Afterthoughts: This Past Month

All I can say is... FUCK 2025! This year has not started off in a good way. Here's the update.

Wednesday, January, 1, Fuck... it's 2025 already. First day of the year and we already have a mass murder. To quote CNN:

At least 10 people were killed and 35 injured when a driver rammed a pickup truck into a crowd during New Year's celebrations on Bourbon Street in New Orleans early on Wednesday morning. The suspect was killed in a firefight with officers, according to New Orleans police.

How do they not have barriers to prevent this? The news showed how in Pasadena some dumb dumb tried to do the same thing on the Rose Parade route, but barriers stopped them.

For no reason here's Julie Newmar as Catwoman.

TheGirl and I decided since she wasn't going to do anything with her family that we could still have our Wednesday night dinner on New Year's Day, because why not? We went to Wood Ranch in Burbank, where I ordered up a burger with yummy bacon. I shared so much of it with Cheyenne, because why not?

When I got to TheGirl's I didn't have to change or anything, but TheGirl did have to use the restroom. I gave Cheyenne a huge hug. I wanted to hold her and somehow let her know that she is special to me. I think she "knows" in her own way. She has made me so happy to know her.

Thursday, January, 2, As I write this it's blustery about 3:30pm, and the library is quiet. A patron, one of eight in the building, came up to check out some items. It's been a slow day.

The rest of the day was pretty chill. It's now after the holidays, so everything is going to return to "normal." Yeah, the holidays are done, and the days will get longer. But at least there are a few weeks left in winter to enjoy before spring rolls around.

I was sorting out some stuff on my cloud storage yesterday and I thought about some pictures I took way back in 2020. Nudes, of which I only used one for any purpose (see above). I don't have a subject, so like many artists I know I think I will be my own subject. But what am I trying to convey? I had an idea for a super stylized dick pic. Like my junk in a hotdog bun with ketchup and mustard on it. Maybe that would be fun to do. Maybe not. I don't know.

This is random, but I came across a video of a baby boy patting the bottom of a lady walking next to his stroller. A young lad knows what he likes.

Friday, January, 3, I jerked off and drank booze last night. Of course I hit the bottle hard, and as such I overslept this morning. Not by much, but enough that I didn't think I had time to shower. It turns out I made it to work early, thanks to almost no traffic I got to work with fifteen minutes to spare. A quick shower would have been possible. Oh well. I love booze, but I do have to slow it down. I know that it's ultimately not good for me. A little bit here and there is OK, but I've been having more than a little bit here and there.

I went to visit Emma in the teen room, and no one was in the room. She said that there had only been nine teens in the room all day. I know they are out of school, but still. All the more reason why there should be teens here. They're probably at the mall.

When I come home, in the evenings, I've noticed that my room was really warm. Almost too warm. I would often have to turn down the space heater and leave the door to my room open for a bit to let out the hot air. I didn't know it, but I should have suspected that my aunt had been messing with the space heater setting. No wonder it felt too warm when I got home. I had the perfect setting, that I even marked with tape. But this one thinks she knows better. Well, I put another piece of tape on top of the dial. I don't want it to be like a sauna in my room, just warm. The other day I noticed that the space heater was on for a long time. I had to turn it down a bit, and then it was good. That's because dumb dumb was messing with the dial. Fuck this shit.

Saturday, January, 4, I don't remember the last time TheGirl and I went to Disneyland together. It's been a while, for sure. This trip was poignant because of the specter of Cheyenne's impending death. I know that I feel that I shouldn't be having any fun while she is slowly losing her life. Of course the same could be said of all of us, so we decided to have a fun day at Disneyland. Today might have been the most fun we had at Disneyland.

The first attraction we wanted to ride was the Haunted Mansion. I told TheGirl that the last time I was here in October I didn't get to ride it, because it had that virtual queue bullshit. That and Ilsa was late and we couldn't get on the queue if both of us weren't at the park. Whatever. We hot footed it to the mansion, but along the way I showed TheGirl the tree where the little man of Disneyland lives. I was pretty sure I showed her this before, but she claimed that she had never seen that.

We made it to the Haunted Mansion where we both got to see the new queue area. The new queue is a mixed bag. I'm not sure why the walls have to be so high, but I do like the little touches. Like the trinkets in the tree being a tradition to ward spirits away.

I watch this one channel on YouTube that features cool little things about Disneyland, like how it transitions from one land to another. This rail is a great example of how one land is transitioned into another land. The land on the left is Tomorrowland, and on the right is Main Street.

Besides the Haunted Mansion TheGirl REALLY wanted to get Cheyenne's silhouette done at the silhouette shop on Main Street. Some time ago the shop started doing silhouettes of pets. With Cheyenne having cancer we don't know how much time we have with her. So TheGirl wants to immortalize her. We left the shop to go to our Tomorrowland terrace experience in tears of how the artist captured Cheyenne's profile perfectly.

When TheGirl and I finalized what day we would come to Disneyland I searched for reservations we could make to the Carnation Cafe. We wanted to eat there for lunch or breakfast, or whatever. It was booked solid, because one needs to make reservations three months in advance. One reservation was available, one that I had never booked before. So, I booked us a spot at the Tomorrowland Skyline Terrace. It's a lounge that's on the second floor of the old American Sings building. I wanted to check it out, even though I knew that we would have an early curfew due to TheGirl not wanting to leave Cheyenne alone for long. I know, I feel the same way. We were given a bento box with a sandwich, a couple of desserts and Waldorf salad. I was still stuffed from the soup we had for supper.

We had the BEST time at Disneyland today. Only problem I had was my stupid stomach. When I don't get to fart I get so gassy that it hurts. While we were at the lounge I really needed to fart, so I excused myself and went into the bathroom. I let out a big one just a second before someone came in and prevented me from evacuating the rest of my gas. Well, maybe not the rest, but something to help with the growing pressure.

Still, best Disneyland trip!

Sunday, January, 5, After getting home last night my aunt asked if we were still on for Costco on Sunday. I know she needs some things, so I said yes. I don't like going to Costco. She always says, "Buy anything you want." I don't want anything. Maybe pistachios. I told her to stop guessing what I might want, and just stick to her shopping list. I really dislike going to Costco.

I saw Lisa in her car, and I thought about telling her about French toast, but I just waved at her. I know what it's like to just want to be left alone on your break. I'll tell her next time.

