Journal 77 will have a lot of blank pages left. I may use them for letters. I really want to take a new journal with me on this trip, so even if I still have a few pages left in this journal, I’ll still take a new one. Having a few blank pages at the end of this journal won’t kill me.

Anyway, I’m gonna go straighten my hair, so I’ll write more after.

Later…

OK, I straightened my hair. In a while we’re gonna haul out the old, big washer, so we can wash the comforter.

Tom said that last night, a big Jeep pulled in, then left 5 minutes later. There was no music. He didn’t hear the asshole pull in and I didn’t hear him leave this morning, so maybe he wasn’t there last night. Leave it to him to take off while we’re gone. Like I said, it’ll be nice and quiet while we’re gone.

There’s nothing worse than seeing something you envision that’s not good, actually happen. Like I said, I knew that God would start paying back for sleeping pretty well from late ‘93 till recently. If I don’t wake up due to some asshole’s noise, it’ll be just because. I woke up just because 4 hours after falling asleep. I took some Benadryl to knock myself back out, then woke up again later. That time, though, I was able to go back to sleep right away. I got up at 5 AM, which is great for the trip. Taking Benadryl may help with making me sleep longer when I’m trying to push my schedule around, but it can also be a bad thing if it’s gonna push it around too far. I don’t need it pushed any further than it is now, so I’ll have to have Tom make sure I don’t sleep too late tomorrow, cuz I know God’s just gonna wake me up again 4 hours after I go to sleep, then it’ll take about an hour to go back to sleep, and the Benadryl will keep me out for 7 hours. Well, I certainly can’t afford to be in bed a whole 12 hours again, so that’s why he’ll probably have to get me up.

Later…

I gathered up most of the stuff we’ll be taking to California with us.

Even though Tom let the epoxy set long enough on the new cage’s leg joints, it broke off. So he took off all the leg joints and intends to bolt them in to make them sturdier for when Velvet’s running around. So, he will be in the aquarium after all, while we’re gone. Meanwhile, the mice will occupy the Play City cages upstairs. Velvet will be able to look up at the mice while the mice will be able to look down at Velvet. This is cuz I’ll have a T-tube inserted in the floor hole, rather than a cap. It’s easier to get tubes in and out of floor holes and I think the mice and pig would enjoy being able to see up and down.

The comforter we’re washing is almost done. Gotta get it up onto the clothesline afterward.

Later…

Tom just went to mow his ma’s yard and pick up a few things. Ma’s got an electric mower, which will make mowing much much easier. Tom’s gonna hit our yard too, then once we pull Bunny inside in the morning, he’ll throw weed killer on it so they’ll be dead when we return and so it can’t hurt Bunny by the time he’s back outside again.

A silver sedan-type of a car came and went quietly to visit. So she’s home on some weekdays?

I got my comforter in just in the nick of time. It had just started to drizzle just as I got it off the line.

This weather is pitiful. It’s gonna be nice where we’re going in L.A., but it’s still unseasonably cool here. Just when you think it may get pretty warm in the afternoon, it’s chilly or even cold again. Tonight will be freezing. The nights and mornings suck. We still have to run the heat at times, it’s mid-April, and we’re in Arizona. It makes no sense, that’s for sure.

I hope to hell my packages arrive today, but I know they won’t. Therefore, there’s a damn good chance they’ll go to the freeloaders, but what can I do about it? Put my life on hold for a couple of packages? I don’t think so.

Well, I’m gonna go check my baked potato. It should be done right about now.

Later…

No, my potato’s not ready.

Tom sorted out a lot of tools today.

I’ve got us mostly packed and I just remembered to gather up some proofreading stuff for the long, grueling car ride. At least the scenery will be nice.

Later…

If UPS doesn’t come within the next hour, as my vibes say they won’t, then the freeloaders get my packages.

Fucking freeloaders, man! Why do I always have to be the one stuck next to blacks or Hispanics? Of all the off-brands around here, I have to be the one to have them on my ass. We could move to a street with 30 houses on it where all households are white, with the exception of one, and who’d be next to the exception? Us. We would for sure.

It only drizzled for a few minutes, but it’s windy and chilly out there. It’s pretty cloudy, too.

Hopefully, we won’t have any animals coming by to give us a going-away ball game after they get out of school. So far, things have been better than I thought they’d be as far as that goes. I expected a game every day, and if not, every other day, but it looks like that’ll be mostly a weekend thing, compliments of Miss Joely Bitch N. Not Saturday, though, cuz we won’t be here.

I’m not gonna be doing my usual weekend letters since we’re taking this trip. I’ll do them when we get back. That way I’ll have something new and exciting to tell them.

I moved Tweety to the table I do my writing on in the back room. That way he can watch the sunrise and set while we’re gone and be with the other animals.

Later…

Speaking of freeloaders, do I hear one in its carport? I could swear I’ve been hearing him packing, unpacking, or doing something. If he is, I’m surprised he’s doing it this quietly.

We activated the cell phone my folks sent. We can call 911 without it being activated, but we can now call for help if we break down. Tom also knows cars and has every tool you could need for a car, packed in the trunk. We’re gonna leave the Nissan Centra here and take the Ford Tempo.

Later…

I called and left Andy a message, asking him to please check for packages if he can, and put them on the back patio. I pretty much expect an “I was too busy,” or an, “I couldn’t open the gate,” as an excuse, but we’ll see. It’s just that there’s always some sort of problem for him.

UPS is definitely not coming today. We haven’t even got our regular mail. He’s either late, or we just didn’t get anything.

Tom called from his ma’s while I was out back. Guess it wasn’t too important, though, cuz he didn’t leave a mess.

Tom’s home now. Just pulled in.

Later…

Tom got a California map and a map of L.A. He lived in Riverside, CA for a couple of years many years ago.

Tweety likes to file his beak on my pen cap.