Back to the story...

Well, I haven't talked much about myself lately. I've been avoiding talking about my marriage a while, but I guess may as well let it out.

I married Nina, not once, but twice.

The first time was around 1994, that lasted 4 months after which she had it annulled. I had moved in with her, so I was the one who needed to leave, and went back to living with my grandmother who was glad to have me back. At the time I didn't know she had cheated on me during the time we were married with her ex-boyfriend. Signing the annulment papers tore me apart and hurt me deeply. Months later Nina tried to get back together with me, but I refused because I didn't want to get hurt again.

2 years later (1996) our mutual friend Steve convinced me that I needed to get married to become legal. It took him quite a while to get me to agree to it since I believed I should only marry for love. Here comes the funny part... he had convinced Nina to re-marry me in exchange of me paying some of her bills.

So a meeting at Steve's house is made, with Steve, Joyce (his wife at the time), me, Nina and her brother Jason. All seems to be going well and then I just couldn't do it... I walked out of the house.

Steve goes after me and asks me why I changed my mind. So i tell him that I can't because I don't want a fake marriage, that I want a real one and surprisingly I admit I still love Nina. Next thing Steve tells me if she agrees to a real marriage if I would do it, I said yes. He goes back inside, comes back out 10 minutes later and tells me that she agrees!

I'm happy again.

October of that year we got married, moved back in with her, meanwhile I'm working with Steve at the Computer Store in Brooklyn and all seem well.

However things change over the months and during the second year of our second marriage (ok legally our first), I'm at the end of my rope. The woman treats me like dirt. I didn't know what to do, 2 years of marriage... I should have walked away, I should have gotten a divorce, I should have spoken up more. But, I didn't. She had just started the process of me becoming legal, I had a legitimate work permit, I was working on the books, and legally things were going great. At the same time I was extremely unhappy and trying to hide it as much as I could.

Even my co-workers knew it. Now here comes the twist. My friend from work Lisa had a friend who needed my help (Stacy), hinting she could also help me get rid of some of my stress, I didn't think much of it... she was setting me up with her girlfriend.

Here is where mistake #1 happens.

What started as a casual acquaintance turned into a fling, which then turned into a relationship (while Stacy had a boyfriend still, yeah, very Jerry Springer). There it is, I cheated on my wife. I'm not proud of it, the only thing I regret is that I should have divorced before doing such thing.

Of course when one cheats, sooner or later, you get caught, and I did. Next thing I'm being yelled at, asked to leave the house and then... back to grandma's house. By the way she knew I was having an affair and she liked Stacy and disliked Nina from the start.

So here I am at grandma's house, continuing my affair and pretty much accepting the end of my marriage an maybe the start of something else.

It doesn't take long for Nina to talk to me again and I expected her to ask for a divorce. Boy was I wrong. She asks for a reconciliation, to try to work things out. Mind you she had stopped all the legal paperwork with our lawyer and even called INS to make sure all came to a stop.

I think about it. 2 years of marriage... I didn't want to be like my father and abandon a wife... I believed in the concept of marriage, and here is where i make mistake #2. I agree and go back to her, ending my relationship with Stacy.

Now comes the twilight zone moment of the marriage. Nina... makes friends with Stacy! Ok so here is my wife and ex-mistress all buddy-buddy, laughing and having a great time. It tortured me, because I still had feelings for Stacy and Nina had to know. Instead of trying to move forward she kept reminding me that I had cheated, throwing it at my face... this wasn't what I wanted.

At one point I couldn't take it anymore and decided to leave, not just her, not just the marriage, but the state of New York altogether and put both women behind me.

I planned for weeks, booked the flight to Florida, sneaked clothes out to my grandma's house, getting all ready to take off one weekend.

Every weekend I'd go with my computer in a cab to my friend Ian's house to do a LAN party, usually just us 2, sometimes with a Russian friend of ours whose name escapes me right now.