Monday, January, 6, I was driving by the little free library in front of city hall when I saw that someone had vandalized it. What's worse is that they put some stupid bible verse. Not even going to quote it here, because it's such bullshit. I'll have to figure out how to get that shit off.

I wanted to pick up a McRib for dinner before going over to TheGirl's for my Monday visit. But, the app showed that it was no longer available. Or does it mean they just ran out? I guess I'll see next week.

TheGirl sent me a text message a little before 2pm that Cheyenne had been attacked by two dogs. To quote TheGirl, "We were walking back home. These two big dogs in a car jumped out the windows." She said that Cheyenne was OK, but we worry about the mass because it can burst and she will bleed out. This fucking year isn't even a week old and it's already a shit show.

I made my usual Monday visit to TheGirl's place with Chan in tow. Cheyenne looked fine after the encounter with two dogs. I went to pet her and noticed that the scruff of her neck wasn't as thick as in the past. She has lost a lot of weight. I noticed it after TheGirl said it over a week ago that her hind legs looked thinner. Tonight I noticed it more on her neck. This sucks. She's sick. She could be dead right now, because the tumor by her spleen could burst at any time. Fuck this shit!

I saw a quote on social media attributed to author Colson Whitehead, and it goes like this:

"I have no hopes for 2025. Humanity is disappointing. We killed the Earth. Villains triumph and the innocents suffer. I imagine these trends will continue."

Yeah. Shitheads rule right now, and they're everywhere. Including a street in Burbank where they just let their dogs run around attacking other dogs. Fucking hate idiots.

And then I come home to another shit head. I never know what bullshit I'm going to run into when I enter my house. Or should I say my den of iniquity? My aunt has all day to fuck around and then I come home and find out. Today's bullshit was once again the toilet. She keeps shutting off the water, because she says it leaks. It doesn't leak, but it does run once in a while. But it's not because water is leaking, it's because the valve is failing. I put in a new valve but it didn't prevent it from leaking, just not as much. Well, tonight I took another piece from the replacement I bought and tried to make it so the float is lower so that the water level is lower and will prevent it from readjusting. I don't know anymore. My aunt claims the outside relief valve is also letting out a lot of water. Every time I walk by it the thing is dry as a bone. I mean, it is a relief valve, so there are going to be times when it will let out a little water.

Then I see in the washroom that my aunt has placed a mat on the bottom of the door, to prevent air from coming in. The air that DOESN'T come in, because the door is sealed. There is no reason for her to place a mat there. But, she's going to do it because of some perceived air leak. What she should do is wipe her feeling shoes on that mat, because she tracks dirt all over the house.

As I write this I've had a few shots of whiskey. The thought of what life after Cheyenne dies came into my mind, because TheGirl and I will have to go on living with her in our memory. One of us will inevitably say her name after she is put down. And... we will both cry like we have never cried before.

Cheyenne has cancer. My Mother had cancer. My Grandmother had cancer. Perhaps I will have cancer. Is the word cancer mentioned in the bible? In the koran? Without looking I can tell you that it isn't. Why is that? Despite it being one of our oldest diseases that humans have had to endure, the people that wrote the bible had no divine knowledge of cancer as a thing. As a concept. As a tumor. All they knew is that their loved ones were dead.

Tuesday, January, 7, Originally I was going to have breakfast with Pseudo Supervisor this morning, but stupid work scheduled a training session for today from 8am to noon. The only other session is Wednesday from 4pm to 8am. REALLY? I mean REALLY?

There is NO WAY I'm going to have a training session while having dinner with TheGirl and Cheyenne. So, I had no choice but to attend today's stupid training. Thankfully I got to do it from home.

I was so bored that at one point in the meeting I passed out. I don't know for how long, but it was a good amount of time. Maybe half an hour, or more. It didn't help that I drank a lot the previous night, and that I was in my comfy chair. The meeting being super boring didn't help for sure.

I deleted the app immediately after the meeting ended. I mean, why did they pick some random app to run this meeting on? They have the Teams app that we use at work for our meetings. Why can't this guy login to that? Whatever!

The wind was crazy all day long, but it was especially hairy as we left work. It felt like we were in a hurricane. I was at my car taking off my jacket when I heard then saw the recycling trash bin fly across the parking lot. I ran to grab it, because it was heading straight for Vivian's car. I wasn't fast enough, because it did hit her car. I pulled it way from her car and she got out to check the damage. Then she says, "Let's get out of here," because the wind was so strong. She moved out of the parking spot I usually use and I cornered the trash bin and ran back to my car. Then I got out of Dodge.

Wednesday, January, 8, Because I had to change my schedule due to me having to attend that terrible training yesterday, I had a chance to eat a breakfast burrito from Tacos Villa Corona. Going into Atwater Village was like driving into the edge of hell, what with the sky being red and black.

How does Villa Corona make a breakfast burrito with crispy chilaquiles?? I am so not doing chilaquiles the right way, because when I cook them up they are limp. I saw online that the sauce is mixed into the chips, not the other way around. I'll try that next time.

There was no delivery today, because all the branches are closed due to the fires. So I didn't drive today, but they had me on the various desks. In the morning I was on the info desk, or whatever it's called nowadays. Then after lunch I was assigned to the children's room. I knew I would be on the children's desk at some point this year. I didn't think it would be so soon into the new year. It's just too easy to predict, because these jokers are always short staffed. It went well, because we weren't super busy. Most of the people that were in the room were displaced. Many had lost power and were there to recharge their computers, phones, and iPads. They had to be at the library, they didn't want to be at the library. I had requests to help with the power plugs, and such. These are stressful times, and all I could do was provide a little help to those who came into the library.

Because of the weather we decided to go somewhere where we could be inside with Cheyenne. Tonight's spot was Isabella's in Burbank. Pretty good Italian food. We ordered Cheyenne a meatball and fed it to her. She loves their meatballs. I know Cheyenne isn't well, but boy she has not lost her appetite. Which is a good thing.

I checked my pay and I did indeed get my raise. I'm now making $30.35 an hour, which is a raise of $1.44. Pretty good. I still think I'm worth more like $35 an hour, but at least we're getting there.

Thursday, January, 9, All the Glendale library branches were closed today, so I was asked if I could work at Central today. Certainly. Why not when the city is paying me $30 an hour now. I'm an expensive page.

