Homeless - 51

Greetings, domesticated bipeds,


Hope everything is going well with you, that you survived the winter in a suave and debonair fashion while adhering to safe practicing of propagation techniques. Things are going somewhat better for me at this point...sans the propagation thingy, of course. The new part time work that I'm participating in seems to be doing well. The work environment is better than any I've had since last year; not as physically ruinous, indoor controlled climate, five hour shifts, no physical beatings to promote moral and I work with women who are intelligent, attractive, educated, possess pleasing social techniques and a sense of humor. These attributes are a perk to a heterosexual human male. It's not that I'm seeking to develop and secure reproductive opportunities but it is pleasant to talk and laugh with them during the course of the shift. The two males that I work with who perform the same function that I do ... well, I may have to hurt them yet. Payday is every two weeks via automatic deposit so I have a few steady bucks coming in. I eat a decent meal 2 - 3 times a week at upscale dining establishments where the selected fare can be under $5 - sometimes $4 depending on the day of the week. Usually, my heaviest meal is around noon and then an apple or such in the late evenings for the supper with a handful of nuts for an occasional snack. It's been working so far. I no longer hit the 'sample hour' at grocery stores in my area, figuring that'll be more for other resource challenged humans, etc. I wash a load of clothes on the weekend, adhering to the socially sanctioned methods and technology, instead of the cheaper chlorine based methodology that I have described in the past. The workout regimen is continuing with an additional increase in weight on some of the sets. Before too long, I might be able to bench press a double handful of overweight, over domesticated cats. Sleeping arrangements are still the same at the Black Thunder Hilton. There be more of current conditions in a later entry.

Gee, has anyone noticed the increase of the price of fuel these days? Of course you have, just as you would've noticed repeated, frequent and enthusiastic intrusions into your backside which all of us are feeling lately where that petroleum molecule is involved. It's a pity that our wages don't set a record profit each quarter, not unlike the companies in the energy sector. And I thought that the middle class was the major component that drove our economy and the world at large. Big Oil is not remotely interested in pursuing cheaper and cleaner energy alternatives as long as they can ride the populace of this planet like a crazed weasel in heat. Yeah, they throw a few million at a feasibility study or an evaluation of current technology and come up with some numbers and report back to us that, sadly, no other other viable alternative is economically possible at this time but they will continue that pursuit and let us know. The energy sector has got to be hurting, right? Why else would our government grant them billions of dollars annually in tax breaks? If the powers-that-be were really serious, other alternatives would be available in 2 - 5 years. I know some of you (ok, many of ya'll) are scratching yourself and thinking What the * is he talking about? Ok, I'll give you a couple of examples. Remember the Manhattan Project in the 1940's? You seen that facility as the backdrop in the Austin Powers movies as his underground lair. The project was an intensive(!) R & D effort to harness and control the power that is released when atomic bonds are abruptly decoupled beyond the random occurrences of Hey, Billy Bob, hold my beer and watch this! The United States clocked up its' efforts when our intelligence community at that time discovered that those rascally industrious Germans were experimenting with heavy water to develop their own WMDs. As it turned out, our side discovered that ol' nuclear explosion trick first and put a most serious scorching on Hiroshima and Nagasaki. Also, remember that thing the United States did in the 1960's? Something about sending a few humans to the moon and getting them back without being mutated into an space-octopus looking thingy? That ain't no small feat if you're one of those people who forget where they park their vehicle. Now, both of those efforts had, shall we say, a few technical difficulties to address and overcome but they are prime examples of what can be achieved when resources are fully committed in a selfless, measured and determined way to ensure a goal of national importance - security, for one...and to develop the technology for microwaves, cellphones, game consoles, instantaneous teleportation, etc. Threats to security can come in many forms but, just maybe, since the advent of globalization, that issue has a lower priority than corporate profit.

