Winter 2011 (Dec-Feb) /
Spring 2012 (Mar-May) /
''Long-Vacation'' 2012* (Jun-Jul) /
''Lost-Summer'' 2012* (Jul-Aug) /
''Lost-Autumn'' 2012* (Sep-Nov) /
''Lost-Winter'' 2012* (Dec-Feb) /
''Lost-Spring'' 2013* (Mar-May) /
''Lost-Summer'' 2013* (Jun-Aug) /
''Lost-Autumn'' 2013* (Sep-Nov) /
''Lost-Winter'' 2013* (Dec-Feb) /
Spring 2014 (Mar-May) /
Summer 2014 (Jun-Aug) /
Autumn 2014 (Sep-Nov) /
Winter 2014 (Dec-Feb) /
Spring 2015 (Mar-May) /
Summer 2015 (Jun-Aug) /
Autumn 2015 (Sep-Nov) /
Winter 2015 (Dec-Feb) /
Spring 2016 (Mar-May) /
Summer 2016 (Jun-Aug) /
Autumn 2016 (Sep-Nov) /
Winter 2016 (Dec-Feb)
Most of the stuffs I'd deferred mentioning all pretty much condensed themselves within the last week or two of the previous month. Much of my focus revolved around computer-related activities, such as ''upgrading'' (read: ''downgrading'') or entirely removing programs I'd grown dissatisfied with, creating/altering & categorizing/transferring various files/folders (especially as it relates to compiling media for a couple of video commentary projects which keep getting postponed due partially to disruptions in work schedule but also in considerable measure to waning interest and a lack of motivation), etc. One of the related online efforts I'd tried to make was to gather some important information on how to go about trying to find work in my field in advance of any relocation move I'm planning for the Florida gulf coast.
Also, as a way of circumventing not finding the time or incentive to go out of my way to force myself to engage in more physical activity, I'd decided to bring treadmill up from the basement and place against one of the bare walls in my room, as a way to both have the instrument in front of me so that it can be utilized at any given random moment and as a means of occupying some of the empty space since my furniture rearrangement. A major factor in my decision to bring the device upstairs was the discovery that I could improvise a few additional exercise activities which could give me a more rounded & somewhat equally distributed workout.
I'd also begun engaging into into my own personal photographic competition with Gracie after she'd insisted on throwing in my face her second find of a polyphemous moth for the second summer in a row, and though I didn't feel badly for her discovery in an of itself, the fact that I'd not come across one ever actually sparked my jealousy and sparked my driven desire to try to uncover new finds of my own, especially with the hopes of encountering an Io moth.
June 5 - 7, 2015 (Friday-Sunday)
For a couple of days my motorcycle had a few times refused to power-up the engine and behaved as though the battery had inexplicably rapidly drained of power: after the last instance of this occurring, I became of the mind that there must be a loose or insufficient connection somewhere between the battery and the starter switch.
I'd also spoken with my father on Saturday (Jun. 6) to express my desire to spend a few days with him in New Jersey later in the month, and that I'd get back to him about the specifics after I'd had a chance to talk it over with my mother, since I'd mentioned to her a week or so ago that I'd be more interested in having us go together in her car as I did not wish to tax both myself and the motorcycle two two long distance trips in opposing directions so close in proximity to each other, as I've been making plans to engage in a preliminary ''scouting out'' campaign of the Florida gulf coast region to occur sometime next month. I was hoping to have heard something from ''Cherry'' before making any definitive scheduling plans, as I'd wanted to try to work around a time that would've been convenient for her if I'd decided to take a train from New Brunswick, NJ to NYC ''Penn Station'' so we could spend a day about town together, but I'd not received any response from her in any form.
Unmentioned Highlights from Previous Quarter...
''Weekend in Review''
June 8 - 11, 2015 (Monday-Thursday)
Discovered on Monday (Jun. 8), as I was updating these journal archives, that the page links for the prior two quarters (1/2 year) had been seriously labeled, thus making those two pages entirely inaccessible.
While returning to the house after work on Tuesday (Jun. 9), deciding to take the long route along ''Peter's Creek Road,'' I spotted and subsequently interacted with a snapping turtle that had been resting in a field of grass close to the roadside, and took quite the chance trying to transport it back close to the creek area, amazed at how far it could extend its neck and reach behind itself -- but it would seem that the claim that once a provoked snapper latches onto something it will refuse to let go is the height of myth & urban legend, despite its seemingly aggressive behavior (all done, clearly, in ''self-defense'').
After the following day and a half of feeling worn down, lethargic and less than my best, I finally called my Dad back on Wednesday (Jun. 10) and informed him that my mother and I had agreed upon the Tuesday-Friday stretch of the 23rd through 26th of the month to plan on our visit to N.J., while he still seemed reluctant, concerned that his wife's ever-intrusive family still might spontaneously just pop up out of the ether unannounced, concerned that there might not be space to accommodate everyone should that be the case; I impressed upon him that if that should happen, then he should inform any ''surprise guests'' that we had made advance arrangements and that any newcomers would need to figure out a way to make other arrangements that would not encroach on our agreed upon reservation.
Also on Wednesday, my main computer system decided to cop another of its classic attitudes, this time refusing to properly label individual songs on my Hoppy Vaughan CD album re-rip (which I'd decided to resort to after the scuffs & scratches put upon the ''official'' disc by my backup/experimental laptop, partially due to the extra thickness of the CD itself, had rendered the disc unplayable on any of my systems, but somehow still permitted me to import all of the songs from the CD onto my hard drive -- yet somehow it would play flawlessly in my mother's CD/radio system, as a result of which I'd decided to transfer the original CD to her rather than tossing it out), then later, during another re-burn process, decided to hang-up then eventually disregard my optical drives, for which I ran about as many diagnostic suggestions as I could track down, only to still not have the problem fixed entirely. I'm trying to speculate if my constant uninstalls & reinstalls of ''iTunes'' (in my endless quest to find the ''earliest'' version possible that will still work with ''Windows 7'' OS) may have been responsible in some way for the digital wig-out... or if it might have been as revenge for my tracking down and implementing the instructions on how to PERMANENTLY rid my ''taskbar'' of that infuriating ''Upgrade to Windows 10'' announcement icon.