So one of those weekends at the end of 2000 I tell Nina I'm going to Ian's, take my computer to grandma's, pack it to be shipped down to FL later on and a few hours later I was in a flight southbound.

My uncle was waiting for me, he helped me get a place, get a car and even learn how to drive stick shift. I knew he did it all because grandma asked him to, otherwise I highly doubt he would have even given me the time of day.

So for 6 months I was free, I would call NY once in a while and find the few friends I had were being harassed by Nina. She was trying to find me, calling and demanding of everyone to know where I was. She even went to my grandma's house several times to find out where I was, of course nobody talked, for a while. Eventually Ian broke down because he was tired of being harassed and his nature was to avoid conflict. However she didn't believe I was in FL, she stubbornly thought I as hiding somewhere in NY.

Meanwhile, Stacy comes down to FL and we end up hooking up again, as friends-with-benefits which at that point was fine for both of us.

Months go by and one by one I'm losing my friends to Nina's constant and relentless search for me. So I call her to try and get her off them, I promise to keep in touch if she backs off. Within a few weeks things calm down and she asks me for another chance, asks for forgiveness and tells me is willing to do anything. She has never been separated from her family and living with her, her brother and her father was a bad mix. So I make mistake #3, and I tell her if she comes down alone I'll give it a try. Did I expect her to do it? no. But, it happened.

She comes down on her own, rents a room, then I'm stuck between keeping my word and having to let go of Stacy again, or having to play games. I keep my word, I end it with Stacy.

We end up renting a small studio, and for a few precious months I was really happy with Nina. We even shared tears one morning I was coming from a long night of work when we saw 9-11 happening live on TV (2001).

A few weeks after that she asks me if her family can come down to FL, my thought was they would live near us, but foolishly I didn't ask, I said ok. Mistake #4... can you see where this is going? stupid me, I didn't see it.

We end up all moving in together in a house and everything slowly goes back to how things were in NY. Downhill.

These people love to scream at each other and argue every day, I didn't know if it was just them, or if every jewish family acted like that.

In 2003 I lose my job with Toys R' Us as I'm doing quite well and was up to be promoted. They found out my work permit had expired back in 2000, I had worked for the company 3 years.

My Kia Sportage ends up in my brother-in-law's hands because I can't make the car payments, and then he trashes my car. Goodbye credit record.

Nina also empties my checking account, and even overdrafts it by about $700, my account is closed soon after.

For a while I work at a nearby gas station, miserable and I can't focus, I can't do things right, I last about 6 months before I get fired.

After that Nina tells me I don't have to work, just be a house-husband, take care of the lawn, wash dishes, keep the house clean, do laundry... and my self esteem was so low... I agreed to it.

Years go by, I had saved and paid a lawyer about 3k to restart the paperwork, but after I got fired from TRU I didn't have the money to keep paying. Nina was working so was everyone else in the house. I was told there was no money. I took their word for it. Now I know that they could easily have put money together to get things going, to get me a work permit and back on track, they didn't.

2004, 2005, 2006 go by and I'm hoping things will change somehow, that the woman I lived in the little studio may come back. Nope. In mid 2006 I start to secretly buy things in case I need to leave.

2007. Earlier in the year I said if nothing happens with my papers by my birthday (August 2nd) I'll give up on them. She didn't seem to care much for my comment.

August comes and goes, nothing. I sell my entire collection of DVD's, buy a laptop and well.... for those of you who have read the beginning of my blog you know what happened.

October I ask for a divorce openly, she doesn't let me grab my packed backpack or leave the house. I have to agree to stay to "work things out". A month later when I see a chance, I take it an leave, in my rush I forget my sleeping bag and my tent. I was in such a hurry to get out of that hell that I wasn't thinking straight. I left with $80 in my pocket and nothing else.

Now I'm going into my 6th month of being homeless.

Do I regret leaving? No. I'm happier in my tent in the past few months that in that house with a comfy bed, a desk, bathroom, yard, big screen TV, living room, kitchen and all the amenities of a normal home. Right now, home is where the heart is, and it's right there in my tent.

