Confessions of a One-Track Mind

Today was a quiet day for the most part. Then, a little while ago, I got an email from GK letting me know that this morning, her brother BC passed away in his sleep. Exact cause unknown; because it occured at his home, there will be an autopsy, but he was morbidly obese, had sleep apnea and heart attacks run in his family. He was 51--would've been 52 next week.

I feel really unsettled by this. I don't know that I would go so far as to call it grief, because it's years since we've been close, but there is definitely a hole in my universe. We go clear back to our mutual senior year of high school. He took me to senior prom, with NJ's (his then-girlfriend-now-widow's) permission.

We hung out; we saw a lot of movies, often with NJ, and the only drive-in movie I ever went to was with BC. (It was a double feature of High-Ballin' and Smokey and the Bandit.) It was always platonic, because I wouldn't do that shit to a girlfriend---but his family became my family as mine disappeared. He's the one who introduced me to S, and through her, to J.

In a daisy-chain of events, my friendship with BC has led me to where I am now. It was baby-sitting his kids that got me into comics, gaming and LARPing, which is how I met Mb. My phone career was initiated when S's SIL told me they were hiring at the answering service she worked for. Mb and I met through gaming, and realized that we both worked at the directory assistance call center. Then it was her who told me about the opening at the medical billing service.

I have so many memories of BC over the years, good and bad. The way he lived on peanut butter sandwiches and root beer the time his parents left him alone one weekend. His first computer, one of those cheapo Texas Instruments jobbies that you had to hook up to a TV for a monitor and a tape recorder as a hard-drive. His passion for Star Trek: TOS (Spock was his high school nickname), and how his dream job for a few years was at the local planetarium. Being at KSC to watch the first shuttle launch.

The less pleasant memories...I don't have the original Latin version, but there's a saying: Of the dead, say only what is good. He had his faults, but they're moot now.

He wasn't religious in the least, but I'm pretty sure he leaned toward agnostic rather than atheist. I don't know how he imagined the Hereafter, but I seriously doubt harps and halos figured into it. I think, if the "many mansions" of Heaven are reflections of our ambitions, that he coalesced in a cloud of sparkles onto a teleporter pad, ready to go on to some great adventure in a distant galaxy.

Good-bye, Bryan. Rest in Peace.

.

The thrifting happened, but as with so many things one wants!wants!wants!, it fell flat. GK was running around doing things with BC and his youngest all morning; it was nearly two when we hit the road.

Did the Rockledge Goodwill first. I was very selective; having just dropped off a shitload of crap, I was in no hurry to get more. My haul, courtesy of GK, was a red and black tribal print tee, a string of beads, a book and a candle-snuffer (The latter is going to church, as the one we had disappeared during a robbery).

GK said she was starving, so next came a side-trip to McD's. From there, we visited the Humane Society thrift, which was closing in ten minutes, and they all but shoved us out the door at the stroke of five.

When I'd dropped off some stuff there a couple weeks ago, I'd spotted a heavy-duty scale at another store, and GK was looking for one for BC*. We went there, but it was gone. GK, BCsDaughter and Bestie had more patience than I; I sat in the van and zoomed through the first 63 pages of my new book, "How Not to Make a Wish", drumming my fingers and wondering what the hell they could possibily find so enthralling in that dump.

We arrived at the Chinese Buffet at the same time as J. (CF was already waiting.) It ended up just being the six of us, very cozy, lots of girl-talk. We talked about GK's travels and our adventures in organizing my place. GK's dogs were a hot topic with J, who would love to get her hands on them to rehabilitate them. A good time was had by all.

Then GK and I, along with BCsDaughter and Bestie, went to the mall and saw Sucker Punch. (Which, incidentally, I think is a crap title, but I confess, I don't know what I'd call it.) OMG! Awesome, amazing, fabulous movie! We discussed it the whole way home, or at least until we dropped BCsDaughter and Bestie off at BCsDaughter's house.

Our final stop of the day was WalMart, where GK picked up a chrome link belt and got me a few perishables and a couple sundries. I have ample canned goods, but lacked a a few things like eggs, fresh bread, a shaker of parmesan, trash bags...and although it wasn't a major need, she also let me get another package of sheet protectors...maybe the package I *thought* I had will turn up---if I ever had them in the first place---but this way, I've GOT them and can work on reducing my 'zine stash some more.