It was during this ''testing'' time (in both definitions of that word) that I'd learned that the additional/replacement optical drive I'd purchased for the system about two weeks earlier was not compatible with my current setup. Some deep inspection and research determined that I should be able to get a more workable configuration going, but that it will involve locating and purchasing the proper extension & conversion cables. As a result of all of the moving, removing, and shuffling involved in all of these headache-inducing electronic shenanigans, my room is beginning to take on yet another appearance of a disorganized and disorderly disaster area that will only serve to embarrass the hell out of me should anyone come upon it.
''Week in Review''
June 19 - 21, 2015 (Friday-Sunday)
After working intensely on my main/primary computer system since Tuesday (Jun. 16) on the final installment of the video-commentary miniseries I'd been developing and presenting over the past couple of months, I'd attempted to convert the (prematurely presumed) completed project to a media file Friday (Jun. 19), only to have the program I was working with tell me repeatedly that it could not render the compiled project for some asinine missing some-such, forcing me to transfer all of the relevant files to the ''secondary'' (in rank & quality, but primarily used) laptop in order to encode the project from there instead... but which, of course, presented the familiar set of problems I've come to expect from the trash ''AVS Video Editor'' program which, based upon all of the headaches the program causes me, I'm still trying not to feel guilty about ''cracking the code.''
Also over the weekend it seemed as though Gracie's old ''HELL'' laptop had finally burned itself out entirely, but then Sunday (Jun. 21), unexpectedly came back to life, at least as it relates to how the thing pseudo-operates.
Also called my father Sunday as an update/reminder call, telling him to expect us at the house probably around late afternoon Tuesday (Jun. 23).
''Weekend in Review''
June 22 - 25, 2015 (Monday-Thursday)
Ill things were anticipated on Monday (Jun. 22) for the trip to New Jersey, as this was the day all manners of ill fate decided to besiege me... how in hell could such things at such ''curious'' timing possibly be purely mere coincidences? First, it began with my struggles to track down then ''cracktivate'' the latest version of ''AVS Video Editor,'' in hopes that replacing the newer version on my tower computer would clear up all of the rendering ''error messages'' I'd kept receiving (and, perhaps possibly, that it would stop damaging my intended compilations during the rendering process); then, in trying to prepare my travel sack, the bottle of cologne I'd planned on bringing with me had some-how slipped from my hand and fell to the floor, damaging the sprayer cap and spilling much of the bottle's contents out onto the hardwood floor; then at work, all odd sorts of extremely ''pattern-breaking'' situations chose this time, out of all other times since I'd been working there, to bum-rush me and constantly catch me completely unawares. Because of all of these things happening in tandem as they were, I was close to convinced that my workshift reliever would either not show up at all or, at the very least, arrive considerably late -- as it would turn out however, neither of those situations, surprisingly, came about, so I was at least able to leave work on time and complete my final bits of packing.
But the crapola still found another way to disrupt any enjoyment of the vacation experience. First, while on the road Tuesday morning (Jun. 23), I'd just started getting a migraine by the time we were just outside of Allentown, Pennsylvania, where I'd asked my mother to turn off at the second exit to both address her needing to pee issue and so I could get something from a ''Long John Silver's'' I'd seen advertised about nine miles back, but rather than continuing on further as instructed, she'd instead proceeded to veer off at the earlier exit (94-A), then in trying to loop back around onto the Interstate she kept ignoring the posted sign directions I and her cousin, Linda, had been trying to instruct her to follow, so that by the time she finally did get back onto the Interstate we'd managed to overshoot the second exit entirely.
We did not finally stop for either my meal or her restroom break until we'd arrived close to our destination, where we pulled into a ''Stewart's'' drive-in diner, which I was reminiscing about (having only been to the one in or near maybe only twice as a very young child), saying that I wasn't aware of any others in existence except for a couple in the southern part of Jersey mentioned in an online search I'd conducted before I rode the motorcycle to NYC last year, and Linda had assured us that one was still located not far from the New Brunswick High School. Being how I no longer eat burgers, I'd learned that they did have a fish & chips platter, and I used the opportunity to temporarily disregard my ''no-more soda'' lifestyle readjustment in favor of a couple of mugs of their root beer. But by this time the associative intestinal issues that almost always coincide with these migraines began to develop, and I could not finish all of my meal in that one sitting.
From there, my mother's determination to refuse to follow driving directions hit a new high when she again ignored Linda's and my instructions to take certain turns and argued contrary to them. By this time we'd turned off and temporarily parked just a mere block from what was to be our turn-off point. While my mother and her cousin were arguing the issue, I was practically ready to pull out my laptop and review the video footage I'd shot of my car ride with my Dad when I'd first visited him after my cross-country motorcycle, until one of the pair (I cannot recall which) suggested I call my Dad directly and ask him to guide us. But this was where my frustrations were now building against Linda, as I kept suggesting that we have him guide us by using the ''Family Dollar'' store we'd just passed as the common landmark, but Linda kept insisting that I tell him which street corner name we'd actually stopped at-- assuming that he'd know exactly which of the surrounding minor streets were named what --and then suggested other obscure landmarks such as (literally) ''the grocery store'' and ''the place where they play BINGO.'' Finally, somebody (again, I cannot recall whom, but I think it may have been my Dad) suggested that my father meet us at a mutual location (again, I recommended ''Family Dollar'') and he'd escort us back to the house. By the time I'd pointed him out, I was all set to get away from these two women who were so frustrating me and get in the car with my Dad instead, but stayed when my mother mentioned that she still wanted the escort so she could find her way back Friday morning.
By the time we'd arrived at my Dad's place sometime around 18:00, I was really feeling bad, and reluctantly went into the bedroom to lie down for a while, spending until past Noon the next day (Wed., Jun. 24) in bed, but getting almost no sleep, constantly up using the bathroom and repeatedly falling in & out of slumber (...and the fact that they keep the house virtually freezing was not helping matters out any either, as I'd refused to use any covers.