Now if I could only find a nice room to rent with a bathroom, that would be awesome.

Part 2, yes there is a sequel!

Well, sort of. Here is my review of the 2 movies I didn't review from last week.

Impromptu is a romantic 1990 movie set in the 1800's with Hugh Grant (as pianist Frederic Chopin) and Judy Davis (as George Sand, a famous writer who likes to dress like a man) in France. She falls for his musical talents which leads her to pursue him aggressively. Add to the plot, a former lover who gets jealous of all of her love interests, and a duel. A good mix of drama, betrayal, friendships made and lost. I recommend this movie.

Kicking and Screaming is a 1995 drama/comedy movie of a group of new york friends in their 20's who just finished college who are trying to figure out their lives. Helping them (in his own way) is a friendly local bartender (who spent a decade in their college) who shares some of his "wisdom" with them. The movie was ok, not a must-see, but certainly enjoyable enough to watch.

Ok, so how that we got that done, we move on to the movies I've seen this week.

The Puffy Chair is a 2006 drama (with a bit of humor) about a failed musician (Josh) who tries his luck as a booking agent. He decides to buy his father as a birthday present a reclining chair which s identical to one they had when he was a kid. Things get complicated when his very clingy girlfriend ends up joining him on the trip to pick up the chair and deliver it to his parents house. While they are on the way to pick up the chair, a short stop to visit his younger leads to him actually joining them on the road and a very unexpected event. This was a very good movie, I recommend it highly.

Stargate: The Ark of Truth is a recent DVD release which i personally loved since I'm a Stargate SG-1 fan. However I got to be fair here. If you are a fan of the series, this is a must-see movie. It pretty much wraps up the Ori storyline from the final season of the TV series. Unfortunately for those who aren't fans of the show, this is a movie to avoid. It won't make sense (even though the DVD has a 7 minute "recap" with clips of the tv series) to anyone who hasn't watched the show. For fans, I highly recommend this movie, for everyone else, avoid it... you won't get it.

The Station Agent is a 2003 well done drama with the main character is Fin (a dwarf who can really act, Peter Dinklage), a train enthusiast who inherits an old (and abandoned) train station from his only real friend. Seeing it as an escape into solitude which he desperately wants he ends up meeting Joe and Olivia (who accidentally almost runs him over, twice). Joe's love of life, Olivia's grief over the loss of a son mixed with Fin's desire to avoid any kind of link with other people leads to friendships that will change their lives. I highly recommend this film.

Children of Heaven is a 1997 movie with a touching story about two children in Iran. Ali loses his little sister's newly repaired shoes on his way home, fearing his father's wrath he convinces Zhara to share and wear his sneakers to school. With an ill mother and their father facing financial troubles they try to hide the problem from them. Because they share the same pair of shoes this leads to Ali being late to school with the principal threatening to kick him out if he is late again. He sees a chance go solve his problem by entering a race where the third place winner gets a new pair of sneakers. I won't tell you more, except... I recommend this film, it's a great drama.

That is all for today folks!

Week, Work and what else? movies

I worked Monday, Tuesday and today. Finally some cash incoming, which of course goes to my savings toward a room (which I still haven't found).

Today Dar asked me if I could go to Texas with him to pick up a Bus Limo he wants to buy. No problem I said, then he said, "you can fly right?"... sure I can, but with new security measures all over airports, I may get picked up for having expired ID's. I told him so.

Bleh, a chance to travel and I can't take it!.

Oh well. Last week was a bit boring, but at least I was entertained while I was recovering from being sick.

Here is the list of movies I watched.

All quiet on the Western Front - It's one of the oldest black and white movies I've ever seen, also one of the best. The acting (for that time) was superb and it immersed me into the story. How easily young men were aroused by the promise of glory and tales of heroism. I guess some of it is still true to these days, armies need soldiers and they got to recruit them somehow. I recommend this classic movie.