We didn't get everything done that we'd hoped to, but it was a very good visit nonetheless.

0=0=0=0=0=0=0=0=0

* GK is concerned about BC. I'm not the most observant person; I hadn't noticed that he's walking oddly, or how much fluid he's retaining in his legs (makes me look positively svelte) and based on some internet research she's afraid he's developing pulmonary hypertension. His dad had a heart attack before 40, and other members of the extended family have also had heart problems. He's defensive and denies anything is wrong.
.

I just got off the phone with BC, who was wanting to know if I still had some software that GK had loaned me, which I don't, and we chatted for a bit. Fingers crossed, he has a potential buyer for Kat's mobile home, currently being inhabited by NosyNeighbor. NN is freaking out about having to move, but tough shit, says BC, because he's about $1K behind on his rent, which wasn't exorbitant, just enough to cover insurance on the place.

We were talking about movies---I haven't seen anything new since he, #1 Son and I saw "The A-Team"...I mentioned that I really wanted to see "Machete!", which he was indifferent to UNTIL I mentioned it was a Robert Rodriguez film. THEN his ears perked up. The upshot is, he's taking me to a matinee on Friday. *rubs hands togther gleefully*

My week is filling in nicely; I have The Party on Thursday (I presume), movie with BC on Friday, possibly something with S after that, on Saturday I have a meetup with Big Red to look forward to (details remain to be firmed up), and that evening there's something non-birthday related going on at church. Sunday evening is Supper Club, and theoretically I'll have money by then, so maybe this month* I can actually go.

Plus, there will be surprise goodies showing up in my mailbox. I probably sound like I think it's all about me, which I don't. The exact opposite, in fact; with no immediate family and being perpetually single, I often feel invisible when it comes to celebrations---so I'm looking forward to some hooplah for a change.

Love to the hooplah contributors, you know who you are.


++++++++++++++++++++++++

*ETA -- I just realized I mistyped that as "maybe this money I can go" instead of "this month". Oh, subsconscious, you are not subtle.

.

Ran into BC at the food bank this morning. His #1 son was also there, and I got myself invited to see The A-Team with them this evening. I liked it; not as much as the original (or The Losers), but it had its moments. Plus, it was two hours in free A/C and BC drove.

BC made jokes about my smuggling, but honestly, why carry a bag the size of a schnauzer if not to transport chilled 2-liter bottles? It's not like I have money to pay theater prices! #1 Son, who works there, shrugged and said as long as I wasn't obvious enough to get him into trouble, he didn't care.

On the way home from the food bank this morning, I saw a car with "My other car is a pirate ship" spelled out across the trunk. I think someone is confusing reality and porn again....

Recorded and watched the new ABC Family show, Huge---teens at weight loss camp. I got sent to one of those during my 12th summer...I think that's going to turn into its own post, but not right now. There will be angst.

.

I've got a load going in the washer and another in the dryer and a pile earmarked as "Next!". So far, it's mainly been clothing---bedding is a whole 'nother marathon.

Today's surprise find was a grey and white top that GK brought down during her January visit--again, I wore it twice and it disappeared into the Black Hole of Dirty Clothes. Also uncovered a navy tank from the stack atop the dryer. I know I should have a bunch of tanks---at one point, I bought, like, six of them at one time---but *finding* them, ah, THAT'S the trick.

Two bras are soaking in detergent and water---one of my good Cacique bras accidentally got "boiled" and turned a very grungy grey, the other one is just old---and preparing to wash my blue pin-striped jacket, which isn't so much dirty as it is icky---a client affectionately nicknamed Slobberhound drooled all over it.

Called BC to see if I could get him to make a Home Depot run with me for materials for the clothing rack. (Home Depot, 5.5 miles. Habitat ReStore, 30 miles. Not worth it unless they're giving it away.) Told him what I want to get, and he thinks he has all of it on the premises. I'm going over there later to inspect it, because if it's rusty and harboring termites, I'll pass. There are times when even beggars have to be choosy. Still, it's one thing that's going right.
.

I can't believe it's barely noon. I've been in high gear this morning; woke around 8, scratched the itch, and around 9:30 got a call from BC saying he was at the trailer rounding up donations and was there anything he could bring over here for me?