Not even a day in and Grimace made a big stink that her desk wasn't downstairs in Reference. Because she doesn't want to deal with the public. Because she has the most complaints when interacting with the public.

I have insider information that they don't want Grimace in the basement. That is why she's in circulation. She doesn't play nice with the dopes in administration. Because of that she is blackballed, like so many of us that won't get promoted. Moreover, they have been hearing from her that she wants to return to Central. I'm sure, over and over again. So they have her a half-hearted deal by returning her to Central, but like a deal with the Devil it contains things you don't want. Like being in circulation. I was told by Misa that she took all her stuff down to the basement where she has some storage space for her collection. And since we didn't see her for the rest of the day we figured she left for the day. Kerri is the union representative, and she let out the beans that Grimace might file a grievance. Sure, but it's not going to change anything.

I was taking my break in the Reflect Space when I started hearing the sound of alerts on cell phones. Not mine, but many in the library. It was like a chorus of alerts. The alerts said thatI should evacuate due to fire growing closer. But it was in reference to the Kennith fire, which is out by Woodland Hills. Why am I supposed to evacuate if I'm so far away from that area. Well, it took about twenty minutes, but then we all got the message saying that was sent out to the wrong group. Everyone. It should have only gone to people in that area.

I'm trying to catch up on my journaling. I have had a few drinks, straight from the bottle, tonight. I'm listening to the last movement of Beethoven's Ninth. The Ode to Joy! The most beautiful music any human has composed... to date. I mean it's a damn Ode to Joy! Good night! 2025 is the uppercut year, because you don't see it coming. Who could see two major fires coming. Let alone five?

Friday, January, 10, closed for two days. There wasn't much going out, but I was tasked to check the bookdrops. This made me throwback to 2020, when I was checking bookdrops on the route.

It's strange that I'm not getting the alerts that are being sent out. Meanwhile my aunt was getting all the alerts on her cell phone. I mean, it's OK since I got her alerts. There isn't much to say right now. I'm just hoping they can stop this fire before if it goes over the ridge and heads down to where I live.

As of 8pm tonight my area is on evacuation watch, which means get things ready to evacuate. The smoke is visible from my house. I've gotten my important papers and put them with me. I need to get some more clothes.

I can't believe this is happening.

Saturday, January, 11, It's 9am and I'm still here. The firefighters have been dropping water on the fire all night long. I can still see smoke in the distance. The winds are expected to come later in the day. So I'm not out of the woods yet.

12:30pm and I can still hear the helicopters in the distance. I'm watching the news and the firefighters are hitting this thing with everything they have. I can see the helicopters on TV and hear them in real life in the distance.

After breakfast I put the clothes I would normally wash on a Sunday in the washing machine and then went out to my backyard to enjoy it. Perhaps for the last time? If this is going to change, I better enjoy it. I eventually passed out, since I was up late last night jacking off. Because, if we are told to evacuate I don't know the next time I'll be able to jack off. And I need that release.

My aunt wanted me to go out and get some food. My go-to these days is Pollo Loco, because I like their little street tacos. But, I couldn't go there, so I decided to get some Burger King. Burger King and Carl's Jr. used to be pretty good. I remember Burger King had a "steakhouse" burger that was yummy. Those days are over. I haven't been to Carl's Jr. in a long time, so I don't know how their burgers are now. I can say that Burger King has gone down hill big time. I'll have to give Carl's Jr. another chance.

It's 6:20pm and there hasn't been a change in our evacuation status. All last night and day today the firefighters hit the fire with a fleet of water dropping helicopters and fire retardant dropping planes. They hit this hard. There are also crews on the ground. There are even crews from Mexico and Canada on the lines. We are certainly not out of the woods yet, but it looks much better than twenty-four hours ago.

Sunday, January, 12, TheGirl and I went to Disneyland last week, and since then I've been wanting to take a crack at making the tomato basil soup from the Jolly Holiday bakery. Of all the foods I've had at Disneyland I think that the soup is easily on the top five. The Monte Cristo is my favorite. The soup from Jolly Holiday is probably my second favorite. Although, the corn chowder from Storytellers is amazing. So much good food. I think that I want to ask TheGirl some time this year if we can have dinner at the Napa Rose.

That's getting ahead of myself. I think the soup came out pretty good, and pretty close to the one at Disneyland. I know my grilled cheese came out really good, because I used cheddar and gruyere. I think I need to put more basil in the soup next time I make it.

I think I need to go through my clothes and get rid of a lot of what I never wear. And there's a lot. I think most people only need a few t-shirts. I have dozens. I only wear five of them, at most. So, I plan on going through all my clothes and getting rid of a lot of the stuff I never wear. I have a bunch of white t-shirts that I wear as undershirts. Some of them have stains on them, and many of them are worn out. Like they have holes, or they are frayed. Those need to go.

My eyesight has been getting worse and worse. The last few weeks my eyes feel so dry and irritated. And then a post on social media tells me that if I have worsening vision and dry lips, which I did this past week, I might have high blood pressure. One cause of that is large alcohol consumption. Yeah, I can raise my hand on that question. I drink at least a bottle a week, and it's more like two some weeks. I told myself that I should just have a drink on Wednesdays and perhaps Friday nights. I'm going to try and stick to that. Tonight I had some booze as a farewell to drinking almost every night.

Monday, January, 13, I walked up to work and saw a pair of missing pet signs taped to the front of the library. One on the windows of the front entrance, and one on the concrete pillar on the side of the building. When I got around to the staff entrance there was also one that had been taped to the window, facing into the library. I don't mind putting up signs for a missing pet, but don't be placing them on the building. Traditionally those signs go up on telephone and light poles. I took two of the three down, and carefully took the third one down in order to then place that one on the light poll in front of the library. I want these people to find their cat, but don't plaster your sign on the fucking library building. That's just not right.

Grimace made a huge stink about her desk being in circulation last week. To the point that she is probably going to file some sort of grievance with the city. Still, she needs her chairs from Casa Verdugo. I told Gitmo I could take them with me in delivery today. The gesture is a little bit selfish, because I don't want the chairs at Casa. I don't like her chair, but I'm often forced to sit in it, because she uses it on the front desk. So, I saw an opportunity to get rid of the chairs. I took one chair to Pacific, since she's going to be covering shifts there once or twice a week. And of course I took the other chair to Central. She may not want to sit in circulation, but she will ultimately be sitting there. Now she has her chair waiting for her.

