No views from Molly or questions on Ask, even though she just updated her blog with another bad day, admitting her moods go from good to bad in seconds. Yeah, we learned that years ago. 

Nane’s mother is in Hawaii now and she’s in the process of picking out a 2-day stay in Hamburg for her birthday. Do these people ever go a month without going anywhere? Either way, I thought she was having problems with her mother? So then why is she buying her a present? Either way, that’s quite a lavish gift! 

Got up to find the water off which really sucked. I hate not to wash my face when I get up. Not knowing how long it’d be off, I didn’t flush after I peed. That way I’d still have a tankful of water for when it was time for more than just peeing, plus the other bathroom’s tank as well. That was smart, Tom said. Yes, he married a smarty 20 years ago. Well, it will be 20 years on the 15th. 

Finished the final proofreading of my book and shared a copy on Blogger and Prosebox as well to a few people via Blogger, including Maliheh. LOL, her first thought, no doubt, will be to wonder if her name was mentioned. 

Yesterday was peaceful. No landscapers or loud music. No landscapers today, but someone did come blasting in back. Because it was in back where there are no windows I didn’t see them. Twice I heard music that was in the park. One definitely was, one probably was. The park needs to do something about this shit, too. Especially if Tom’s right in saying they didn’t start allowing loud car stereos. We were hoping there was just some kind of event going on and maybe just some visitors from out of town, since it started suddenly and didn’t gradually build up to this shit. But this is the second week, so what “event” could be going on, since most of the rumbling I’m hearing off in the distance is definitely the houses just outside the park, as well as the freeway. Just the fact that I’m suddenly hearing this so much more, inside and outside the park, is frustrating and worrisome. I didn’t come here for this shit. Loud music is way more annoying than barking dogs, screaming kids, and landscapers could ever be. It’s such a vibrant, penetrating sound even from a distance. 

I’m not about to let it run us out of this house. There are only 4 possible ways out, as I’ve already decided. One is because we decided to move when he retires in 13 years. Two is because we decided to stay here for the rest of our lives. Three is because we lost the place and so we killed ourselves knowing the streets would kill us for us if we didn’t. Four is because we struck it rich and moved to Maui. 

Got a clever idea to add pic folders within pic folders. After I post a pic on Ask or in my blog or whatever, I'll move it to that subfolder. By saving pics I've posted, I won't have to wonder if I've already posted a new pic I might like because I can then run the pics in that subfolder through my amazing picture-matching program that weeds out duplicates. 

Got a thing from my dentist saying she’ll give her patients a $100 gift card for everyone they refer to her, and the person they refer will get $100 off their services. We can think of people around the park and at his job to recommend, only most people can’t afford her cuz she’s expensive. She doesn’t use those cheap old, crappy metal fillings that don’t last as long, and we have to pay extra to get the top-of-the-line, quality stuff that lasts. 

Had a funny dream where I met up with several family members for a vacation in Hawaii, including dead ones. Either I or someone else was saying that my parents and grandparents who lived next to us shared the same garage when the houses were first built, not that that was true. 

Then there was a large room with about 10 long benches or pews in it. Some were to the left, some to the right. Off of that room was a smaller room with several people in it. I was in the larger room when I spotted Norma and Milt sitting by themselves on the front bench farthest from the doorway to the smaller room. 

“Hiya Norma!” I called out in a cheerful voice, then I fell over one of the benches on the other side of the room sort of behind her and Milt and felt like such an idiot. I tried to make a joke of it to cover my embarrassment and while I was still on the floor I held out my arm with an imaginary camera and said, “Hey, this would make a cute selfie.” 

Then I got up and Norma smiled politely then said, “Sit in the right jail.” 

I don’t know why she’d refer to the rooms as “jails,” but I then realized I was supposed to be in the smaller room. 

I entered the small room and it opened to the outdoors where the shoreline wrapped around a small area where picnic tables were set up. Much of my family sat eating at the tables, including my parents, sister, and possibly grandparents. 

I stepped into the water, admiring how warm it was. Then I got a little nervous when I saw a guy picking up some 3-foot snakes that were by the shore. 

“They aren’t dangerous?” I asked him, and he said no. 

So I picked one up and carried it over to my mother whose forkful of food stopped midway to its big mouth and said, “Nice huh? Ain’t he just a cutie?” 

I woke up laughing at that one… till I found they turned the damn water off again. 

When I go to change the rat cage I lift it off its base. When it’s not on the base, it’s just a wire floor and shelves, so piss can go through. Sure enough, Romeo steps out of his tube as soon as I set it down and takes a leak on the new carpet. The furry bastard couldn’t wait just 5 lousy minutes. Sometimes I want to take that rat, spin it by the ceiling fan by its tail, swish it around in the washer, let it take a tumble in the dryer, then drown it in the dishwasher! 

Sugar, on the other hand, is amazing. Since his stroke, he hasn’t been on the upper levels of the cage, but that’s all changed now. He is one amazing rat! Getting down can be harder than going up for him, especially on the side that has no ramp. So I added an extra water bottle in case he gets stuck there when no one’s around to help him downstairs.