The Barbarian Invasions (French) - A French drama about a man who is dying, his wealthy son who tries to make things as comfortable for his father as possible and a group of family and friends. You will be touched by the extremes the son goes to make his father's remaining time as best that his money can buy (buying illegal drugs and bribing the hospital and staff to get his father a special room). Even old mistresses show up, which I guess in France is not that out of the norm. The story is touching, to the end. I highly recommend this movie.

Amores Perros (Spanish) - Even though I'm Latino, I've seen few films in Spanish in the 20 years I've been in the states. This is one of the best foreign films I've seen with. The movie is made of 3 stories that are related indirectly to each other. A guy who uses his brother's dog to make money (dog fighting) while trying to get his sister-in-law to agree to run away with him. An executive who leaves his wife for a beautiful model. A former guerrilla fighter turned assassin that takes on a job to kill his employer's business partner. You will be surprised to see some of the outcomes. I highly recommend this movie.

The Sea Inside (Spanish) - Another movie about a dying man. The difference is that he is paraplegic and has been wanting to die for decades. Trying to legally get permission to die he hires a lawyer who is also terminally ill to help him. The story is not easy to grasp, specially if you don't agree with the protagonist who wants to end his life. Add that a protective older brother who refuses to support his sibling's death wish, a loving sister-in-law and a young nephew which adds up to a great drama. I think (not sure) this was based on a true story. In any case, i recommend this movie if you can handle this kind of drama.

Mean Creek - A prank on a bully turns tragic and 5 kids' lives are changed forever. The young actors (at least at that time, back in 2004) were exceptional through the entire film. The younger Kulkin was certainly a good fit for his role. Again, I don't want to give away the story but it has his twist and turns. I recommend this movie.

Short Cut to Nirvana (Hindi) - This is a documentary about a pilgrimage in India that takes place every 12 years (The Kumbh Mela). The tradition has been going on for hundreds of years and the western world has very little knowledge of it. Many spiritual gurus (or Babas as they are called as well) and their followers participate in the religious rituals (of which there are quite a few). People are interviewed, some share their wisdom while others demonstrate their "power". It is a very informative documentary for those interested in the spiritual side of India. I highly recommend this movie.

I watched 2 other movies, but this post is long enough, bleh. Will try to post tomorrow if I can.

And then... there was rain

Bad weekend. It rained and i got caught in the rain both times. I thought I'd be done with being sick by Monday. I was mistaken, i got a headache right now but I figured i need to update my blog more often anyways.

Finished reading "The Elysium Commission", I even wrote a review for it at goodreads.com if you care to know my opinion about the book.

Movies, yes, keeps me sane.

The Other Conquest (La otra conquista), can't really compare to Apocalypso even thought they had a vague similarity. The story is deep, religion makes up a large part of it, the old one against the new one brought by the Spanish. If you don't like gore, avoid this movie. You will see torture as one of the methods of converting the Aztecs. I recommend this movie.

In Dreaming Lhasa a young journalist helps a fellow Tibetan (an ex-monk) search for a man who he wishes to return something his mother gave him before her death. The journalist is a young woman who is making a documentary on the suffering the people of Tibet has endured in Chinese hands while helping the former monk. It's a great story, mixed with real facts that makes the story more believable. A true dramatic work of art, I highly recommend this film. Oh yeah, it's subtitled in english, the

In July is a great foreign romantic movie (in German) with a bit of humor, a must-see if you like that kind of foreign film. It's not too complex, easy to follow, and easy to like. It doesn't present any new approach to love, but perhaps the way the story is delivered could make you aware that love can awaken in the most unexpected placed. The ending, was great. I recommend this movie, a classic for the romantic in us.

The House of Mirth is a drama in the early 20th century New York high class elite. Love, betrayal, passion, loyalty, pride, desperation, deceit... all are well delivered in the adaptation of Edith Wharton's novel. Mistakes that today seem minor, back in those days were a death-sentence socially. The story is good and i think if I describe it even a little, I may give away a good tale. I recommend this movie.

