Got a letter from Mary yesterday, and you know, I gotta wonder why I bother wasting my time trying to get her to stop asking for favors for friends if she’s just going to ignore me. She sent a couple of pictures of José that Maria asked for copies of, and as I had to remind her, it really bothers me when people she knows I don’t know ask for favors. What do they think I am, their slave? Anyway, I scanned the pictures and sent the originals back letting her know I’d send one copy, but not until I get new ink.

Other than that, she’s tired of the family drama but is excited about the idea of living with Maria when she gets out. I don’t think she should jump the gun on what’s going to be once she’s out. It’s too soon to know this for sure. She’s too positive, too optimistic. I understand, though, that at her age we all tend to be that way. She’s still at an age when we think everything will work out, and that if we just try hard enough, we’ll get whatever we want in life.

She’s still in the middle of reading my last story and says she wants to be Lucille in the book I’m working on now.

I won two small lots yesterday, each containing 10 Barbies and 2 Kens, plus clothes. One’s coming from somewhere in Minnesota and the other’s coming from Orlando. These are the last of the Maricopa goodies. No more till we’re moved and settled. They’re both coming by parcel post, so I don’t expect to have them for a week.

I also received the Texas lot, and it’s a damn good thing Barbies aren’t breakable because they crushed the shit out of the box. Part of it isn’t just to blame on the stupidity and carelessness of the PO, but also the box they used to pack it in. The idiots used a flimsy box with a lid they thought they could tape down.

I’m keeping 10 of the 16 Barbies, but there are a few I still may put toward the lot. I’ve got 6 going to the lot for sure as well as the 4 Kelly dolls and 1 Katie doll it came with. I’m also putting most of the clothes towards the lot because they’re a bit too worn for my tastes. A couple of the dolls have bite marks on them and one has a splotch on its cheek that looks like it’s from a red marker. Another reason I’m glad I never had kids is that they’re such destructive little things!

A few of the Barbies can do some neat tricks. One’s arms flap up and down by a lever you slide in back. One has a button in back that makes sounds when you push it. The sound sort of reminds me of a slot machine in a casino. One has strings that when pulled, pull the hair up into a rather odd hairdo. Another has a rotating scalp with two different hair colors – dark brown and bright pink. I put it in braids and it looks really cool with the intertwining colors. This one has a flexible belly and is from the Jam & Glam series. She wears a striped halter and silver metallic pants.

Later…

I don’t believe this shit! I still haven’t gotten the grape oil. What, do they want to lose me as a customer? God, I wish we could manufacture our own stuff! I am so tired of having to depend on a world full of idiots. It’ll be a real pisser if I have to find someone else to deal with, because not only do they lose, but I lose too, because no other place has such a huge variety of fragrances.

They’re stringing phone wires at the farthest new house which means someone’s moved in. The good in it is that at least I know it’s not going to be that hard to sell this house, but the bad is that I know that in just a matter of time, they’re going to get dogs, throw them outside, and I’m the one who’s going to have to deal with it till we move. I wish I knew when that was to be, too. I hope that sometime next week we’ll finally have an idea. The bank hasn’t responded to our letter, but it doesn’t matter if they do or not. We made up our minds to proceed without them. It’s our house and we’re the ones who should sell it. All the letter was for was to document his reminding them of this fact. I know I’m going to miss this house till we get our next one built, but still, I just want to get the show on the road and move on! It seems most of my life has been spent waiting for this or for that. You’d think I’d be used to it by now, but instead it gets old. Way old.

What amazes me is that a house was never put in directly in front of us since we’ve been here. That’d make the renters and next door seem worlds away and like we had almost total privacy from them.