I'm going to sketch this out quickly, as there was lots of activity--and not all good.
What was good was reading my dear big sister's diary. I printed it out, but am reading it on-line. It runs through 1939, when she was 15, to parts of 1940 and 1941. The entries--most is about her busy social life in Ventnor, at Holy Spirit, with girlfriends and boyfriends, her crushes, the parties, and the multitude of friends. She was so pretty and so full of life. She was much older than Betty and me, of course, and I only vaguely remember her as a teenager--she was married at 22, when I was 11. In one of her entries, she said she had "taken the babies (that's Betty and me, folks) down the beach." In another, she said she had "helped the twins find crabs; they like to see them, but not to touch them." She also wrote about dancing with a boy she liked and how much fun it was. "But it ended at last. Why do things have to end?" That almost broke my heart.
Another gooder: Julie picked me up at 11:45 for the Soaring Spirits lunch. I was surprised when she said she wasn't coming in because she wanted to go home and nap; she had come back late the previous night from a week-long trip. I protested that she hadn't had to pick me up, I would have had no problem getting there, but she brushed that off.
Anyway, I had a wonderful time, of course, with my widow and widower friends. Hugged Vera, Susan, and Gayle and talked happily with newcomers Diana (her wife died only last month) and Ana (her husband died a short time ago, too). Stayed chatting after, then said goodbye and bused to the transit center. I impulsively got on the 21 bus, thinking I'd take it to Oxnard, but I changed my mind and got off at Wal-Mart to get oatmeal.
My new friend, LaVonne, texted me with her phone number, and I texted her back, asking if she was available for lunch on Thursday or Friday. She hasn't yet gotten back to me.
The not-so-good part: Home, and I took my Gene Match return box, containing my swabs, to the office to ask them to put it in with their outgoing mail. I was surprised when Jasmine said she was just about to call me. Why? Because, she said, your "ledger" shows that you're in arrears with rent. What? How can that be, considering I pay it automatically through my bank? No, she said, my rent wasn't paid in September--six months ago! After that, there ensued a long session of Jasmine looking up and printing out things, me trying to get a handle on it. The upshot was, I took what she gave me the material and I said I'd get back to her with my information. Looked it up when I got home and it looks to me as if it was paid, but I'll have to pursue it further. Jasmin also told me there seems also to be a month when I didn't pay the utilities bill, and possibly, I did overlook it, and will have to research that, too. Along with the fact that I owe $1250 to Little Harbor with the veterans tax thing, I may be on the street soon.
The very good part: Ellen called, then came over after school to get the coffee pot I had borrowed. She also brought the recipe for leeks I had asked Greg for. Best is that she stayed for an hour and we had a good talk, ranging from the dance she's doing with her third graders for Cinco de mayo, my problems with Jim, and the rent thing with management.
So, on balance, I guess the good outweighed the bad and really, I'm not that concerned about the money thing--it just seems a minor annoyance at this point. (I should be ashamed of myself: Only those who are financially secure would ever write such a thing.)
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