Homeless - 15

Hello,

I have said, in my previous life, that the only way for me to stop drinking and smoking is for someone to tie me up and confine me in a locked room for 30 days. Well, it seems that the spirit of the universe is showing me, via my current set of circumstances, that there is another way that doesn't involve locking me up. Since I've been homeless, I haven't consumed any alcohol and maybe, just maybe, less than ten cigarettes a week. That alteration of behavior has got to be a good thing...though maybe not as much fun. Oh, well, it is healthier.

Now, having said that...

This past Saturday I was hanging out at a pool around noon when the apartment management threw a resident appreciation party complete with grilled burgers and dogs, chips, soda and cookies. I thought 'Great! Takes care of the food for the day.' It lasted for a couple of hours and then everyone continued on their way. The pool became quiet again and I managed to squeeze in a lengthy nap. After waking up and swimming a few laps, I continued reading the book I brought with me. At around 7 PM, a couple of guys showed up dressed in togas (where the hell am I?!?) and started taking down the net. It seems that they were starting a party at the other clubhouse and needed the net for some water volleyball action over there. Andddd....I was invited to attend...which I did. It was a birthday celebration and there were a few more togas present but were in the minority. There was pizza, spiked watermelon, chex party mix, beer (plenty of) and some fruit juice in a large bucket that had a distinctive flavor of that demon Everclear. Needless to say, I ingested my fair share of those consciousness altering agents and enjoyed the company. I didn't know any of them when I arrived but I did by party's end. And that was around 2 AM at which time I retired.

I achieved partial consciousness several hours later and took advantage of the facilities at that location to freshen up. I drove to another pool around noon thinking of taking it easy and basking in the sun. Within the hour a group of people arrived with similar resources that were present the evening before. I knew a few of this group of people so I wasn't a complete stranger. They grilled burgers, dogs and chicken, had chips, soda, cookies, beer (plenty of!) and
Jello shots that contained that evil demon Vodka. Different group of people but same end result. It lasted till midnight and I went back to my truck to relinquish consciousness...for the second night in a row.

So, all in all, it was probably the best weekend I had since becoming...domicile challenged. Food, alcohol and company was in abundance!