Still feeling lousy, I was compelled (read: "pressured") to accompany my father out of the house for a brief errand run and to attend to his wife's consignment shop, after *REPEATEDLY* and ceaselessly telling them all morning to stop insisting that I join them for breakfast when I was neither in the mood to eat or be disturbed, wanting to rest off my illness. Then Gloria's eldest daughter decided to go in with her insistent pleas for me to eat, drink, take something, even go to hospital, despite how frequently I kept trying to tell everyone that this issue, while in no ways ''fun,'' is all standard and normal for me to go through, even though this was one of the longest-lasting bouts I've ever endured. I finally didn't start to feel well enough to operate somewhat normally until somewhere around 20:00.
But the relief was rather short lived, since the migraines all came back with a vengeance around 4:00 or so Thursday morning (Jun. 25), and kept fluctuating up & down until around 8:00 or so when I consumed the first of two doses of sodium bicarbonate solutions, which I'm not certain if these were the reason I'd experienced a sudden burst of explosive diarrhea around 14:00 when I'd deemed myself feeling well enough to venture outside of the house and walk to my Dad's wife's boutique. After the outburst, all seemed perfectly right with the world, which I'd followed up with a homemade rehydration solution, but almost as soon as I'd arrived at the shop the migraine decided to return, followed sometime later by some more, but this time relatively minor, intestinal issues. While there, Gloria's eldest daughter bought me a bottle of ''Gatorade'' to help keep me hydrated; after another bathroom trip, I'd come to the conclusion that what I was likely dealing with was some sort of stomach flu.
Before shutting down shop for the day, I spotted a black doll I thought my mother would like, and I asked Gloria how much she would accept for it: at first she said it was not for sale, as it had been part of her own personal collection, then suggested $20, at which I'd inquired if she'd accept $15, since I'd only arrived in town with $21 cash and I'd wanted to have enough left over in order to buy a ''pizza-by-slice'' (which I did purchase on the way back to the house, which also brought the next wave of migraines back with it), but during the transaction she accepted only $10, as I'd intended it as a gift for my mother, which she also packaged/wrapped for me. Then, just before we were all leaving, one of Gloria's other daughters arrived at the shop complaining of severe and unexpected back pains.
Even though I still felt a need to lie down for a spell once we were back at the house, I managed to stay awake, feeling relatively okay, well into the night before shutting down the laptop & recharging its battery as well as the cellphone battery after I'd heard it alerting me to its weakened state from the bathroom where I'd forgotten I'd left it.
''Week in Review''
June 26 - 28, 2015 (Friday-Sunday)
My Dad remained asleep by the time my mother had arrived to pick me up early Friday morning (Jun. 26): his wife had left a few hours earlier that same day in order to attend funeral services for the dead baby of a relative in Florida. While still packing I took several snapshots of a photograph of my Dad when he was a young man of 21-years which he had had taken in studio after he had left Alabama and established himself in Georgia, which he placed inside of a solid glass display which he'd told me he had done when he had first arrived in New Jersey (I was reduced to taking my own picture of a picture because I'd made several attempts during my visit to convince him to allow me to take it with me, as I already knew that he'd had an identical photograph posted within one of his family photo albums).
During the road trip back, I'd developed another migraine, but no intestinal issues, so I was of the assumption that this one was the result of holding my head in various ''stress positions'' during the ride. I'd also used this return trip as the opportunity to admit that in retrospect it was perhaps a good thing that we did get mis-/re-directed from the Long John Silver's stop during the first phase, as I likely would've blamed my period of illness on being served bad food by them (...or might have likely attributed the illness to the ''bottled water,'' had I discovered after the fact, rather than right before the trip when I'd tried to consult map directions online, that the brand of bottled water my mother had intended on bringing with us had been issued a ''recall'' for possible e. coli contamination).
At one point during the ride, while Linda was out of the car during an emergency restroom stop, my mother complained about how bossy and annoying Linda was to ride around with: of course, I could only hold my tongue in check, thinking that from what I'd observed for myself during our times on the road that they were both equally annoying and seemed made for each other.
After I had been dropped off at the house, so I could try to medicate the head pain away with coffee and ibuprofen and hopefully catch a bit of sleep before having to report for work, I'd discovered that although the patio screen door (which connects to my bedroom) had been locked, thus preventing me from entering on that side, the actual main door to the room had not been fully shut or locked prior to us leaving on our trip.
Prior to trying to get some much needed rest, I'd decided to access the hallway computer both to determine what could be done to improve speed & performance as well as scout out a few searches and websites of interest, and of course the big news being blasted all over the world is the fact that the U.S. ''Extreme'' Court ruled in favor of ''Fag Marriages,'' effectually shattering any remaining illusions that ours is a nation guided by ''moral principles.'' As disgusted and enraged as I am about the ruling, such emotions are actually less about the ruling itself as it is that because of all of the technical difficulties I've constantly had to endure since I've been here (computer systems breaking down; programs failing; inflexible alternative programs; etc.), along with ass-sucking ''Who?Tube's'' constant and endless restructuring which took away all of the classic (interesting, inviting, and effective) personal interaction and interactive features away from the service as to make it virtually worthless and a huge letdown & waste of time, as well as all of the other complications in my life, I was unable to devote the time needed to recording my 30+ part transcription of the audio-video project series I'd been working on related to this very topic since prior to leaving Hawaii... not that anything I would've had to say on the matter would've affected the outcome anyway, but it was my hope that at least a few more minds would be challenged to see the devastating predictions of things to come (of which this court ruling was one of them), as well as to understand the undesirable consequences that are likely to follow. In all, though, I really should be rejoicing, as it is just another sign and confirmation of this wicked and morally bankrupt system's fast-track to Divine destruction.
Gracie expressed her upset over my out of state absence, particularly when our other male co-worker had told her that my mother had driven me to ''Florida'' as part of a job hunting excursion (again, unquestioningly accepting the words of other people-- especially ''white'' people --as reliable sources of information).
