Things are still running smoothly though not without scare/annoyance #2 from the property management. Today we got a letter threatening to charge us the next time the drains backed up now that they suddenly know it’s “tenant-caused.” What took them so long to figure this one out is beyond us, especially since one of the workers told Tom it had been building up over many years, and I could clearly see tons of calcium buildup in my vision that confirmed that yes, it would’ve taken many years to build up. Nonetheless, they submitted a copy of the $500 bill, and we assume Kim got one, too. We know it’s just a ploy for the owner to try to extort money from us should the filthy pig living behind us jam the drains up again before we move, which we’re hoping will be by next June, but Tom’s going to tell them in person the next time he pays the rent not to expect us to pay them a dime as long as we share a drain with someone else. Someone the handyman himself referred to as being “filthy.” They may try to raise the rent out of spite, but we’ll move if they do since the place isn’t even worth the $450 we’ve been paying being so small, old, tilted and on a shared lot. I know one thing for sure and that’s that if there was the slightest shred of guilt over the idea of us leaving the place dirty, along with whatever we don’t want that we don’t sell, it’s all gone now. And if they do anything else, the place will be damaged along with trashed to ensure that they have to pay a hell of a lot more than our $450 deposit to fix it, if we pour syrup all over the floor and carpet, for example. We already figured that we’d not only not have an address to give them for the deposit once we do move or need the money if we’re making a ton of it through the program, but that we would leave shit behind and a little dirt as well to make them have to work for some of that money. I know that when I was slaving over trying to clean the duplex’s oven that wasn’t self-cleaning, I wished we weren’t staying with the same company and that they’d given us a reason not to bother cleaning anything. Well, this time they’ll be the ones slaving! Yes, we can cost them a hell of a lot more than they could cost us, and it feels so good to be the ones with the hold on someone else for once! What are they planning to do if it happens again anyway? Send us both a copy of the bill and end up with twice the amount? Well, the ball’s in their court as to how many costly and time-consuming yet fun memories we’ll leave them with, and believe me when I say there’s no end to what we could do. They’d have to practically tear down and build this place back up from scratch. We could write on the wall by the door, “Oh shit! I forgot my mama taught me not to write on walls,” then trail a string of dots to the door and add, “Or on doors.” We could clog up the toilet and write on the lid in permanent marker – always permanent – “NOW you can blame us!” We could trash or sell the doors, windows, heater, ceiling fan, oven and fridge, and take a hammer to the walls and sink fixtures. We could write “Fuck AAA” outside the front door, and jam the keyholes and outlets with something. We could punch holes in the ceiling with something and cut up the blinds. We could smash the brick around the heater, and coat the carpet/floors in syrup or paint or both, then bust the cabinets. If we left the heater, we could drill holes in back of the pipe out of view so the future tenants in here die and AAA gets sued. We could leave all the lights on and the hose running full blast under the house to tilt it some more or at least cost them even more money. But we will forget about bothering to fix the kitchen light, and we will leave the place unbelievably messy!

In better news, my latest wins are a bottle of vitamins Tom’s going to try, $10 of bingo credit at an online gaming site (I didn’t win), a matchbox car, a DVD, a book, and a daily prize from this site that didn’t give me the last daily prize I won. That was okay, though, cuz it was just a magazine subscription for the year. Even so, I quit entering their contests.

The artificial neural network is going well. The computer has to literally “learn” the different things about each horse, each track, etc. He teaches it every day, then sees what it’s learned when he gets in from work. Let’s just say that this requires the best computer equipment money can buy! Had he gotten this idea a few years ago, we’d never have been able to pull it off. Computers just weren’t fast enough. He’s now got it down to an 8% error rate and would like to get it down to 3%. I think he’s going to take it for a pretend test run tonight.

I can’t wait to get out of here. Not just because of whatever other shit management may try to pull, but because I’m sick of the car stereos, the dogs barking, the people screaming, and of course, we’re both sick of being crammed into such a tiny dump. That’s another reason I’m putting Cheri off for now.

Despite any management troubles, cold, snow and noise, this last year since we moved out of the duplex has been incredible! Best year of our lives together, no doubt. If someone had told me a year ago that I’d get 2 mannequins, 2 porn star dolls, 9 Tonners and 13 Barbies, I’d never have believed it. And this isn’t counting clothes, a whole new bed ensemble, beauty supplies, incense/oils, wind chimes and other odds and ends. Definitely been having the time of my life despite how much I hate the cold, snow, noise and this house. It’s hard to believe that the girl who wanted to kill herself that summer of ’04 was me! It’s like we stepped out of our lives and into completely different ones. We were so, so dirt poor and no one gave a damn, and I was so sure we’d never ever have an extra dime to our names. If there’s any good poverty did us it’s that it makes us appreciate having money all the more, as opposed to someone who’s always had it and therefore doesn’t know anything else. I see it as a form of compensation, and Tom agrees with me. It helps to make up for every person that’s fucked us over that God knew would get away with it. Still, I can’t wait to own a place, preferably outright or close enough to it, and to work for ourselves instead of someone else so we don’t have to live with the threat of him getting fired or laid off over the next 15 years or so, so long as nothing’s teasing us with this potential money-making program.

My ankles have been giving me trouble when I jog, so I blew my exercise ball back up and am using that, along with doing my crunches.

I’ve decided to hold off on the debarker and mini washer I was going to get. For one, I don’t see how the debarker could be that effective at this distance, and secondly, if we’re going to have enough money for a real washer/dryer in the next year or so, why buy a cheap little piece of shit?