After work I came home and I decided to make a week's worth of grilled cheese sandwiches, so I don't have to make them every night this week. Because making a sandwich every night after work is a bit much. This way I just grab and go each morning.

Tuesday, January, 14, I have way too many clothes that I NEVER wear. I've been wanting to get rid of a lot of the clothes, because there is a need for others. This morning I looked at just one drawer that was full of t-shirts. In five minutes I compiled a pile of clothes that I can donate. And I even found my James Dean shirt! I haven't seen that shirt in ages.

My aunt constantly bothers me with insurance paperwork that is sent as pure boilerplate shit. It's useless, because it's redundant. I intercepted three letters for my aunt today. One was from an insurance company that she doesn't even belong to. They're trying to get her to enroll. Ah, that's over and done with. One of the other two was a survey. Pass. The last one was a letter that tells my aunt that she can keep seeing her current doctor, even if they are out of network, for a year before she has to switch to an in network doctor. Well, the whole reason why she went with this new insurance is because her doctor was leaving the other network. So yeah, at least this last letter said something of substance, but it also doesn't pertain to my aunt. So, I'll be taking them to work on Wednesday and shredding them.

Pseudo supervisor invited me to breakfast last week, but I had to take that stupid course that I slept through last, so we had to raincheck breakfast for this week. We went to Lola Cafe in Eagle Rock. Los Angeles is huge, but there are little pocket neighborhoods that are part of the city, but were once independent of the larger city of LA. Eagle Rock still has a neighborhood vibe to it. I walked by the old Loungetable restaurant that TheGirl and I frequented when we were dating. The place changed after we stopped dating, and she moved to Burbank from Glendale. It became something like a pizza joint, if I remember. Well, now it's vacant. Sad.

After breakfast I headed to work at Casa Verdugo. I noticed when I got in the car that my mileage was 219,999. I reached 220,000 just as I was turning from Eagle Rock ave on to Colorado. It's been quite a journey. Almost a quarter of a million miles. That's about the distance to the moon. I'd like to be able to drive my car to the moon and back, because I never want to buy another car again.

I caught a video of the gardeners in the front yard this morning. The news was saying that gardeners shouldn't be using blowers to blow the ash, but obviously these guys didn't get the memo. It was crazy to see just how much dirt and ash was on the front yard of the house.

After last month's city council meeting uproar I'm not surprised that the city made quick work of uninstalling the bike path on Brand. They would have been done last week if not for the wind and fires. The work crews were on Brand last week Tuesday. They sandblasted the lines and were cleaning things up when all hell broke loose. But, now that things are quiet they took the advantage to start on the West side of Brand. Today I saw them uninstall the K-rails. I'm sure the residents of the neighborhood are happy to see them go.

The bike path was not a bad idea, and I think many of the people in the neighborhood liked the idea in theory. But the execution of the idea was poor, to say the least.

The dumb dumb firemen parked in every parking spot instead of the ones reserved for them. Leaving me having to park across the street on the East side of Brand today. This did afford me a look at the crosswalk. The new crosswalk that went back to the traditional style of crosswalk. When they put the bike path in they made this design, which was meh. All that's gone. To think of all that work that was done over all those weeks and in about a week it was all gone. Oh well.

We're only two weeks into 2025 and there has already been a mass murder in New Orleans. Then that guy killed himself in a Cyber truck. And now the fires. This year ain't right.

Wednesday, January, 15, I was so sleepy last night that instead of jerking off I went to bed early. Bad move, I guess, because I woke up around 1am, and I couldn't get back to sleep. Finally the urge to go to the bathroom happened. I opened my door and I could see the light of the bathroom on. Once again I'm thwarted by my aunt. Even in the MIDDLE of the night. I went back into my room and started finishing up my journaling. It was getting to be late, but I was still not sleepy. I figured I could jerk off, and maybe that would make me sleepy. Mission accomplished.

After getting out of the shower I dried myself off. I looked down and my left knee looked bruised. The bruise is in the shape of the underside of the van door. Clearly I've been pressing a little too hard on it with my leg when I drive. I'll have to remind myself not to do that. It's hard, because I get tense and it manifests itself as my leg pressing on the side of the door. In the past it's caused my knee to hurt.

The doors to the teen room are a mess, they won't stay closed on their own. But, the construction dopes came in and fixed something to the bottom of the doors to try to keep them from swinging open. The fix seems to be some little kick stand that pops down when the door is closed. We shall see if it fixes the problem of the doors opening. This doesn't fix the problem of the room having to be locked using bicycle locks. Which look so tacky. Also, I feel it's way too warm in that room. I can't imagine how warm it's going to be in the summer.

Since I didn't go to the market to buy booze after work I was able to get to TheGirl's place much faster. So fast that she wasn't even ready to go out to dinner. I told her that I rushed to her place in order to get to Don Cuco's quicker. That way we could get the table we want on the patio. We made it! I'm not sure if it was because of the fires, or just because it was a little chilly out, but there weren't that many people on the patio. Which was fine by us.

TheGirl and I talked about how good Cheyenne was doing. We know her tumor is probably not getting any smaller, but Cheyenne still has a good appetite. TheGirl and I mentioned how much energy Cheyenne still seems to have. We both said that we would just enjoy each day we have with her. Amen.

Thursday, January, 16, The work crews are nearly done taking out the bike lane in front of the library. Today they erased the bike lane using some sort of scraping machine. The paint they use on the street is a thick slurry thing when heated, and it sticks to the cement. Well, to take that off they used some sort of machine that just scrapes the paint off the surface.

Someone asked how much this was costing the city. I think I can go online and find out. It's not cheap, this I know.

Because of everything that happened last week I wasn't able to take a walk during my lunch hour. But, today the weather was perfect. What a contrast to last week where the air was full of smoke. However, officials are saying that despite the blue skies that the air quality is not good. Just great.

Because Monday is a holiday I was offered to start work on Tuesday at 9:45am. Which means no Tuesday Adventure next week. I'll have to wait until January 28th to do a Tuesday Adventure. I didn't get to do anything last week because of that training, and this week because of my breakfast date. Oh well.

I went to my old junior college campus last month, and today I saw an article in Urbanize LA talking about the master plan for the campus. Some of the buildings I visited are going away. Drescher Hall is going to be raised, and a new building will take its place. Also the art building, and the student store complex, which also contains the cafeteria, is going away. I was surprised that the bungalows were still there, because they have been there since after the Northridge earthquake. With these upcoming changes the campus I walked on will totally be different. As it was, the campus was beginning to look unrecognizable to me.

