I have quite a shocking update – an email from Jessica S! The message was sent under the name Bonnie S, but she hasn’t told me who that is yet. She sent the message a few days ago saying she received my letter a while back and misplaced it till now, and to let her know if I have the same email address.

I replied, letting her know I was glad to hear from her, and that we were moving to Sacramento soon. Then I sent her a detailed update of my last 15 years in the wild, wild west and she replied saying her life seemed dull in comparison.

I responded by letting her know that sometimes dull is better than adventurous and that I was looking forward to hearing all that’s been going on with her.

Today she said she got an accounting degree at HCC, got married, went through a bunch of shit, got separated, had a beautiful daughter, and is now trying to work things out with her husband. Between work and a 4-year-old, free time is sparse.

I told her that’s why I opted not to have kids (if ever I really did have the freedom of choice in the matter in the first place); so I could have a life. I told her it’s all a matter of priority, but if she’s happy, that’s all that matters. I sent her the links to my photo albums and she’s seen some of them. She never answered a fraction of the questions I had for her or even told me her daughter’s name or how her son was doing, so I figured she could tell me what she wants when she wants. With a job and a kid that young and probably a man who doesn’t give a shit about either one of them, I can see where she’d have no life. I figured that like with Paula, her life would be pretty much the same, though she’s certainly a lot more with it than Paula, whom I finally spoke to earlier today.

The only new thing Paula told me was that she’s moving after 8 years of being in the same place. She gave me two different reasons as to why she’s moving. First it was because her landlady won’t renew her lease, and then it was because of the freeloaders upstairs. She’s moving to another 3-family house in Chicopee, but will still have the same PO Box in W. Springfield. She’ll be on the first floor, under an old lady. She says the lady can ask her son to turn down his music if she wants, but she better not make a habit of it. Justin’s been really mean to her, she says, and she’s having problems with him.

Gee, Paula, I wonder why! Like maybe you weren’t a great example for him perhaps?

The biggest shocker was that she got married last October, but hasn’t told anyone, not even Justin. I don’t know why the secrecy, but anyway, the guy turned out to be a real psycho, so it turned out to be the biggest mistake of her life, she says.

Tom thinks it’s just water, but it looks to me like my weight hasn’t maxed after all. Figures, huh? It looks like yes, I will keep gaining indefinitely if I eat all I want, it’ll just be a slow process. I’m back to 137 pounds, but I still doubt I’ll do much about it till I can get a hold of the Claritin.