Hellz yeah. While waiting for him, I decided to attack The Pile. (I had some "help" cleaning once upon a time, and it ended up with a vast pile of "We didn't now what to do with it" in the area between the living and dining areas---I say areas rather than rooms because it's an open floor plan.) It's been there for a long time, as witness the fact that I found stuff that I'd cleared out of my desk from the job before last, calendars from '02---tons of crap that's been occupying space all this time as I stared helplessly at it.

At this point, I've got a couple boxes of stuff to donate, a box of stuff to shred (sbjb, I *really* need to borrow your shredder!), a small box of keepers, a box going to the garage with stuff like hammers, screwdrivers and sandpaper---and a bunch of boxes and bags at the curb.

BC arrived with my "new" TV---I'll worry about installing it in the bedroom later, after I'm through house-sitting (which starts tomorrow). My microwave is occupying about a third the volume as my old one, and I haven't yet checed to see which Pyrex will or won't fit in it, but yay, microwave! I was also on the receiving end of a lot of plastic storage boxes, some of which even have lids. The oddest thing, though, was a small box that had arrived addressed to Kat, from a nursery---BC doesn't garden, so I'm the recipient of twelve seedlings---six each of pink pampas grass and blue moon hydrangeas.

He then volunteered to deliver the folding table to J, so we won't have to wrestle it until Sunday. (It's a big-ass table; I think I'm going to take my dolly with me to get it from wherever we park to wherever we end up setting up.)

I think I'm going to go nuke some soup, since I haven't had anything to eat today, and then get back to it. I also need to clean out the fridge. Lucky me, trash day tomorrow coincides with cleaning frenzy today.
.

GK arranged a small family reunion for today, which she thought she told me about. I ransacked my email and the only thing I found was a "I'm thinking about---" mentioned in the reply to something I sent her. Luckily, I called her this morning before church and found out about it. I "cut" church after Joys and Concerns and went over there. I was hoping to make it back before CUUPs, but that didn't happen.

Most of the attendees were siblings of Kat's late husband. The younger generation consisted of GK and her siblings, BC and Dr Bizarre and all their respective offspring. GK's husband was there, Dr Bizarre's fiancee was there, while BC's wife was home asleep (3rd shift, poor thing, for about 20 years now). CF and here daughter were there as well (a mutual high school friend of GK, Red and myself).

I'll have pictures when I finish the roll and can afford to have them developed. Dr Bizarre's hair, eyebrows and beard are all tinted a flaming fluorescent yellow. He had on a Nightmare Before Christmas tee shirt and companion belt. No fishnets under his denim cargo shorts, though. He's mellowed.

I've got my insurance payments made, I need to get the FPL bill paid and my car tag renewed. That's everything I can eke out of the current check---I still want to top up my tank, as a general precaution.

I went through my pantry and was horrified by the amount of stuff I ended up pitching---BEST BY 3/2003?! Oh dear, oh dear! But I have pasta, rice and quite a lot of couscous (although I'm not sure how fresh the couscous is), veggies fresh, canned and frozen, and several pounds of frozen turkey, so I shan't starve. I may go get a couple more boxes of that tea---I made another batch this evening, it's quite good---and I'm feeling rather virtuous. Aside from medicinal Excedrin for my shoulders in the morning, I'm not swilling caffeine and haven't for almost a week. Go, me!

Today has been quite a day. Visted three food pantries with BC. The first was a 20-minute wait and yielded sausages, canned goods, baked goods and 2 2-liter bottles of diet cola (Best by 5/16/09). The second involved a 45-minute wait in a dark, crowded stifling hallway and yielded more baked goods. The third was already closed for the day, out of stock.

After a brief intermission, BC arrived at my place with the box spring and mattress. We got the old ones to the curb and the new ones in place. The old mattress, because it's a platform bed, was about crotch height on me. This one is crotch plus 3", which is going to take some getting used to, as is the fact that if I bump the mattress with my ass, it slides away---NOT something I could do with the old one! It also displaced a lot of stuff that was sitting peacefully in corners, not bothering anyone until BC came through. Oh well, I probably ought to move it anyway.