Just Friends was a so-so romantic comedy. Former high school geek (and overweight teen) turns into a handsome dude with a high paying job that returns back to town to try and win the girl he loved who only wanted to be friends with him. Add a blond pop star with the hots for him tagging along, a little horny brother trying to get with the annoying pop star, another "suitor" who had the same problem he did when they were in high school that turned into a Casanova and you got somewhat of a funny movie. Somewhat . "In July" was a far better romantic comedy film, but if you're not finding the one you're looking for, this movie will do.

Bill Murray is usually a good hint that a film may be worth watching. Broken Flowers proves it. He stars as an older "Don Juan" who is still single, with no kids. An anonymous pink letter claiming he has a 19 year old son and a caring friend and neighbor sends him on a long trip to track down former lovers to try and find out who sent him the letter. I will say this. Watch it.

That's all for now.

I'm sick so small update

Sorry but I'm not feeling too well because i got chest congestion, a runny nose and cough for the past few days.

I'm taking Wal-Tussin, the walgreens version of Robutussin. I checked the ingredients of both bottles and they were exactly the same, except the Wal-Tussin was a bigger bottle and cheaper, so that is what I've been taking for 4 days now.

I bought Halls Mento-Lyptus because someone recommended it for my sore throat, i hope it helps.

Meanwhile I've been at the library trying to get over the fact that i wake up at nights coughing and that i got to take the 'Tussin every 4 hours.

I've been watching movies to keep my mind occupied, as always a good way to forget that I'm sick.

Volver was a foreign spanish film from Spain with Penelope Cruz which was great, i highly recommend it. It has drama, murder, ghosts, and... well Penelope! I recommend this movie more for those who are able to understand and appreciate the family relationship between females and all the drama that comes with it.

No Man's Land is another foreign film based on the Bosnian war of 1993. Three soldiers from different sides are stuck in a trench with a bomb which they can't disarm while practically pointing their weapons at each other while the UN forces are attempting to rescue them and dodging the bad press from the media. I recommend it.

Four Brothers, a decent movie. Violence, revenge, corruption, good acting and a solid cast makes it worth watching. Watch if your aren't looking forward to something else.

Everything is Illuminated with Elijah Wood is a good movie. The story takes place in Ukraine where Wood's character is looking for a woman who saved his grandfather during World War II (his family is jewish). There is drama and black comedy as the man and his Ukrainian guides (a man and his not-so-stable grandfather) and a crazy little "seeing eye" dog take road to find the woman and the place where she lived decades ago.

That's all for now, i need to take some Halls.

Momentous Day

There is something from Dean Koontz's "From the Corner of His Eye" that i wanted to share for a while, it's inspirational and i try to remember it whenever i can. Here it is

Not one day in anyone's life...is an uneventful day, no day without profound meaning, no matter how dull and boring it might seem, no matter whether you are a seamstress or a queen, a shoeshine boy or a movie star, a renowned philosopher or a Down's syndrome child.

Because in every day of your life, there are opportunities to perform little kindnesses for others, both by conscious acts of will and unconscious example. Each smallest act of kindness-even just words of hope when they are needed, the remembrance of a birthday, a compliment that engenders a smile-reverberates across great distances and spans of time, affecting lives unknown to the one whose generous spirit was the source of this good echo, because kindness is passed on and grows each time it's passed, until a simple courtesy becomes an act of selfless courage years later and far away.

Likewise, each small meanness, each thoughtless expression of hatred, each envious and bitter act, that ultimately produces evil fruit, poisoning people whom you have never met and never will. All human lives are so profoundly and intricately entwined-those dead, those living, those generations yet to come-that the fate of all is the fate of each, and the hope of humanity rests in every heart and in every pair of hands.

Therefore, after every failure, we are obliged to strive again for success, and when faced with the end of one thing, we must build something new and better in the ashes, just as from pain and grief, we must weave hope, for each of us is a thread critical to the strength-the very survival-of the human tapestry.