I'm glad that I got to tour the campus before a lot of these changes happen, because I'm not sure when I'll be able to visit the old campus again.

Friday, January, 17, Not much to report today, but here's something I have to fix. The side doors had signs denoting the doors for staff only. But, one of the signs fell, and the other is looking really ratty. So, I'm going to print new signs. I also plan to laminate them. Not that any of this will keep dummies from walking the wrong way, and trampling the plants. Oh well, I try.

I found that I only had a few branch cards in the van. I knew that some branch was hoarding these cards. Sure enough, I found a bunch at Grandview. I also found more cards at other locations. What's worse is that Grandview didn't even have the card on the book bin. So why hoard them? ARGH! Why do I work with a bunch of suckers?

When I come home I usually head out to the backyard to fill the bird feeders. When I was checking on that today I saw that the birdbath didn't have ANY water in it. I know my aunt fucked around with that thing. Because, even if I don't check on it and refill it every day it will not be bone dry. The poor birds. I want to maintain some water for them, but my aunt makes it very difficult to do anything in this house.

Saturday, January, 18, My car needed an oil change, as well as a coolant flush. So I took it down to the dealer today. I had plans of going to the Red Cross, but I decided to head up to the Griffith Observatory today instead.

To kill time I thought of going to the Observatory to check out a short film associated with the Pacific Standard Time exhibit sponsored by the Getty all over town. Besides, I wanted to check out the metro. I haven't been on the metro in a long time. I've been on a short bus ride here and there, but nothing like going to a destination such as the Observatory in a long time. I did notice there is a lot more security around. There were people in the stations, and the platforms. Good. A few months back there was a rash of incidents. Now I know that things like these happen all the time, but the news gets a story and sometimes runs with it, making it appear like that is the normal state. It's not. Yes, there were a couple of times when I wondered if the person walking by me was going to try something. You always have to keep your guard up. But nothing happened.

I don't know the last time I visited the Observatory, but it's been a while. I think it's been about a year to a year and a half. I went there after work one day, and had to hike down due to the fact that the shuttle was packed. And the people in it smelled. I knew I didn't have all day to explore the Observatory. I mainly went to see the short film called Pacific Standard Universe. But it was funny, because I woke up so early to drop off the car I started to doze off when I was watching the film.

I didn't think I would get hungry until after I picked up my car, but I did. I went to the cafe earlier to check out what hot food they had to eat. They only had chicken and mac and cheese for hot food. I saw that there was as spot for hot dogs, but there weren't any available. But when I went back after the film there were hot dogs there, so I grabbed one to eat. It was OK, but it did make for a nice picture. I think maybe I should take pictures of hot dogs and call it the hot dog series.

While killing time I stopped at the Hollywood and Highland shopping area. It's such a tourist trap now. I don't know why places where tourist go have to have the same stupid restaurants and shops. I don't know the last time I saw a Victoria's Secret, but there's one at Hollywood and Highland. I don't know, the place just seemed like a mess. Then again, that might be said about the whole of Hollywood blvd.

After picking up my car I decided to get my aunt and I some food. I wanted a sandwich, so I went to a place that I've seen a few times while at dinner with TheGirl. Santoro's is said to be a good sandwich in Burbank. We shall see. The staff seemed pretty surly, which is always a good sign for food. It seems like places that have surly staff have good food. Again, we shall see.

Before going to get some food I wanted to donate some clothes. I'm cleaning out my closet of items I haven't worn in forever. I want to change some things in 2025, like cleaning out my stuffed closet. I have too much junk that I never wear. Well, I have too much junk in general. I went to the Good Will across the street from the car dealer but they had a sign saying they were not taking any donations at this time. Jeez. There's a location in Glendale, but when I got there there were a bunch of dopes donating. I couldn't find a parking spot, so I figured I come back another time. Perhaps I should do it while on the route on Wednesday.

When I opened the wrapper to the sandwich I was kinda surprised how small it was for $12. That's how things are. It was a simple sandwich, which doesn't mean it's a bad sandwich. It's a good sandwich, but I have had better. I didn't order it with tomatoes or pickles, but it also didn't come with anything other than onions. I doctored it up when I got home and added some mayo and mustard. Tasted good. If I'm in the area I could get one, but I'm not going to drive out of my way to get another.

Sunday, January, 19, In my continued attempt to cut down on drinking I did not drink before or after jerking off tonight. I done good. Ha!

I'm rarely home during the golden hour, so I don't often get to see my room aglow like I did this morning. The tree that used to block this light was cut down last year, so that is another reason why I'm getting these golden mornings in my room now.

I'm frustrated with my aunt in many ways, but today it was about breakfast. I tried to make a breakfast burrito, but the stupid tortilla broke into pieces. Some of the content of the burrito fell on the floor and it pissed me off. I got super mad that my burrito fell apart. I wish I knew what tortilla I can get that won't fall apart on me. From now on no more tortillas.

When I went out to my car to go to the market I noticed that the grapevine was gone. My neighbors were cleaning up the side of their house that borders mine. The vine that used to give nice grapes has been kinda meh the last couple of years. In addition to that, the kids like to party with their friends and often dump cans of beer and Red Bull on the side of their house. It makes the house seem really scummy. I see that whenever I walk into my front door. I'm glad they cleaned up the cans, but I am sad to see the grapevine gone. Maybe I need to plant one in the back yard.

I went to the market today, as I do every Sunday, and found some random items all over the place. I went to get my juice and found a box of Frosted Flakes branded glazed donut hole cereal. Hard pass.

While looking to see if the chunk light tuna was on sale I found a pouch of seasoned beef in a tiny pouch. A whole 2.6 ounces of beef for $3.29. By my calculations that's over $20 a pound, and I can't imagine this stuff is any good. Another hard pass.

When I went to the market today it seemed like everyone was in my way. I would turn around and there would be some dope that wasn't there a moment before. Case in point, the cleaning aisle. I went there to get a brush to deal with the carpet I have near my bed. Not more than a few seconds standing there two dopes come into the aisle looking for things right next to me. I mean right next to me. ARGH! I had to walk away. I grabbed the first brush I could get and bolted out of there. Then it happened to me in the chip aisle. Some dope was standing right in front of the chips I wanted. They weren't looking at anything, just standing there.

