Nothing really exciting happened in my dreams last night other than that I was on a boat with some people when it sank. I had to swim to shore, which was about 100 feet away.

Anyway, today’s my dad’s 79th birthday. I have a feeling he’s going to die at 83 and my mom will follow at 85, but whether I’m right or wrong, they certainly can’t have much time left. Not with as many years as she smoked and his bad heart. I still struggle with my feelings pertaining to them and probably always will. If it weren’t for them I probably wouldn’t be sitting here writing this right now, yet the years of abuse they’ve given me, plus a lifetime of bad memories, has a way of giving me seriously mixed emotions where they’re concerned.

In the letter they’ll be getting, I let them know about MagicJack and said I’d send them the number once we get around to getting it installed.

I’ve been bad again, shopping needlessly. I shop, Tom saves. LOL, at least I’m not as bad as I used to be. I spent HUNDREDS a month on all kinds of crap for years! Hey, I’m a woman. We just can’t help ourselves. We get extra money, we spend it.

What else? Oh yeah…someone asked what private room dancing is as opposed to exotic/topless dancing. When I was dancing topless, I was in a crowded room with bouncers (I also had my own personal bodyguard/driver) and the dancers did sets on stage as well as one-to-one dancing with customers at their tables. The money’s not what it’s cracked up to be and the owners of these clubs use the girls horribly by having them pay the DJ and bouncers a percentage of their earnings. Vegas showgirls, on the other hand, make a ton of money. Dancing around to your favorite music may beat flipping burgers at McDonald’s, but it’s not worth the sore feet.

With private room dancing, you are totally nude. You dance in a small room in which a concealed camera is planted. A guard also keeps an eye on you through a two-way mirror window. The slightest hint of trouble and they’ll be in there in a flash sticking a gun to the customer’s head, though fortunately, I never had a problem with any guys. I did have a woman get a little obsessed with me at one point, though, at the club but it was no big deal. I definitely don’t recommend private room dancing at all. You won’t make enough money on the busier days to make up for the days when business is slow. Hit the bars and go topless if you’re gonna shake your ass for money at all.

Later…

I can tell by the sound of it that Jesse’s working today. I wish I could say that the dogs are only barking because of the unusually cold weather we’re having for this time of year, even though it’s April, but I’m starting to get the feeling that the barking is going to be a year-round thing from now on. It just might not be during the afternoons in the summer when it’s at its hottest.

Speaking of summer and warmer weather, when is that ever going to happen? The weather has been absolutely terrible! Cold, wet, rainy and just miserable. It’s to be around 70º again in a few days, but so what? It’ll only be for 5 minutes.

I forgot to mention the Mexicali earthquake. It could even be felt in Phoenix from what Tom heard! Didn’t feel a thing up here, though.