Prior to my going in to relieve her at our shift change Saturday (Jun. 27), my mother had informed me that Gracie had called her asking if we had a clock we could spare, as her cell phone had ceased functioning altogether. After inspecting her phone at the jobsite, I'd determined that she had frayed her charging cord, and I gave her the spare/replacement I'd purchased for myself some time back, which really did nothing to set me back any, as the ''rechargeable'' bicycle light set I'd recently ordered came complete with its own universal USB charging cord. I'd also decided to give her the USB transfer cord and AC adapter to my damaged ''Nikon'' dejikame which, while technically still usable, no longer serves any genuine or practical purpose anymore, given the fact that I'd since acquired the other alternatives.
Also while at work, Gracie was giving none-too-ambiguous indication that she's trying to manage some kind of plan & method to join-up with me in (at least) my next town of residence. She's also insistent on the idea of purchasing a ''landline'' phone connection for me so we can occasionally communicate (even if it's only ''once a month''). When I'd informed her that any best bet to stay in direct communications with me would most likely be via ''Skype,'' she finally expressed at least a spark of interest in wondering if I'd be willing to sell her ''HELL'' laptop back to her, whcn I'd mentioned that the best remedy for the machine's insubordination would be to simply leave it perpetually running, she made excuses about how that might be a ''safety'' issue because of her carpeted floors, which segued into why she still adamantly refused/refuses to acquire any sort of furnishings for her apartment (again, tying into her idea that we're still going to be joining together as an established couple).
The following day (Sun., Jun. 28), while discussing job searching tips with her, the issue of ''Skyping'' came up again, whereby I tried once more to impress upon her that she could still reclaim her former laptop through alternative ''indirect'' means, by suggesting to her that for all the little ''get-togethers'' she kept insisting she'd pay for (''movie date,'' trip to the zoo, etc.), I'd be willing to ''credit'' those social activities to her in exchange for the laptop, the value of even this sort of arrangement also lost upon her.
''Weekend in Review''
June 30- July 5, 2015 (Monday-Sunday)
My mother had informed me as I was preparing my meal for work on Monday (Jun. 29) that while Gracie was visiting in order to use the hallway computer she was also rummaging through the cupboards trying to get an assessment of what I had in way of stock, and that it was evidently in connection with not having any food of her own at her apartment. Because of this revelation, I'd made the determination to shop for a few items prior to going in to work to drop off with her. As I was leaving, my mother handed me the telephone, and it was Gracie saying that she had purchased some ''soy-chicken'' nuggets that she regretted buying and wanted to load them off on me by leaving at the house on a later date, at which I'd informed her what I'd been told of her situation and that I'd pick them up from her as I was dropping off the foodstuffs I'd be bringing by. I'd ventured out to the ''dollar store,'' which had actually been my original intent anyway, even prior to the news of Gracie's grocery situation, as I had desired to purchase my exotic fruit juice beverages, but the plan was to not make it seem that I'd actually done the shopping at ''Kroger,'' so I'd brought sacks bearing their logo to psych the situation: as it would turn out however, I'd absentmindedly not retrieved the bags prior to leaving location, having even forgotten where I had stored them prior to the trip, and by the time I'd arrived at her apartment complex, where I'd intended to dig out the Kroger bags in order to transfer the contents, she'd showed up walking up toward me before I could even and undrape the filled bags from my handlebars (the items I'd purchased for myself during the trip, along with my usual items I bring to work with me, had taken up all of the underseat trunk space), saying that rather than waiting inside her apartment, as I was reasonably expecting, she was stationed at the bus stop below her building, expecting me to have seen her as I was passing by the area. After the drop-off & exchange, she'd informed me that she had never told my mother that she had run out of groceries, likely due to a misunderstanding when she was trying to explain to my mother how she was bringing ''cheap eats'' to the jobsite (in the form of frozen ''White Castle'' burgers) in an attempt to curtail her habit of ordering delivery. All in all, I managed to get her a decent number of mostly non-perishable items for $23.00, plus tax.
At work I was caught off guard by being informed that I would be having a new body to train on my shift; as a result, this would prevent me from focusing my attentions back onto trying to play catch-up on my overly-late video commentary projects. And as if all of this were not restrictive enough, finding sufficient space in the ''freezer'' areas of the on-site refrigerator for the frozen items I'd purchased was a near impossible challenge, as others were taking up the limited space with their overnight/extended items.
The ''Salem Fair'' began this year on Wednesday (Jul. 1), which I'd decided after much debate not to go to on opening day, as I saw no real purpose in wandering about the place alone without a companion (as much as I go out of my way to do things and be places by myself, I found that this sort of social outing marks an exception to that rule), which I also suspected would be made up for anyway on the following day (Thu., Jul. 2), as Gracie has been pestering me with talk of treating me to the Fair, to a movie, to dining out, etc., but when I'd still received no call or visit from her, I'd made the assumption that she had been required to work for that day (it would not be until my next scheduled work day, when I could review the timesheet, that I would learn that she had not had to work at all that day).
Gracie did come by the house on Friday (Jul. 3) to use the computer to work on her resume and coversheet, as I tried to break away from her trying to hold me up from trying to take care of a few things on the outside before having to go into work myself. It was my intention to do a bit of grocery shopping after checking the mail, but I kept engaging in this seemingly pointless tug-of-war as to which ''Kroger'' supermarket I'd have preferred going to, finally deciding in a last-minute en route readjustment from initially heading toward the one out by Botetourt to opting instead for the one by the airport.
Upon arriving at Kroger, I saw that I'd parked my motorcycle just four or five spaces ahead of a woman whom I'd sworn was my Aunt Veronica, who appeared to be having vehicle problems, but who did not acknowledge me as she was engrossed in conversation on the cellphone with someone about the vehicle condition. Because of this lack of acknowledgment, I began doubting if she actually was my aunt, so after some time of standing about unrecognized, I decided to move on from what I felt could've developed into an embarrassing situation. It was not until I spotted her brother while I was just about ready to conclude my shopping, and asking him, that he'd confirmed that it indeed was his sister, and it had been he with whom she had been on the phone when I came upon her: I also met up with her coming in just behind her in the same checkout line before leaving. What makes it all somewhat interesting was the fact that the whole ''mental back-&-forth'' I'd put myself through prior to leaving the post office parking lot actually involved me playing around with the idea of entertaining possible effects on future events any decisions which could've been made might have.
