Wow! I’ve really done a lot less writing compared to last year. For the first half of last year, I had 250 pages. It looks like I’ll have roughly around 130 pages for the first half of this year. That’s because there were a lot more assholes to write up between the blacks and Mexicans I was having to deal with, but there are still some Mexicans I can write up right now. At 3:00 this afternoon, the loudest boom car stereo went by that I could hear just fine in the kitchen with the AC on the fridge humming away, although I doubt it could’ve woken me up. They came straight down past the house, but not directly by it. They headed east all the way and I could still hear them long after they were out of view. It was a red pickup loaded with Mexicans. Oh, those fucking Mexicans!!! They never cease to cause problems and be a general nuisance to society. Always have to deal with their shit. They just have to make a show of themselves and stand out. Always have to get attention, or else! Sometimes I wish we were in an area where blacks and Mexicans were scarcer, even if it meant dealing with 4 seasons again, or in the middle of a 350-acre farm. Why did Arizona have to be so damn close to Mexico? Desperate people do desperate things, which means audio technology advances fast. By the time I’m 40, there’ll be stereos that’ll make these things seem soft and that’ll make up the difference space-wise, and sound like they’re just a few feet away all over again.

I had to listen to a boom car stereo at 7:30 last night for a few minutes too, but this one wasn’t as loud and could only be heard in back when no appliances or fans were running. I could tell it was parked somewhere, but I never saw a vehicle of any kind. There were no cars at the renter's, and I really think only one of the rentals is occupied, cuz I only see one truck there and it doesn’t blast music, and it works nights. I think it was an associate of Dan’s that pulled up in front of his place where I couldn’t see it. Could’ve been next door too, for all I know. I doubt it was connected to the renters, cuz I can see both the front and back of the rentals, and it was free of any vehicles. It’s also possible that this thing could’ve been much much louder than I thought, and was further away. Could’ve been at the lot behind Dan or the rentals for all I know. Maybe even further. Nonetheless, these things are getting louder and more frequent and I can’t say that I like it one bit.

Speaking of Dan, Tom said his mailbox was gone one day and then it was back. Said someone must’ve hit it. If so, I’m amazed that they’d take it, fix it, then bring it back. I’m surprised they didn’t just leave it lying on the ground.

Later...

I wonder if we’ll be in for another storm tonight. Last night’s storm was like – oh my God! Different from the other storms we’ve had. The other storms had more thunder, lightning and less rain. But last night it rained really hard for 40 minutes nonstop. I was surprised there weren’t puddles all day today but the heat dried things up by the time I looked out the window at 11:00 this morning (I’m doing a schedule rollover). You could see wet spots, but there wasn’t any standing water. Before the rain came at 9:00 last night, it was super windy for about 10 minutes. I’m amazed we didn’t lose power. I guess it must’ve gotten really dusty, cuz when I looked outside it was pitch black. The city lights off in the distance were completely blacked out. I’m surprised that no water was running down the wash like a river. I had to open the door and shine the flashlight out towards the wash to see if there was running water in it or not. I couldn’t see through the windows.

Two nights ago, while I was listening to music, a light suddenly shined in the window. I thought someone pulled up in front of the wash and that their headlights were shining on the front of the house, but it was actually a small airplane’s lights from several miles away. It was pretty neat. I mean, you’d never notice a plane’s lights flying right by your house in Phoenix.

At 6:00 that truckload of Mexicans came back up from wherever the fuck they were. I could hear the music before I saw them, but then it miraculously stopped right before they got to the house. Tom said they were just visiting. We’ll see. I just thank fucking God no one lives a few feet away! It’s a big difference when you live near your neighbors instead of with them.

It looks like Houdini’s going to end up being the smallest rat I ever had. He’s still not even Ratsy’s size, and Scuttles, Vanilla Belly, Mickey, and the Bear were bigger than him. Speaking of Ratsy, the poor guy’s having more and more trouble getting around. He’s over two years old now and it appears he has a touch of arthritis. At least he doesn’t appear to be suffering and is still wheeling.