Then came the a/c installation. Getting the old one out took more doing than expected---I had completely forgotten that HWSNBN had silicone-caulked the side pieces---we had a devil of a time getting them out! The new a/c doesn't have the flange that held the other one in place, so I was forced to weather-strip it with duct tape.

I ended up compensating BC with $20 and a bottle of root beer. (Root beer to BC as a goodwill gesture is a long-standing tradition.) Because I didn't quite have that on hand in cash, we both detoured over to WinnDixie. I got enough extra cash to compensate the lawn service, aka ang5fam's offspring---thankfully he didn't show up until AFTER I'd had a chance to shower.

With all this financial stuff going on, I checked my bank balance, and was horrified to discover that my good deed had come back and bitten me on the ass---the discount code that was supposed to take $25 off the cost of that $25.41 order, didn't freaking work. I got to call in as an incoming What Trash Queen call to try to straighten it out---they're STILL working on it! All because WTQ is a pack of tightwads who give out codes instead of real gift cards. And it's not like I don't know what I'm doing! That was a perfectly valid code on a perfectly good order---guh, the things I'm driven to do for sales numbers---but at least dealing with it counts against someone else's handle time!

I WILL get it back, one way or another, and I figure by then another $25 will come in handy. Meanwhile, my room is reaching a suitably arctic temp, I have baked goods galore, life is good.

I'm at Kat's. Since her grandson moved out and took his cable modem with him, she's getting a clandestine wireless signal from somewhere around here, otherwise I'd be climbing the walls with no net access.

It's been a very long time (6 years) since I've had to share a house with anyone, and I'm finding it a little uncomfortable. (This is the longest that I've worn clothes since February, for one thing.) I'm paranoid that I'll inadvertantly do something gauche.

We did our usual Monday lunch date, after which I showed her the cheapest place to get gas---around the corner from the C's place, which wasn't that far from where we lunched. After that, we detoured to the library, so I could drop a couple of things off---let me mention Yet Again how much I LOVE having library priviledges!

BC came over and we chatted about science, science-fiction, favorite authors, blah-blah-blah...next Monday, we're going to try to get my mattress moved. He's also going to show me around a few of the local food pantries. Meaning, I've got Wednesday to plow a path to my old bed and strip it so that hopefully we can get it out and the 'new' one in with a minimum of carnage.

I'm transcribing my notes for the Jericho WIP, since I've had some encouragement. (It doesn't take much!)

I have an odd schedule on Thursday---I go in two hours early for White Trash Queen training---but I get out correspondingly early too, so I'll probably stick around to catch the fresh ep of Royal Pains.

At least I've got a plan....

Kat and I ran an errand at her bank and got lunch at Steak'n'Shake, then made our way back to her place where I scratched the surface of cleaning out my car. It started raining fish, so I settled down on her porch swing and enjoyed the coolth. More Wednesday. It's a mess.

The good news is, my new debit card came, so I gassed up on the way home. One less thing to worry about!

BC has a couple of sinks propped up on his front lawn, one single, one double, the kind that are all-in-one integrated into the countertop, and they have faucets. I was hoping to reuse the sink I have---I've already got a sheet of countertop---I just need new faucets---but this would be a lot less work. Either way, I need a new vanity and U-bend below. That's not a major priority, so I told him if anyone offered him a fistful of cash for it, to take it.

I asked him about moving the mattress, but his idea of suitable compensation was exactly double what I currently have available, so I may try to rally some of my more altruistic friends for the job. I've gotta do something; I don't know how much of it is a bad mattress, but I'm hurting a lot---neck, shoulders, lower back---and if I can get this done before I go off to house-sit, hopefully it will be easier to adjust to a new bed after spending a week and a half on other strange beds.

Tired....

Since I was alone in the room, I was quite startled a little while ago when a voice right over my shoulder said, "Knock, knock!"

The window behind me was open, and I hadn't heard the arrival of BC, who decided to bypass the front door and address me directly. (He said he knew where I'd be. He also said I squealed nicely. I WAS startled!)

He brought me a gently used battery-operated drill, with spare battery and charger, as the result of our conversation during the Heater Battle. I've always thought that a drill would enhance my life in many ways.... (I know if I get a buffer, I will be able to polish my aluminum collection to an awesome shine....) With all the DIY I want to do, there's bound to be quite a list.