Saturday (Jul. 4) Gracie is still of the mind that so-called ''beauty aids/enhancements'' marketing gimmicks, no matter how often or how many different ways she's told to the contrary, are anything other than a way to keep bilking money from gullible-out-of-desperation people (especially women) who feel totally inadequate by playing to their low self-esteem/-image... now concerning some bogus B.S. called a ''face bra,'' which is supposed to now be a thing in Japan (I tried to point out to her that the so-called ''before/after'' pictures were the exact same picture where one had been clearly ''photoshopped'' -- I'd even tried to point out to her the commonly used trickery resorted to in ''before/after'' presentations, seemingly to little avail).
''Full Week in Review''
July 20 - 26, 2015 (Monday-Sunday)
Spent the entire morning Tuesday (Jul. 21) scouring the Internet in search of any information regarding on how & where to attend classes in the Tampa Bay area to satisfy the Florida state licensing requirements in order to obtain work in my current field, and kept coming up with *bullshit* throughout the entire process, running into places where there was little to sometimes no information about the steps, procedures, schedules, accreditations, etc., of the various training institutions set up for that very purpose: even the loudest one (which had still to this date refused to supply me with any kind of an answer to my question about whether or not it was a requirement to be an actual Florida resident before I could be trained and/or licensed to work in the state while still officially a resident of a different state), whose adverts completely dominate the web-searches for that region, after supplying all of the ''finer details'' of their operations, still had refused to reveal where exactly class instructions were supposed to be held... but they expected you to sign away your money over to them before even divulging this important bit of information! In the end, I'd finally uncovered information that revealed that I could take those very same required classes at a fully recognized and accredited instruction center, complete with class schedule listings and physical location, FOR LESS MONEY than what was quoted by all of the other institutions, available at a local ''community college.''
Also somewhere around the midweek area, Martha had asked about my intentions for the mini-fridge I'd purchased to use at the jobsite, expressing interest in it if I'd decided not to bring it along with me on my relocation move. This inquiry conveniently led into a discussion about how I might be attempting to transport much of my personal hoard, as I'd been bouncing around the idea to see if her cousin with the large pick-up truck might somehow be talked into fulfilling that service after the idea had struck me when they'd come by the previous week with said truck to cart off the bed set I'd removed from my room: coincidentally, they'd also discussed amongst themselves the very idea of helping me with the move.
On Wednesday (Jul. 22), I'd received a call from our account supervisor wondering what my future work plans were, because, as always happens with me, somebody hears me make mention of a few things and immediately put their own interpretative spin upon it and distort the information into something utterly unrecognizable. This time the concern was over whether or not I'd be coming back in to work on my next scheduled date, because he heard tell that I was already leaving the job altogeher and thereby would not be in for my regularly scheduled shift. (But whenever I don't talk or interact, I'm accused of being ''stuck-up'' and what-all.)
Gracie came by the house Friday (Jul. 24), shortly after I'd tried to get some sleep before having to get ready for work, and after she'd been there for a while in conversation with my mother, she then came into my room and commenced to sucking on my penis, as I'd been lying there naked and uncovered, as I had been doing for about the past week in response to the stifling heat and lack of wind circulation. I'd inquired of her about it after I'd officially woken up, making a pretense of having been half asleep while she was doing it, then using that as my convenient excuse to express interest in eating her pussy (supposedly as a ''return favor,'' but in reality being appreciative of having such an opportunity to bring the idea of going down on her up for her consideration without the pressure of having to bring it up to her directly or as the instigator, because it conveniently satisfied my past couple of weeks' long ''pussylicking cravings'' that I'd yet again tried to advertise for on ''craigslist,'' only to continue to fail to attract any genuine interest). On the one positive note as it relates to Gracie's weight ''regain,'' the extra mass has made her breasts noticeably firmer and more solid feeling. My main concern of course is that she's certain to use this interaction as an indication that there is more of a solid connection between us than what has already been expressed several months prior.
Equally as (actually, ''more'') frustrating as my extremely difficult search for a suitable training academy in/around Tampa was my attempts throughout the week to try to find anything online about how to remove the lens of my Canon ''Powershot'' so I can clean the smudges and dust from the inside which is distorting my clear images, especially in brightly lit & glaring situations, but coming up with absolutely nothing no matter how deeply I search (...was this perhaps why the item cost me relatively so little when I'd purchased it?).
''Full Week in Review''
July 27 - August 2, 2015 (Monday-Sunday)
Began the week determined to gather as much information as I could in preparation of my next relocation event, with the cheif focus being on trying to schedule-out my week of instructional classes, but with the added burden of trying to determine how & where I might acquire adequate yet inexpensive lodging for the duration, learning about some internet service called, ''airbnb,'' which seems (at least in concept) to be an ideal alternative to the traditional ''hotel/motel'' arrangement, offering the rental of extra room space in the private homes of registered ''hosts,'' but which upon further scrutiny appears to be wrought with its own sets of complications and dissatisfactions, yet other similar alternatives to this particular service do next to nothing to satisfy my considerably more simple needs for the time (...other services seem designed to cater to people who are seeking to offer/rent entire houses/condos for extended stays).
I took the first real step on Tuesday (Jul. 28), when I utilized the work office equipment to make printouts of instructional classes registration applications as well as the main forms I'd be needing to submit to the State of Florida for licensing purposes. But because of the rapidly approaching deadline for mail-in registration, and the fact that I was still facing problems and uncertainties in regard to the lodging aspects of the whole effort, I gave myself the extra breathing room by considering to attend one of the instructional courses scheduled for a later date.
As a result of this new determination to finally begin putting all of these events into motion, I'd renew my post office box (Thu., Jul. 30) this time for only the half-year option. It was also at this time that the BS ''collection agency'' returned response to me regarding those anesthesia scammers at the colorectal clinic, making it time for me to figure out what my next step is going to be to make the best possible case for myself that this was a ''phantom charge'' that was imposed upon me without my knowledge or consent.
