Trying to Get Caught Up

 I have not reported in for several days. Not that I am sure anyone noticed. 

What was there to report? I worked the warehouse job that I really do not like. If I could support myself working at the restaurant, I would have quit on Friday. It was a slog working this one truck, wearing everyone out, I said it was a slog to another worker with the idea of just calming her, the team leader thought I was complaining and offered to send me over to the glass line, and that annoyed me. I did not quit. 

Friday was when I was late coming home. Muncie Central has a homecoming parade. (Did Highland have a Homecoming parade? Does Anderson H.S.?) This parade held up the buses. I decided to go eat at The Barking Cow, foregoing the fast. When done eating, the parade had not yet ended, so I started walking towards home. I caught a bus, not the regularly scheduled bus but one driven by the driver who picks me up on workdays, on Madison. She got me home.

High school kids on the bus got me thinking. Thinking about their futures. All were black. They were quiet, I suppose they were high school students. I remember older relatives telling me they worried about my generation, all the changes in the world and not very good prospects. Guess now I am old, for I was thinking the same things. I would have liked to tell them that life is not easy, it's all too often unkind, that nothing in this world is perfect, that pain and suffering exists but also joy and beauty, but the thing to do is not to be crushed by the ugly and painful. That they should take all life throws at them to make something that defies the bad things. This seems to sum up what I have learned to date. I kept my mouth shut.

I started on my pretrial detention journal. Then around 6 I got sleepy enough I could not concentrate, so I took a nap. It was supposed to be an hour; it turned out to be 2 hours. I never fell all that peppy for the rest of the night.

Saturday, I got up and went to work on the journal, again. Then off to the restaurant. Not really busy, but the other dishwasher got stressed out and snapped at me. She did this again yesterday and added for me not to talk to her. I had enough, and I did not speak to her. I told the owner I would not be coming in next Saturday. I feel bad about that. So, I did not quit the job I do not like, but did the one I do like.

My sister came down Thursday to get the phone. I miss the bus app. I may also be missing the alarm. Oh, yeah, I missed YouTube while I walked to work on Sunday.

Groceries at Payless on Saturday, soda and smokes at McClure's, Buyer's Mart at the Mall on Thursday to get me an alarm clock.  These were the times I was out in public.

No naps on Sunday did not make me feel any more productive. I got more of the journal done, but it is such a mess. I put more in today, plus some more current stuff. The plan is to get through to the end of April 2010 with the journal before I start scheduling their publication.

I got Sarah called today. Next Monday's dental exam got rescheduled. I got that much business down.

I fiddled a bit with "Problem Solving" before sending it off to Marathon Literary Review.

More rejections.

This one was for "Colonel Tom" and I may not resend to this magazine:

Dear Tom,

Thanks so much for submitting to Gemini. Though it’s not quite right for us, we appreciate the opportunity to consider your work.

Thanks again.

David Bright, Editor
Gemini Magazine

Off to the foot doctor.

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