Every hour in every life contains such often-unrecognized potential to affect the world that the great days for which we, in our dissatisfactions, so often yearn are already with us; all great days and thrilling possibilities are combined always in THIS MOMENTOUS DAY.

It's a beautiful sermon (even if it's fictitious). Have a good day guys.

Catching up

11 days since my last blog post, long time huh?

Let me try and explain, if i can.

Friday March 7th was my last post, so let's tackle Sat & Sun. Those 2 days were a bust, I've lost my confidence after not being able to charm customers as I could at the beginning.

Monday through Wednesday there was no work. Then Thursday, Friday and Saturday I power cleaned Derr's roof. I guess i never mentioned my fear of heights, have I?

Ok, take that into consideration with me being 30+ feet above ground walking on tiles. I did the best i could, with a pressure washer. The machine was on the roof itself and at the end of the second day due to it's vibrations fell down the side of the roof breaking a couple of tiles. Derr was not too thrilled, but hey, it's the first time i did this sort of work and we both knew it.

I did my best.

Friday, Saturday and Sunday i helped him with his kids. Saturday Miri went to NY to get her mother and came back the following night.

I will say that Sunday was great, we went to their community's club, i was hanging by the huge pool and it was fun with the kids and Derr.

5 days, 4 nights i stayed there, it was heaven. Sunday night i had to go because the guest room was no longer available with Miri's mother in the house. I went to check on Duayne to check on him since I hadn't spoken to him in a few days. He was drunk, Timmy had given him beer while i was gone, figures. Then Tim shows up with Mike half drunk and a long discussion about religion came about (yes, alcoholics arguing religion, go figure!).

I didn't stay long, except to try and get Duayne to stop drinking again, moral support is all i can give him. Timy told me some black people who fish near the canal had been snooping near my tent and got them to move on by saying the camp was his, I got to admit Tim is a good guy unless you're trying to quit drinking, heh.

After that i went to my tent.

Yesterday (Monday) i relaxed at the library and watched the movies Cellular and Travellers & Magicians. The first was a decent action/drama movie, i would recommend it. The second movie is foreign with english subtitles, it was a beautiful film that features good actors and a great storyline. It's about a man wanting to start a new life in America and the people he meets as he's leaving his village. The location is Bhutan, the Himalayan nation/kingdom.

After that i went to DD and then BK early (9PM) and went to my tent again. I had a scratchy throat and had a bad feeling about it, i woke up 3 times during the night and it became progressively worse.

This morning it was bad, sore throat and spitting phlegm which is not pleasant. I stopped by Duayne's and found Tim there, he had drank last night because he had the shakes so he will no "ween off' the booze slowly, i hope. I'm trying to help him, but i got my own poblems.

I went to BK and ate 2 hamwiches and waiting for Derr to call me since Monday he was too busy. I was at Marshall's trying to find a cheap pair of sneakers since my old pair (the $10 ones from Walmart) got destroyed during the roof cleaning. No luck there, then Derr met me in front of the place to pay me for the roof job.

He told that he'd work on getting my room built as soon as he could, but he had to fix some mistakes done in the original marketing of the limo service.

I understood and told him so. As i was heading towards the library I met Joe (another homeless dude) and he tells me that i can get a pair of decent sneakers for $25 at "Rack Room Shoes". It's around the corner so i go there and all i see is $35-$100+ stuff until i find the exact same ones he was wearing (Nike) which was priced $50 and i asked the lady to check the price and bingo! it's 50% off!! $26.63 well spent on a pair of decent sneakers. Thank god.

I watched Akira Kurosawa's The Bad Sleep Well and Aeon Flux. Kurosawa's film was of course, excellent while Aeon was so bad i think they should burn every single dvd copy every made of it.

I'm watching Tickets, another foreign film (Italian) which so far is very good. It's a story about passengers in a train from Central Europe to Rome and social status, the mystery of chance and sacrifice.

That's all for today.