Largely because of all of the extra running around I'd been putting myself through throughout the week, when I'd received two separate phone calls, first from Gracie, asking me if I could come in Thursday (Jul. 30) to cover a last-minute no-show, then from our scheduling supervisor who wanted to know if I could show up several hours earlier on Friday (Jul. 31), to each of which I'd declined.
''Full Week in Review''
August 10, 2015 (Monday)
Literally went through hours of hell after returning from the jobsite by ''trying'' to register an account with that cursed ''airbnb'' site so I could use it to try to secure lodging so that I might be able to have a place to flop during the week of state-required classroom instruction needed in order to become licensed to work in my field in Florida. After settling on a couple of what I'd thought of as relatively ideal locations/hosts, that's when all Satan came at me full force: the biggest and most infuriating hang-up involving ''air-butt's'' supposed ''verification page'' utterly REJECTING my cellphone number so that I could get some B.S. ''verification code'' SMS text or audio recording, and it did not matter which web browsers I tried or how many ''ad blocking'' features I'd deactivate, they system refused to accept any attempt to input my number UNTIL I fed it my mother's cellphone number, then it worked like a charm -- all of which indicating that those of us who had chosen to ''liberate'' ourselves from the clutches of ''CONTRACT'' mobile phone services or ''land lines'' were being punished for daring to have the temerity to exist ''free and independent'' off-the-grid! And yet, even after all of that hassle and frustration, the ''host'' I'd tried to contract with for the temporary lodging immediately hit me back with an email proclaiming that her ''fiance'' wasn't okay with her renting her extra space out to a ''single man,'' but that if I was to ''bring my wife'' along with me, then that would be just peachy keen (...and yet, all of the complaints we ever hear about are about how ''women'' are the ''discriminated against'' group in our society). So rather than put up with all of those hassles again, I instead opted to make a reservation at their local ''InTown Suites'' property, despite all of the negative flak received on the ''yelp'' review site. Later, because of the impending weather, I'd requested a ride to work from my mother by way of a post office run to drop off my class registration application & ''tuition'' (as they call it).
21:15, Eastern Daylight Time
August 14 - 16, 2015 (Friday-Sunday)
Used Friday and Saturday (Aug. 14-15) to take advantage of the office equipment at work to search & printout detailed roadtrip maps for my weeklong absence, also while working on establishing my baggage list well ahead of time so I can avoid any chances of leaving something important and/or useful behind. I was also trying to work on figuring out how I was hoping to utilize the local ''FreeCycle'' service to try to rid myself of some of these items I've no interest in taking with me when I take the final leap out of here, but also trying to figure out how I might be able to ask for some old unused computer parts in hopes of building something around my original circuit board for a system I could leave here with Martha, in case she felt like she wanted to learn more how to use these things, even though I may ultimately decide to just take the scraps I already have from that original system and offer it as a giveaway instead. One of the other things I'd also planned on doing was asking the ''FreeCycle'' community if anyone had an old workable bicycle they wouldn't mind parting with, so I could help Gracie learn to ride so she could have some alternative mode of transportation about town and for commuting to/from work, but when my mother informed me that Gracie had told her that she'd planned on not renewing her registration to continue to legally work at our job, and that our scheduling manager was getting upset with her for not trying to prioritize the process, I'd made the disappointing decision to back away from any such plan.
''Weekend in Review''
August 17 - 21, 2015 (Monday-Friday)
At work Monday (Aug. 17) I'd come across a news item on online from ''The Washington Post'' with a breakdown of all of the ''Confederate Flag'' support rallies taking place in the Nation up to that point, and decided to post a comment of my own, attempting to make the most rational argument in rejection of the icon, noting primarily that it was a symbol of a ''treasonous'' Anti-American terroristic plot that attempted to violently overthrow the United States government, thus resulting in the ''Confederate'' conspirators establishing themselves as ''Domestic Enemies'' of the Constitution, and supplementally making the important point how no other human rights-abusing nation once overthrown and replaced would ever see the iconic symbols of their defeated political ideology continue to be used or displayed honorably in any ''official'' capacity under the succeeding governmental system (using as examples the old Soviet Union and Hitler's Germany with the ''hammer & sickle'' and ''swastika'' imagery respectively), despite the fact that such iconic symbols likewise, in some respects, represented the ''pride'' and ''heritage'' and ''national identity'' of the peoples of those nations as well (following the logic of the Confederate symbols being representations of ''Southern Pride/Heritage/Culture/etc.). But only a few short hours later, after having watched a video posted to ''Who?Tube,'' where the commentator had complained that an earlier ''vidcom'' (''video commentary'') of his had been stripped from the site by ''Who?Tube,'' as a result of a cowardly ''false flagging'' censorship campaign, I felt compelled to check back on the status of the comment I'd posted on the Washington Post'' website in reaction to the Confederate Flag rallies story... AND SURE ENOUGH!!! Some ''Mo-Fo'' at ''WaPo'' had immediately rushed in and DELETED my entire post. I was so pissed that real discourse and real LOGIG & REASON are always such immediate and convenient targets of hit-squad campaigns that I was simply going to leave it alone, but on Wednesday (Aug. 19) I'd read a section of ''Snopes.com'' that was discussing the factual history of the Confederate Flag (namely, the origin & evolution of designs over the course of the War, and the misassociation of the moniker ''Stars and Bars'' to the ''Confederate Battle Flag'' and ''Confederate Navy Jack'' -- nearly all of which was information I'd already known for decades)... but when it suddenly morphed into what can be described as a clear attempt at being an ''exoneration'' piece, I felt I had to balance out the three ''in support & defense of'' comments that had been posted in response to the article, only to find it being held-up for ''moderator approval'' (so already we can take comfort in the fact that my comment will never see the light of day in that forum either); after submitting my comment to ''Snopes,'' I'd decided to attempt to repost back on the WaPo article, with the expectation of having to once again witness it being unceremoniously stripped off.