My aunt had me buy potatoes a couple of weeks ago. I don't remember what she made. Oh wait, I just remembered she cooked up some ground beef and mixed in the potatoes. Yeah, that dish came out good. But, she had leftover potatoes. So she asked me if I wanted to make some potato quesadillas. Sure.

After cooking I relaxed a bit, and my aunt was asking me if I wanted to eat. OK, fine. She tells me that she wants me to eat the second half of her pastrami sandwich. She claims that the pickles, or something, made her a little nauseous. OK. I find that when my aunt doesn't like a sandwich I bring home she will have me eat the second half. If she likes it she devours it in one sitting. I don't know, I'm always having to guess what she wants to eat. I really hate that she never knows what she wants to eat. When I ask her she always says I don't know, or you decide. Well, when I decide this happens. Dumb.

Monday, January, 20, I did drink last night after jerking off. I was just feeling so good that I needed a drink. I still need to not drink that often. I told myself drinking only on Wednesdays, and one of the two weekend days. Saturday or Friday, not both.

I've said it before, the only defense I have against my aunt's questions is sleeping. If I'm asleep she won't bother me. But then she's ready to pounce when I wake up. I used to pretend to go to work on Saturdays, because I didn't want to be here at home with her. I don't do that anymore, but I'm wondering if I should. Hell, I should just get a Saturday job and make some money while avoiding my aunt.

I've said it before, the only defense I have against my aunt's questions is sleeping. If I'm asleep she won't bother me. But then she's ready to pounce when I wake up. I used to pretend to go to work on Saturdays, because I didn't want to be here at home with her. I don't do that anymore, but I'm wondering if I should. Hell, I should just get a Saturday job and make some money while avoiding my aunt.

Tuesday, January, 21, The plant cage that I got my aunt finally arrived last night. I didn't have time to put it together last night, but I did this morning. I came home after work and talked to my aunt about how she can use this to keep the squirrels away. I didn't mention it, but for sure the birds can be kept out of the future garden. I think my aunt liked the thing. I still need to get some bricks to make sure the critters don't use the small opening at the bottom to get in. I think my aunt wants to plant onions and garlic. I would love to start planting tomatoes.

I went on to Instagram and there was a little ad that suggested a couple of dummies for me to follow. The two recommendations were JD Vance and Melania Trump. Yeah, that's a hard pass on both of them. I don't know what the Algorithm thought I searched for that made it suggest these two dopes. Or maybe it was testing me, to see if maybe I was secretly interested in them. Yeah, no. IG needs to show me more ducks, and less dopes.

Today felt like a really long day. And it wasn't any longer than my Thursdays, which are long. For some reason it just felt like the day was moving at a crawl. It's just how minds work. On days that I go and have my Tuesday adventures the morning seems to fly. Since I was working this morning it did make the day feel like it was extra long.

Wednesday, January, 22, My Discover card sent me a letter stating the following:

To help you with the challenging circumstances around California Wildfires and Straight-line Winds, we have waived your February minimum payment due.
* Your new minimum payment due is $0 and will reflect $0 on the Discover card website and mobile app until your next statement.
* No late fee will be assessed related to this waived payment.
* Interest will continue to accrue on any unpaid balance.
* If you choose, you may still make a payment.
* If you have any scheduled payments and do not want them to process, please cancel those payments.

Sincerely,
Discover

Gee, thanks for everything. I love that the letter says they'll still charge interest. Yeah, no thanks. I'll make my payment as normal, thank you very much.

Today was the first day that I got to see the situation at Central regarding Grimace. She moved into her desk in circulation. When I got in this morning she was not in the office yet. I was out in the van when she came in, but she saw me when I came back into circulation to get more book bins. That's when I saw her, all smiles. It wasn't until later that I came to realize why she was smiling. After the route I was in circulation when my supervisor asked me to move a cabinet from downstairs to next to Grimace's new desk. When I got downstairs I saw that she had moved into a desk down in the IT department. Well, what's left of that department. So Grimace partially got what she wanted, a desk downstairs. Sure, she will have to spend time upstairs in circulation, but at least now she gets to escape from time to time to the basement.

TheGirl and I wanted to go somewhere that had heaters on the patio. We decided to go to Wood Ranch in Burbank. I wasn't too sure about eating a burger, but I know that Cheyenne loves the patty. I pretty much gave Cheyenne most of my burger. I was hungry, but not hungry enough to eat the entire burger. Besides, I want her to just enjoy everything she can eat. As I've said many times, she is getting skinny, but she is still full of energy. Thank the maker.

Thursday, January, 23, After lunch I got back on the desk and since I didn't really have anything else to do, I figured I would get a jump on editing some pictures from Saturday's visit to the Observatory. But, every time I started to edit one photo a patron would come up and ask for help. It was like the old days on the Crowell reference desk. I would have work to do for the Foundation, and I would try to do it while on the reference desk. Well, just like today, people would find it easy to come up and ask me a bunch of questions, or have some sort of computer issue that wasn't easily resolved. Same thing happened today. Oh well. It's the nature of the desk that if I just sit here doing nothing no one will bother me. However, if I want to get some work done that's when I get issues and questions.

Friday, January, 24, I went to my social media this morning, and I found a post from TheRose showing her on Spectrum TV news, as well as on channel eleven. They interviewed her about the Hughes fire, which is up in Castaic lake. I guess her family moved up there a couple of years ago. I sent her a text to tell her I saw her interview, but that I was sad that she had to be on TV under the aire of having to evacuate your home due to a huge fire. She thanked me.

I cleaned out part of one of my bed drawers last week, but I haven't been able to drop off the clothes to any donation centers. I tried last weekend, when I was in Burbank, but that failed. On Wednesday I saw that there were a couple of bins right up the street from the library. I figured I could go today and drop them off. To cut a long story short... mission accomplished. The good thing about having this option close to work is that I can go more often. I want to go through one drawer a week. I have a lot of clothes that I never use.

Saturday, January, 25, Today was the second time that my aunt thought that my cousin said she would come over. A few weeks ago my aunt cleaned the house in anticipation of my cousin showing up. She didn't show up. I don't think that my cousin said she would come over. She must have said something in passing about her daughter coming over before school, but my aunt always reads things wrong between the lines. I'm pretty tired of her distortion field. Maybe it was wishful thinking on her part, I don't know.