It's a Classic for a reason

So, it's 4PM and Derr hasn't called yet. Meanwhile i watched All That Heaven Allows which is another movie in the Criterion Collection (like Throne of Blood was).

The movie is from the 1950's with Rock Hudson and Jane Wyman as the main protagonists.

This is my 3rd romance/drama of the week, i guess it helps me hold on to the thought of finding a good woman, someday. Ok ok, back to the movie. It was good and even though the social enviroment has changed since that era, there are some concepts which still applies today that can affect a loving relationship quite negatively.

The end is simple and open ended, i liked it. I don't think of it as a chick flick, but i'm sure the romantic part of it can be appreciated.

I was going to watch Aeonflux until i checked the reviews for it. Next is either Sherrybaby or Madame Butterfly.

I'll call Derr now to see what's up.

The wheel of time, neverending

Well, it's Friday afternoon and a few things have happened since my last post. Some good, some not so good, balance of the universe and all that shiznit.

Yes, i said shiznit.

Let's see if i can remember it all. But before that i must make a comment about Gary Gygax. He was one of the Co-creator of Dungeons & Dragons who recently died at age 69. At the end of my crazy mid 20's there was a time when i made friends, a circle of friends to be exact.

We would gather every weekend at the house of a couple who was part of the circle and play AD&D (second edition) and our esteemed GM (Game Master or Great Master depending on his mood) would sink us into great adventures of the mind.

Elves, dragons, evil wizards, enchanting and sometime disorienting locations and a lot, and i mean a lot of tumbling on the part of one of our companions who loved to carry a hacky sack.

It was AD&D and the original NES game Final Fantasy which got me into RPG and gaming. I wasnt aware of the impact Gary Gygax had in my life until after his passing. Today i thanked god for Gary's gift to gaming.

Ok, now on with the blog.

Tuesday night at 7PM i come out of the library to find that luckily i had missed the hours of rain that had poured while i was inside. I get on my bike and almost fall. The source of my sudden inability for balance and control of my bike is simple. A flat tire, front wheel.

At that time, nowhere to get it fixed, plus last time i was ripped off.

Walk to DD, get my freebies and chit chat with the crew, then BK where i leave my bike locked for the night.

Mary calls me and asks me if i can be up early so i can drop her off at the airport and drive the car back to their house. She was going to NY to bring back her mother to help them.

So i agreed. The next day i was up a bit after 5AM and was at BK at just about 6AM. I called her to make sure she was up and by 6:30 she picked me up and off we were to the airport.

I helped her with the lugage at the terminal and wished her a nice trip. Drove back to their home and... oh did i mention i wasn't driving the SUV? Cadillac, yeah, expensive sport car. It was a nice drive.

So i hang with Derr a bit, get his daughter to school and discuss what we can do while Mary is out since he can't hit the airport because the kids need him.

He gives me $20 before he drops me off at BK which helps me later in the day to buy a new tire and tube. The old tire was well worn out anyways. In the middle of the process of replacing tire and tube it begins to rain a bit. Its light rain, a drizzle but stand long enough under it and i think you get the idea.

I had to work fast, and considering i haven't done any bike work in quite some time you can also imagine me using my tools and trying to move as fast i could without breaking or damaging something.

Luckily a car service center was nearby and i got free air and voila! new tire, new tube and then riding as fast and safely as possible to the library. I saved the old tube since i found it only had 1 hole, i will fix it sometime this week if i can remember as a back-up.

I'm currently reading Spellbinder: A Love Story With Magical Interruptions by Melanie Rawn and i have to admit that it has slowly drawn my interest in her characters. I can't recommended it yet, but so far i'm likely to do so.

Oh yes, i did watch Stranger than Fiction with Will Ferell and it was funny, touching and a good comedy. Yup, i recommended highly.

Another movie that i watched was Mostly Martha, a german romance/drama (yes, subtitled) about a female cook, her niece and an italian cook who appears in her kitchen at work that changes the atmosphere of her work place. I recommend it if you like romantic films.