I may have dodged a bullet in the early morning hours of 4/10/08 and I don't mean in the Matrix style when you are launching a desperate balls-to-the-wall frontal assault with limited resources against a heavily fortified enemy encampment, out manned and outgunned, to rescue a captured asset - nay, a valued and treasured friend that you are unwilling to abandon to the somewhat untender mercies of an enemy with nearly limitless prerogatives for information extraction. You are utilizing every means at your disposal - powerful portable weapon systems, strategic and tactical war gaming combat simulation experience, hand-to-hand combat skills...and love. How would any individual fight the good fight without a deep affection for the people who are held close to the heart? But I wander. No, I'm alluding to the other kind of dodging that we call in this section of the planet as chickenshit cowering, where you stay still and hope the gods are lenient with your young, unworthy ass. The weather had been a bit settled during the week in question and of that day in particular with thick humidity and threatening clouds with an ill wind blowing not unlike the effect that ensues after ingesting a can of cheap chili. I navigated the day in a respectful fashion and went to sleep around midnight but was abruptly awakened around 2:30 AM by the rocking of Black Thunder in the darkness of the parking lot. I'm not talking about the gentle swaying that may be the effect of a strong thunderstorm; rather, it was like two sex crazed yaks having a go at it in the bed of the truck. It was raining so hard I couldn't see the other side of the strip mall 50 meters away unless it was illuminated by the frequent lightning. I started up BT with the intentions of moving because I was thinking tornado but I didn't hear any sirens. It had been awhile since I felt that cold spike of fear. I moved to the southwest corner of the property and that provided some cover but then it started hailing, pinging sounds all over BT's young butt. I thought of moving again and I looked at the overpass less than 100 meters distant but vehicles were already taking cover and there was no room. During this evaluation, my fear vanished as I contemplated options. The only other course of action I could think of was a covered parking area in an apartment complex about the same distance away as the underpass. For some reason, I felt that it would be better to remain where I was. While the storm continued, I turned on the radio to check any weather updates. There was an Air Supply song The Air That I Breathe, Rolling Stones' Can't Get No Satisfaction, Barry White's Can't Get Enough of Your Love, Babe and an infomercial about a juicer that advocated long life when the contents are ingested. Obviously, the media infrastructure failed me in my time of need and I terminated their participation via the 'off' button. I had turned on the headlights fully prepared to move and noticed that I was surrounded by window glass that mall shops insist on using to showcase their wares to the passing public. I did have the thought of how high winds can shatter glass and send those shards at a distressingly high rate of speed that could pass through, with impunity, trees and trucks and valued living flesh but I still remained where I was. After nearly twenty minutes, things quieted down to just a hellacious thunderstorm minus the hail and then to a strong storm. I returned to my original place in the lot, had a smoke and went back to sleep amidst heavy rain. I woke a bit after 6:30 to an empty lot with no power and no rain. I stretched out, brushed the tusks, stashed my signature bed linen and moved out for free coffee and the 34 cent donut. As I pulled out of the north end of the parking lot, I noticed that the apartment complex across the street, the one that has my hot tub and steam room on premises, had several trees down, a covered parking awning laying on top of some vehicles that it used to provide protection for, a couple of utility poles down and a couple more leaning at an angle not conducive to proper functioning. Much of the same en route to the the larger mall with parking light poles down or damaged, power out and several things missing. Traffic was a mess. The store had the backup generators online but no coffee but they did have hot water so I washed my face with my newly bought bar of Clinque facial scrub and took an extremely satisfying morning dump. After the traffic died down in a couple of hours, I drove around the 'range' and it was much the same; trees down or heavily damaged, brick fences...unbricked, roof thingies on the ground, etc. After lunch, the sun came out with a gentle breeze wafting through the leaves of the trees, those still standing, and the birds sang the song that was in their heart which was probably What the hell was that?!?. Oh well, this is the time of year for that kind of weather in these parts. l

The weather has altered in this area from the winter type of weather to the...unwinter type of weather. I re-inventoried BT and as a result, she has experienced an increase in available space in the cab area as well as the space behind the seats. I stored all the winter gear; the two blankets, 3 pair of full socks, the 6 pieces of heavy sweatsuit items, a pair of gloves. I also took the time to whittle down the stuff I had carried but hadn't used. Currently, I have an overnight bag (ha!) that contains socks, undies, tank tops, shorts, ankle socks, shampoos and soaps. It may sound like a lot but it barely covers the floorboard on the passenger side. The backpack that contains writing materials occupies the same floorboard and, of course, there is the bag for the food pantry. Any dirty clothes go into a plastic bag behind the driver's seat along with shoes when not in use (with cedar horns inserted, of course). Behind he passenger side seat are three towels, a king sized sheet and the other pair of jeans; of two that I wear to work. So, all in all, she is organized and even more spacious.

Talk with you later,


David


P.S.


On a whim, I drove by the place that I was thinking about taking refuge earlier that night and felt a sense of relief when I saw that area. The awning above the spot that I usually parked in was shredded, as in tinfoil shredded. There were roof shingles all over the place. This area is more heavily populated by trees but not so much these days; limbs were tore off and laying about, parts of trees everywhere and a couple that were just uprooted. These trees were not the dainty kind either; they had been there awhile. There was a two story brick apartment building less than 20 meters away that had the southwest corner of itself...debricked...which for some reason reminded me of a really close bikini wax.. And, yes, there were a few bricks laying about. Several of the vehicles that I noticed had a nick or two but all were in a functional position. It is significantly probable that if I changed my location during the night that I might have had less resources than I currently enjoy.