On my social media feed there was a post about some dentist in France that was pulling people's teeth to make money. The only thing I could focus on was one of the lady police officer's HUGE behind. Because, why wouldn't ANYONE focus on an ass as bulbous as the one in the picture above?

I had plans to head out to the Fairfax district to see a screening of the movie RoboCop. I figured it would be easiest to order a couple of filet-o-fish from the local McDonald's to expedite things. I ordered two filet-o-fish sandwiches, and an order of medium fries. The total came out to $18. Ah - what?!? I don't like that my Aunt insists on eating food from restaurants on the weekends. It's too expensive. Bullshine!

I went out to the Academy Museum to view a screening of the movie RoboCop. It was super fun. The movie still holds up all these years later. I don't know what else I can say, since it was just a fun night. I'll have to do this more often.

Sunday, January, 26, I didn't really do much today. I took a long nap, I know that. I didn't have to cook anything this weekend for my work lunch because I have so much food that my aunt made. She must have been bored on Thursday and Friday, because she cooked on both days. First it was lentil soup, and then on Friday spaghetti. I also have four potato quesadillas in the fridge that I haven't been able to get to. So, for lunch on Monday I'm going to have soup and a quesadilla.

My home internet went off early this afternoon, but it came back for a bit. As I type this it's almost 9:30pm, and I don't have internet. As far as I can tell it went out about two hours ago. It might be due to the rain, I don't know. Sucks. I wonder if I should look into that 5G home internet thing.

Monday, January, 27, I had plans to jerk off last night, but I was so sleepy that I couldn't keep my eyes open. So I went to bed. I can usually champion through sleepiness if it means jerking off, but I guess I was just too tired last night.

As of this morning I still don't have internet. I've been using the library hotspot to update things like this journal. I can't get the hotspot to work with the security cameras around the house, otherwise I would leave it at home and get another one from work. Maybe it's time to try that wireless internet thingie. It's a thought.

I used to have the pad that I use to exfoliate my face on the top of the rail that supports the shower doors. But the pad that I was using under the main pad was super worn out, and had to go. But where to put the pad? I decided to hang it from the holder u use to hold my speaker when I'm showering (pictured above).

My neighbor's house is right by a storm drain, just like I am. For some reason a lot of debris collected in front of his house. I'm not even sure he lives there anymore, but either way I went over to try to clear out some of the debris on Saturday night after I came back from the movie screening. Still, this morning there is a ton of debris right in front of his house.

Stephanie from work got some of those tie straps for me to use when I deliver things from Brand to Central, or vice versa. Today I used one to secure the big red link plus bins that would normally fly around the back of the van when I make a turn or stop suddenly. They worked like a charm.

I hadn't seen Marie from treasury in a couple of weeks, but today I got to see her in all her glory. She was floating from the supervisor's office and the head of the department's office. I don't know how her behind is so bulbous. It's wonderful. Alas, I can't experience it. Every effort I've made to get closer to her has failed.

She, like every woman in the world, doesn't want anything to do with me. Hey, I get it. I am not desirable. This is why I've chosen to embrace that bachelor mentality. It's a bachelor's life for me.

I was at Casa Verdugo making my delivery when I got a FaceTime call from my aunt. This meant that my internet was back. It was about time. The technician was supposed to show up from 8am to noon. I got to Casa after 1pm. I figured that the technician fixed the problem at the source. Good.

When I got home I received a notice from my security camera, but then after that I got nothing. Shortly after I arrived at home my internet died again. As I write this it's nearly midnight and the internet is still out. AT&T called me to tell me that their technicians were super busy, my words, and that they couldn't come around today. And here I was thinking they fixed the problem without having to come to my place. They told me that the next available appointment is on Wednesday. Fine, I said. My aunt will be home, and I can leave my room the way I did this morning. All ready for access to the plug and the router. I haven't had trouble with my internet in years. Last year I didn't have internet for a week, because some dopes stole a bunch of copper wire. OK, that's out of the company's control. But this. This should be an easy fix. Nothing is easy in 2025 though. Nothing is going to be easy from this point forward.

On Mondays I go to TheGirl's place after work, because she would visit me up at the Montrose library just before closing when we were dating. That Monday tradition has lasted far behind our relationship. Before going to TheGirl's place I usually stop of at the McDonald's off Central to get a burger, or a chicken sandwich. There are a lot of dummies that park in that parking lot. Today I encountered one of the dumbest. I was pulling out of my parking spot and I had already started moving forward when this dummy in a black truck pulled in front of me to a parking spot a few feet from my car. Did he pull all the way in? Nope, he stopped and lingered. I wasn't going to wait for his next move, so I went around him. Jerk. He had to go first. He couldn't wait for me to pass and then take his sweet time parking. Asshole.

Tuesday, January, 28, For my return to my Tuesday Adventures I went to the South Coast Botanic garden in Torrance. I went there a couple of years ago at night to see one of those nighttime lights things that have become popular. This is the first time I've visited in the daytime. It was good, I certainly got my steps in. The best part of these Tuesday Adventures is that when I go somewhere it's usually empty. I like empty.

After the garden I decided to go to a deli in Gardena named Giuliano's. I had initially planned on going to Hof's Hut in Torrance. But, I ended up taking too long at the garden, which meant I had less time to eat. And I didn't feel very hungry to have a full sit down meal. That made it easy to pick Giuliano's. Their famous sandwich is called the Torpedo. I got the small version, which was a good size. I didn't want to eat my sandwich in my car, so I searched for a park nearby. I found a park named Mas Fukai park. It was named after a former mayor of Gardena. I couldn't find a table at the park, so I used part of the viewing stands as a place to eat. The sandwich really hit the spot. The mortadella tasted so good.

I made my way to work slowly, thanks to traffic on the 110. The traffic was bad enough that the google lady had be go East on the 10 for a bit, and then hit the 5 just south of Boyle Heights. I made it to work at 12:55pm. Just a bit before I had to start. Too close.

Wednesday, January, 29, I hated not being able to check up on my aunt the last few days. Mainly because I do worry about her. I also want to keep an eye on the house, to see if any strangers are lurking around. I finally just set up the hotspot last night to work with the security cameras. I couldn't get it to work with the lights, but that's OK. I rather have access to the cameras than to the lights. The lights turn on by themselves anyway.