I borrowed another movie which i tried to watch that night in my tent. It was a swedish movie which was also romance/drama. I was watching Under the Sun and it was probably the last 20 minutes of it when the laptop battery died, it had been fully charged when i had left the library earlier that night.

This morning i finished watching it at the library. The story takes place in the 1950's in Sweden and it's quite touching. If i had a special someone i would've in all likelyhood watched it with her. Hmmm... note to self, watch it again, with someone special.

Derr is busy with business and will call me later today for work.

Oh yes, apparently there is a leak in my tent, probably the tarp because a bit of water gets stored on top of my tent and it leaks right on top of my "bed" so i got to keep covering the wet side with stuff so i can lay down to sleep.

I really want to get out of there, soon.

Well, that's all for now. Have a great day and god bless.

Evil, good and Henry V

It was an interesting weekend. For i have been reading "From the Corner of his Eye" and read about evil to deep and disturbing that every horror movie i've seen in my life combined could not compared to the persona of Junior Cain, the villan of the book.

However the book also does brings within the sense of hope and love of several characters that remind me of the goodness of my grandmother.

Here is how my past few days have gone.

I tried to get in touch with Derr friday night with no luck, same for saturday. He was busy, which is ok by me. I ended up most of the day at the library.

Watched East is East, an english comedy about a muslim family in the 1970's.

The movie was interesting, it was also dramatic and touching.

Sunday morning i went to BK and continued reading the book, it was getting better. 

At noon i was at the library and was keeping myself occupied as i waited for the security guard.

He was supposed to show up at 3PM to buy my first laptop.

I had told Derr i was going to help someone with their computer, which is true since i had to make sure everything works fine with the laptop before the old man takes it.

He was there a bit after three and i showed him how i had gotten it to detect the library's network and installed a few things like iTunes and such. He paid the $250 which pretty much just covers the expenses from me getting my passport and paying my traffic ticked and driver's license reinstatment fee.

I'm still $500 in the red because of the new laptop, but i intend on working my way up and out of the tent.

So after he left i saw the movie Shower which is a chinese movies after 2 brothers and a father, with the older brother having moved on to the city while his mentally challenged younger brother and father run the family's bath house. It was a good film, well told and acted. I recommend it, i saw it subtitled of course, that is how i watch foreign films.

The library has a nice collection of DVD movies.

Monday i worked with Derr but due to 2 sheriffs who had become aware of my subtle solicitations of new arrivals at the airport, i had to retreat back into the limo.

No fares, no groups. We left the airport. I stayed with Derr as he handled some deal with another businessman who owns 4 sedans who apparently is in need of the stretch limo he has.

Looks like they will join forces, stretch limo work will go to Derr and sedan limo work to the other guy. Also he will provide Derr a place to park the limo.

Both recently started in the business so i guess helping eachother seems to be fair trade, for now.

Derr dropped me off at BK at 5PM, gave me $25 even though we didn't make any money that day, he's a good man, i'll stick with him as much as i can because the man is helping me.

I then rode to the library and watched Wrath of Khan (Director's Cut) which i've seen before but was curious as to how this version would be.

I didn't see much of a difference, but i did enjoy the more recent interviews with the cast, specially with Leonard Nimoy and William Shatner. To me this ST movie is the best one ever made.

He was supposed to pick me up last night and drop me off at one of his condos so i could sleep there and paint some of the place today. He fell asleep and forgot, then got tied up today with business.

Like Biggie said "more money, more problems". So he tells me he will call when he can. By luck i meet his wife and their little daughter Jessica at the McDonalds with wifi at arond 2PM and i talk to her a bit.

My laptop battery dies and i go back to the library to recharge and watch a movie, Henry V with Laurence Olivier. It's hard to comprehend all the dialogue, but enough to appreciate Shakespeare's genius in one of his most known works. The movie is from 1944 so the visuals are not great compared to today's standards but it still holds up as a classic.

Well, that is all for today.