. I ran up to her and screamed in her face that people do use napkins and I grabbed them out of her hand. The girl looked absolutely terrified. She was scared shitless and her eyes looked as if they were gonna pop right out of her head. Then I went and sat down and began eating my cake.

The manager came up to collect my dinner and salad. I yelled that I was still eating my cake and she said, "OK, OK," then ran from the table. When I finished half of my cake, I took mustard and poured it all over the rest of it. Then, I jammed the bottle into it. As we were leaving, the manager went to check it out and said, "Oh, thank you very much. Have a happy birthday."

I called out, "Thank you, I will." Me and Andy were cracking up about this all night.

12/13/1992 Sun. 12:50 AM

I got two hilarious cards from my parents today and $120! My bills are all paid, so I'm just gonna go shopping and have fun. It'll be quite a while before I get the chance to again. I don't need any journals now, so I'll buy two books of stamps, some clothes and maybe some of Linda's old stuff on CDs. I should do this while I've got the chance.

Got some really cool cards from my parents. They were funny.

12/14/1992 Mon. 3:10 PM

I feel miserable today. I am very congested and I even took a decongestant and I'm waiting for the doctor to call. My chest and back muscles are tight and lumpy. It feels horrible.

Greg's gonna be back any minute to fix my water tank. In the shower, I only have hot water for 5 minutes. If I shave, I only have time to shave one leg before the water turns cold. If I wash my hair, then want to shave I can't cuz the water's gone cold.

I still do have shit to write about, but I will some other time. I'm also pretty tired. I only slept a few hours.

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