Thursday (Aug. 20) I'd decided to accompany my mother and her girlfriends-- sisters Mary and Liz --to Mary's every-other-Thursday's favorite lunch spot (''Kanes & Walkers''). Afterwards we went to the ''Ikenberry Orchards'' ''country store & gift shop,'' where I'd bought and tried for the first time, ''ginger beer'' (little 12 oz. bottle for $2: not a fan -- way too strong, burns like drinking battery acid, though I do love the flavor); I'd also decided to get a jug of ''cherry flavored'' apple cider which I was likewise disappointed with, but considering that my primary motivation was to keep the glass container for reuse, it wasn't all that big a deal to me, though I still kept wishing I'd gone with straight-up unmodified ''apple cider'' instead.
Tried to dedicate the middle through later parts of the week to sorting & organizing my documentation and other loose unstructured items in an attempt to weed out what needs to be junked, left behind, passed along, etc., with the idea of getting as much of it done ahead of my two-week departure.
I began experiencing another round of new problems with the primary computer again on Wednesday when I tried to play my latest DVD movie and it revealed issues with the audio, whereupon I was incapable of hearing the full soundtrack out of the system except when I either played it on the primary laptop or in the main system using one of the more obscure ''back-up'' media players I'd downloaded and installed, and even then only by trying to cycle through the audio menu, which the other programs would not allow, nor did it help matters that the disc itself had presented no menu options in order to do so. In response, I chose to download the full movie from an online source and discovered that it played perfectly, but rather than deleting the downloaded file I made the decision to retain the file with the purpose of exchanging that version for the ''official'' version on the purchased DVD, mainly in response to the fact that the purchased unit really has nothing in the way of an ''interactive menu'' anyway (just ''scene'' and ''subtitle'' options), and because the official unit is an assault fest of intrusive and entirely unavoidable advertisements, as bad or perhaps even worse than the similar assault viewers are made to endure from ''Disney'' DVD releases. It was also during this same time that I'd discovered during troubleshooting actions that one of the 5.1 speaker units was refusing to transmit any audio. The next night I'd discover that now, for some inexplicable reason, the CD/DVD optical drives are not functioning properly as should and refusing to recognize pre-recorded media or launch/acknowledge appropriate multimedia programs, and it appears to be a problem that some others have had with ''Windows 7,'' but one for which there seems no viable solution, short of implementing a fresh system reinstallation.
Friday (Aug. 21), prior to trying to get myself an extra dose of rest before getting prepared for work, I discovered that pressing the ''matrix'' switch on my 5.1 system's sound controller, again for some inexplicable reason, results in sound emanating from all six of my speaker units, but sound still refuses to do likewise whenever I have the controls reset to their ''normal'' operating positions, and they will still not correspond fully to the 5.1 test in either mode.
''Extended Week in Review''
August 22- 23, 2015 (Saturday-Sunday)
Spent most of my time during my workshift on Saturday (Aug. 22) working on recompiling & updating my employment history information and structuring the closest thing to a genuine ''personal/professional references'' list as I've ever been able to in this lonely antisocial life I've established for myself: my only hiccup being that for the life of me I simply cannot recall the name of the department manager/supervisor I'd worked under when I was a [quote/unquote] ''cast member'' (employee) at "Moody Gardens" in Galveston, Texas. I also used some of that time to search for additional information related to my instructional classes and licensing/registration procedures in advance of my ''non-vacation'' trip. And once again, I'd made use of the office equipment to print all of this ''personal'' information out.
Now to show you just how tricky and treacherous "The Devil" really is.... ''Gracie'' had given me the heads-up shortly after the start of my weekend workshift that she was feeling very ill and was ''concerned'' (as it is more than a little inaccurate to describe her attitude towards work as ''worry'') that she might have difficulty arriving on time to relieve me at the end of shift. As it would happen, she was battling a bad case of flu or some related ailment, here right on the cusp of my trying to make all of these precise and time-sensitive preparations to get myself positioned to embark on this trip, on top of already having the threat of widespread thunderstorms that ''NOAA'' and ''Weather Underground'' have forecast for my route and time frame hanging over my head like a Damocles. And if all of that were not enough, she'd arrived TWO HOURS LATE, resulting in my not getting adequate rest for the upcoming ''long shift,'' and then followed that up the next day with coming in 3/4-HOUR LATE, after an entire workday of stress involving the malfunction of the office phone lines. One one bright note, if any is to be had, is that her sickness-- and my paranoia in response to it --resulted in my ''germ-busting'' battle royale against the bugs in question and made me do some much needed ''hypercleaning'' of the commonly utilized office equipment.
''Weekend in Review''
August 24 - 26, 2015 (Monday-Wednesday)
Monday (Aug. 24) I woke up to my eyelashes crusted shut and red, convinced that it was a sign that I was contracting Gracie's illness, which was further suspected due to how extremely tired I was while working over the weekend, which extended into the early part of the week as well, often to the point of falling off into sleep, and which I'd partially attributed to Gracie's late arrivals to work over the entire weekend. Initially, I'd feared that I might have been contracting ''pink eye,'' but there was neither pain nor the associating aggravating itching, and in about a day the condition had passed without much incident.
I gave my motorcycle a thorough washing down & plastics/vinyl coating and tire pressure check on Tuesday (Aug. 25) and gave the so-called ''protective coating'' (which is little more than a greasy slippery petroleum bi-product) a chance to ''cure'' overnight, while I spent a little more time sorting through all of my haphazardly scattered documents and trying to get sufficiently rested while simultaneously re-plotting when exactly I'd intended on officially heading out onto the road.
Later in the day my mother came back from a brief excursion and presented me with a ''bagckage'' of something (since she had tossed it inside the room while I was otherwise occupied, so I did not know until about close to a half hour later even what type of container it was being presented in) which later turned out to be a higher quality motorcycle rain suit, but with a gigantic ''Harley-Davidson'' logo emblazoned on the back; she explained that she was hoping to find something comparable at the ''Honda/Suzuki'' dealership (''StarCity''), but not only could she not find anything of similar quality, but she complained that ''StarCity'' had essentially pulled the same kind of number on her as ''South Seas Honda'' in Honolulu had pulled on me every time I'd ever gone into their showroom to express interest in a motorbike, which ultimately resulted in me making all of my ''Honda'' motorcycle purchases from ''Sandy Brodie'' (later, "Pfleuger'') in Waipahu -- namely, they had her waiting and waiting before anyone even bothered to assist her (in her case, close to 20 minutes: I never even gave ''South Seas Honda'' that much latitude before I'd reached the point of feeling dissed and left the facility), whereas she said someone at the Harley-Davidson dealership had not only attended to her as soon as she walked in the door, but was also walked through all of the different lines of products and their features/performances. I have no idea how much she spent on the item, nor did she disclose that bit of information, but it's clearly evident that it cost her a sum too hefty for my tight-fisted proclivities, even if it were ''on sale,'' as she said this one was.