My morning didn't start out to hot. My usual routine on route days is to get the keys for the van, and then going to the van to drop off my lunch and other stuff. Well, today I saw there was dew on the windshield, which I wanted to clean off. So I turned the key and got the wipers to work. Then I grabbed a paper towel to clean off the rest of the dew off the windshield. I then got out and closed the door, lucking it behind me. That's when I reached down to my back pocket and realized that I had left the keys in the van. One look confirmed it. I then started walking to the garage in the city hall complex. It was a ten minute walk in the cold. I wasn't going to be cold for long. The whole loop took about twenty-five minutes. What a dummy. I've never locked myself out of the van. I've locked the van keys in a couple of the branches, but never the van keys in the van. Guess there's a first time for everything. I felt so stupid.

There's a lady that is a caretaker for some special needs people that like to visit the Montrose library. This lady has some nice curves on her.

I had lunch with Misa today. During lunch Misa reiterated that I should ask Sarah out. I wonder if she knows something I don't know. Believe me, I would love to date Sarah. I think she has a nice body. These days I do enjoy the look of thick women. Sarah would fit that category. I am mesmerized by her behind. It's marvelous. Personality wise I think we could be compatible. Maybe I could gather the courage to ask her out. Or even just to have a drink. Misa says that Sarah likes drinking.

TheGirl and I wanted to go somewhere where we could take Cheyenne and be inside. When we go to the Smoke House on cold nights like these they usually sit us in the corner, inside. Tonight they took us to the patio, which did have heaters. But, TheGirl was not happy, protesting slightly that we usually sit inside. The hostess left us, but someone must have said that we were regulars and that we usually sit inside when it's cold. Also, I think none of the servers would want to go outside to serve us in the cold. Whatever the reason the hostess came back a couple of minutes later to tell us that we could sit inside in our usual spot in the corner. All is right at the Smoke House. I had suggested we go to our plan B, but thankfully we didn't have to do that.

TheGirl and I had our usual two rounds of drinks. They hit the spot. We both ordered fish and chips for dinner. It was a good night. I gave Cheyenne so much fish.

Thursday, January, 30, When I got home last night the internet seemed to be working like normal. As of this morning I can say that it's still working. The strange thing is that the light on the router is not green, it's red. Which usually indicates that the connection is not working. Well, it can be any color it wants to be, as long as the internet works. I think that by the time I get home tonight I'll disconnect the hotspot and return everything back to running on the router.

I was thinking of buying a SSD for use with my iPad, because I want to edit videos on it. My aunt thinks I should do a channel on YouTube showing things like food and such. I know that I could possibly make my Tuesday Adventures into a series online. You never know, I might even make a couple of bucks. Maybe. But, I need an external SSD. I tried checking out some videos on YouTube about recommendations while on the desk. But that was a big fat fail. As soon as I started listening to one video a bunch of patrons wanted my attention. First it was checking out a book. Then it was some help on the printer. I gave up trying to listen to the video. I put my AirPods back in its case and went about working. It's a living.

I saw on social media that one of the places I've frequented in Carmel, Forge in the Forest, is closing on February 7th. I have to thank them for one of my favorite meals... Reuben egg rolls. Here is a statement made by the owners.

Dear Customers, Friends and Supporters,

It is with a heavy heart and deep sadness that we share some difficult news regarding the future of our restaurant. After 15 wonderful years of being open and incredibly successful and willing and financially able to continue with a long term lease, we have been informed by the new landlord that he will not be renewing our lease. This means that, unfortunately, our time at this location is coming to an end. We will remain open through the 7th of February.

We are devastated by this decision, as it has been our privilege and joy to be a part of this community, and to welcome you through our doors. This place has been more than just a restaurant to us - it has been a second home, a gathering space, and a place where memories have been made, shared, and celebrated.

A huge part of the joy of owning and operating this business for all of these years has been the stages of enlightenment learning about the history of the Forge in the Forest, not just as a restaurant since 1972, but also the history of the Forge in the Forest as a blacksmith shop, aviary, post office and personal residence of a Carmel mayor. The building and the restaurant are not just reflections of a landmark, but memories set forth by 10's of thousand of visitors throughout the years. We will always cherish and honor all that have come to this place and created lasting memories of their own.

We quickly realized and embraced the fact that we are stewards of a long and locally cherished landmark. While we are uncertain of the future, please know that this decision does not diminish our gratitude for your incredible support and efforts over the years. We have been truly fortunate to have had the opportunity to serve you as well as employ a multitude of incredible staff members, many of which have been with us for 20-30 years, and we will treasure the moments we've shared Our main focus right now has and will continue to be, seeking new employment for our wonderful staff.

We are committed to exploring all possible options, and will keep you updated on any developments. In the meantime, we will continue to serve you as best we can, and we hope to make the most of the time we have left at this location.

Thank you again for your unwavering loyalty and support. Your presence in our restaurant has meant everything to us, and we are grateful for the relationships we have built with each of you.

With heartfelt thanks and deepest appreciation, Greg and Carolyne Profeta
The Forge in the Forest

Friday, January, 31, Earlier this week my supervisor asked me if I knew anything about the overage in mileage on the Impala car we sometimes us. I told her that I didn't know anything about it, because I usually don't drive that car. I went on to tell her that the mistake in mileage is most likely a result of human error. That was obviously too logical a response. so of course they overreact and now the car has a sign out sheet. This is so silly. Someone writes down an odometer's mileage down wrong and now they have to report to some sorry-ass sign out sheet. This means nothing. I'm glad I don't drive that car.

I was driving on Chevy Chase on my way to the Pacific Park library when I heard a thump. I knew instantly that I had hit a side mirror. When I looked over I saw that the mirror was gone. I doubled back to the location and found the broken mirror on the ground. ARGH! I emailed my supervisor and the garage manager asking to buy a new mirror. This is the third time I've hit the side of a U-haul mirror and damaged the delivery van's mirror. This super sucks.

The AT&T repairman FINALLY showed up today. He called me when he arrived and I told him where the phone box was. He told me he would call me after he was done, or if he needed to ask me something. He didn't ask me anything, but he call me when he finished up. He told me that he fixed both the phone and the internet. Later my aunt told me that the repairman said that some of the wires were damaged in the box. But he also said that some of the wires outside were damaged as well. He told my aunt that he fixed that and we shouldn't have any problems from now on. Well, not forever, but for a few years.