Welcome to day 19670 - just glad to have made it through that despicable date value of four days ago, the one that has the same numerical value in three consecutive positions that is usually tied to a certain dark underlord who shall go nameless. I really, really try to avoid anything that has that particular value associated with it. It seems that I emerged through that portal with a whole skin, not having to fight any demons or such but I was still alert even more so than usual...not that I'm superstitious or anything. However, like grandma said, you don't have to believe in water but if you step in it, you're gonna need a towel. All in all, I guess anyone should be grateful that they're been alive for that number of days.
The winter weather in these parts has been...wintry. At nights, the lows are in the mid-to-high 20's with daytime highs in the 40's - at times with a balmy breeze. Everybody has nipples in cold weather according to a great 20th century philosopher, Bugs Bunny. The temperatures are probably the reason that there is ample room in the hot tub and steam room these days. I can understand an individual's reluctance to depart from a warm bed on such invigorating mornings. As for me, sleeping in BT is tolerable these days due to the stuff I have - the two blankets, a half-pillow and a couple of towels. I use one of the towels to cover up the spaces around the drop down armrest in BT that the cold has been seeping through, chilling my young back side when I get prone for the night. The other towel I cover my head with to trap what warmth that would escape; it be comfy. I do have to let BT run 15-20 minutes in the morning to thaw out the interior while I brush the teeth and enjoy the luxury of a morning smoke. Which reminds me of some positive attributes of having a job and working inside - warmth, bathroom privileges and the a place to stretch the legs and lightly wash up as well as interacting with other humans. Ahhhh, life's simple pleasures and comforts.
After a couple of weeks, the soap has been resupplied in the human cleaning facility that I frequent for the hygienic process - finally. As it happens, right on time since mine has ran out. I had detached the containers under the sinks in the men's and women's bathrooms to get the last of the soap out and left the empty bottles on the sink counters. I guess something clicked in a supervisor's head and the appropriate budgetary resources were allocated for resupply. I have discovered a use for the hand dryer blower thingy in the men's bathroom that may have exceeded the design specifications envisioned by the engineers. These days I wear sweat bottoms and a tank top while I slink to and from the facility in the quiet darkness of the morning with the watching moon hanging low in the sky, not unlike a testicle. I found that using the hand blower to dispense of excess body moisture before re-clothing eases the transition back to the truck by keeping the attire dry. I still enter and leave said facility barefoot though. I do expedite the donning of socks and shoes when my feet start to numb up. Call me a wimp but I do like to have some feeling in my extremities beyond that of a numbing coldness.
Through it all, my body has been fighting a vile evilness that current medical technology has categorized as a sinus infection. It is much better that last week, with less sneezing, which is a relief to any rhinos in the immediate vicinity that wish to remain somewhat dry. My voice is almost back to normal due to less congestion but I do wish an end to this lingering unwellness that is probably the work of the minions of the dark underlord himself. I have refrained from working out except for the light workout this past Sunday and I miss that post-workout feeling. Retro, Satannis! Which is Latin for Satan, get thee behind me ...or Satan, get thy ass hence, sucka!...can't remember which but you get the gist. I have been taking advantage of canned soup sales - $1 per can is pretty good when the regular price is $2.79 for the Campbell chunky soups. After nuking it and consuming it in Cafe BT, I do feel much better.
I received my first check Wednesday week ago. I immediately put that small fortune to use by changing the oil in BT which was way overdue and renewed her insurance for the next three months. Sometime before January is out of days, I will renew her registration and get new plates for the year. These expenditures will bring her back to legal status for awhile. The remainder of that fabulous windfall will go to fuel for her and me until the next check with hopefully some left over. Saving?!? What the hell am I thinking? I am without a permanent residence and I'm thinking of saving? For what? Contributions to my retirement fund? Is there an IRA configured specifically for humans living out of their vehicle? Anyway, I should be to save some for a tune-up that she needs to bring those wild horses back under control. And that about covers the expenditures; all other resource allocation activities remain online and active - butt harvesting, prudent raiding of the food samples that the grocery stores put out for their paying customers; hot tub 'wash cycle' for clothes, etc.
I did encounter a piece of good fortune a few days ago. I was pushing an empty grocery cart, that a customer foolishly ignored properly securing, into the store when I noticed a lottery scratch off ticket that wasn't...scratched off. I completed that ticket's destiny and won $3. Capitalizing on the manna from the fickle gods, I spent $2 on a 6-pack of Dr. Pepper (16.9 oz bottles) and the remaining $1 of the lotto winnings and $1.17 of my own to purchase a box of 6 granola bars all of which was on sale. It pays to keep your eyes and ears open and not think about anything while navigating through the obstacles of the day. You'd be surprised of what I've found while walking, being alert and internally quiet.
And now, the following news items just in:
- Tom Cruise is nuts.
- You can only work at a convenience store if you are of certain nationalities or ethnic groups where English is the second language.
- Britney could use a little help but not from Dr. Phil.
- Due to significant failures in the economy over the past forty years that has cost the taxpayers hundreds of billions of dollars, it has been determined that the free market economy model is flawed due to human greed of the elite political and industry leaders of the planet.
- Tom Cruise is nuts. Ooook, let's give him a little slack. Like all other visionaries before him, he may well be attempting to point out a way of existing that maximizes the yield of being alive and is verbally challenged, due to the limits of the syntax of language, in accurately conveying the enhanced understanding of the universe at large and the unequaled joy experienced in pursuance of such a path.
- Naaa...he's still nuts.
Keep warm and safe,
David