I’m hearing a really weird motor grinding around out there somewhere. Sounds like it could be a dune buggy.

Evelyn called today and she just doesn’t get it. Everything we’ve been telling her regarding the trailer has gone in one ear and out the other. As Tom told Mary, she’s convinced he changed his mind about the trailer and that he’s a horrible person now, but as he said – who cares what she thinks and if she doesn’t like him? Tough shit, although I was still polite to her. Normally, I’d let someone like her really have it. Maybe if she weren’t just an old hag I would’ve, but she just didn’t get me mad enough for that. All she did was not listen to us and imply that Tom’s a liar. He’s lied about a few things, but he wasn’t lying when he told Evelyn the reasons why we can’t get the trailer. When she called I told her I was sorry things turned out the way they did and she asked me why he “changed his mind.” I said he didn’t change his mind, we’d have loved to have had the trailer, but we can’t risk moving something so old and getting sued when the only ones that are insured can’t move it till July and want a small fortune to do it, too. Then, as if she didn’t hear a damn word I’d said, she said anyone that could move it would be insured, that’s not what Tom said, she’s not even going to talk to the guy she had in mind to haul it, and please have Tom mail her back the title. I said that’d be fine and she thanked me and said I could call anytime. Gee, thanks. She doesn’t like Tom anymore, but I can call anytime. It’s so weird, too! This is a woman who hates everyone like Dureen O, so why she seems to favor me is beyond my comprehension. Anyway, I told her I’d be sending her pictures of the house and land and a few pet shots, too.

Tom and I discussed what we’re going to do now that God won’t let us have the trailer cuz it would’ve been for free, and he says that once he’s better he’ll take care of the trash and gather up the stuff and put it by the utility end of the house so I won’t have to see it when I look out the office, living room, and bedroom windows. There’s a lot more trash than stuff, too.

Mary thinks he has pleurisy and said she had that and the same symptoms, too. Said she had to take antibiotics and then she was fine. I hope what Tom has is as easy to fix as giving him a round of antibiotics and that he doesn’t have a new problem one week later, and the week after that, and after that, etc. He’s got too many problems for a nonsmoker of his age. When he nears his 50s and 60s, then I can see him having more problems, but 43 is a bit young for this shit and I wish God would leave him alone, leave us alone, and just let us live our lives in peace.

We were surprised to learn that Mary’s already read my story. Her review was basically the same as Tom’s – it was too busy and had too many twists and turns. She said it was well-written, but the ending was weird and it was as if I had so many stories combined into this one story. Tom said he wasn’t supposed to tell me this for fear of my feelings being hurt, but as I told Mary, I appreciate her honesty, my feelings won’t be hurt, and she could tell me it was horrible and it still wouldn’t hurt my feelings, as long as it was the truth. As I also told her, I guess I was trying to be different and that’s why I wanted a lot of action and many twists and turns because so many people seem to want the same old, same old - slow-moving stories that are rather predictable. Perhaps I should’ve written the story with other people’s tastes in mind and not based on what I like. In my next story, if I ever get around to finishing it, I’m going to slow things down quite a bit and be a bit more predictable. In other words, I’ll stick more to the subject, rather than have the beginning of the story be very different from the end. I’ve noticed that the most popular subjects, as I told her, when it comes to books and TV, are murder, sex, infidelity, drugs, pregnancy and childbirth, so I may take these popular subjects into consideration. Tom, though, said not to worry so much about what I write about and concentrate more on the day-to-day things that happen with the characters. Perhaps he’s right.

Tom says Mom thinks my book is written based on my life’s experiences. Certainly not! Although I do have mice and once had really long hair and a few other things in common with my characters, I don’t write my life in my books. That goes in my journals. I never knew a ghost named Christina, I never killed anyone (as much as I’ve wanted to at times), and my mother didn’t commit suicide, although it would’ve been nice if she had.