As Wednesday (Aug. 26) rolled around, I'd still not started any packing. When I'd accessed the Internet for the first time during the day, I'd learned about the live on-air shooting of one of our local television news stations' roving reporters and her cameraman by a former reporter for that same station (CBS affiliate ''WDBJ-7''), and only because it had made national headlines. As a result of this story, family and friends she hadn't heard from in ages had come out of the woodwork and calling my mother throughout the day, including my histrionic half-sister.
It was also during this time, as a result of attempting to repair a damaged snap-case on one of my documentary DVD collections ''The Roosevelts'' that I'd learned that the failure of the optical drives to launch on my primary PC probably had nothing to do with the hardware set-up, as the problem also persisted across my laptop platforms where no such modifications took place. Initially, I was inclined to believe that the problem was a result from my refusal to ''downgrade'' to one of the latest versions of ''iTunes,'' but I've since become convinced that the more likely culprit can be found somewhere among all of those ''let's dupe you all into a 'free' downgrade to 'Wind-dumb 10''' service updates. I only found out about this because prior to repairing the DVD case piece I was trying to clean away cyanoacrylate fume damage and buff out mysteriously unexplained nasty scratches which inexplicably appeared from only God knows where away from the discs associated with that particular case, and mostly failing miserably proceeded to test them (or, at present, one of them) out to ensure playability which, again, only becomes a problem with that first always half-assing laptop I'd purchased.
Prior to finally gathering (and ironing) which clothing items I'd wanted to transport with me (and again lamenting the fact that I've done nothing in the way of stocking a decent supply of semi-casual pants), I spent significant amount of time getting my three computer systems updated & matched-up with each other.
''Week in Review''
August 27 - 30, 2015 (Thursday-Sunday)
My mother was anticipating that I would be departing on my trip in the early post-midnight/pre-dawn hours of Thursday morning (Aug. 27) and insisted on waiting around upwards of 02:00 to see me off, even after I'd told her earlier the previous day (Wed., Aug. 26) that I could not in all honesty give her any genuine indication as to when exactly I'd be set to venture out, especially since I'd still had quite a bit left over to properly organize and work with so that I could ensure that I would be able to fit everything into my motorcycle's available spaces. So as I had announced that I would be heading upstairs to take a shower, she'd decided to get a preliminary jump ahead of me up the stairs. After said shower, I put everything else on hold and went to sleep. Her activity back downstairs, somewhere around 07:30, was enough, and my cue, for me to wake-up and finish the final points of the packing project.
By the time I'd completed everything (just barely being able to stuff my underseat storage space to its absolute capacity) and was ready to crank the engine, she'd right at that same moment returned from running whatever errands she'd gone out to do (mainly to get a replacement part for the locking mechanism she'd been trying to install ''D.I.Y.'' on the kitchen-access screen door.
During this time I'd tried to contact the ''InTown Suites'' in Tampa to confirm the reservation I'd made -- first right at the cusp of 09:00 (which was when they said someone would be at the front desk), then about 15 minutes later, and still no answer, then finally around 09:30, when someone finally addressed my call: so they had me literally waste a good six phone-card minutes (at least) for an information call that didn't even require two full minutes.
The first leg of the trip was fine, for the most part -- I'd gotten a nice and impressive overview of a North Carolina valley from ''Interstate 77'' and became absolutely enamored with the downtown (uptown?) skyline of the city of Charlotte. Somewhere in between the two, I stopped for refueling in a place called, Statesville, around 14:40, after I'd accidentally pissed all over the front of my jogging pants instead of in the toilet when I'd decided to pull in to the first rest stop of the trip a few miles back: initially pissed (no pun intended, but fitting all the same) over what had occurred, I'd soon considered it perhaps a little something of a God-send, as this had placed me in a situation where I'd finally decided to observe the fuel gauge for the first time since leaving Salem, Virginia after my pre-trip initial fueling around 11:40, and realizing that I was close to running on empty.
Immediately after refueling the motorcycle, I'd decided sat down with an angus & bacon sandwich at the ''Arby's'' directly in the next lot, believing, based on my coast-to-coast experience in 2012, that eating something ''land animal'' based would do well to prevent me from getting slapped with any migraines along the way: but as fate would have it, it was shortly after eating this sandwich, and drinking half of some fortified carbonated spring water beverage called, ''Sparkling Ice'' (with ''sucralose'' artificial sweetener, which I don't believe I'd ever consumed before) that I'd felt the effects of one of my classic migraines coming on, which only increased my misery by the time I'd decided to pull into the rest area/visitor's center across the state line into South Carolina, where I really did not want to be -- in fact, so determined I was to get out of South Carolina A.S.A.P. that I'd done my dambdest best to avoid spending ANY money at all in that most racist of racist ''Dixie-crat'' states, only to be forced to make three separate pit-stops for refueling -- the first time stopping at St. Matthews for only one gallon of petrol, followed by another one-gallon stop outside a place called Waterboro, then finally for only a 1/2 gallon sip at Hardeeville, once I'd confirmed just how close to the Georgia border I finally was: I'd erroneously been under the impression that cutting through S.C. was going to be my ''shortest'' trek through any of the states along the route, when in fact it proved to be one of the longest -- so attempting to avoid it all as I may have wanted to, I still had to wind up parting with a few shekels in ''Hick Carolina.''
The first nap (in the dark) I'd finally managed to sneak in on the grass under a tree after pulling into the ''under construction/renovation'' Georgia rest area across the S.C. border proved to help quite a bit, but it would not be very long before those issues with my health, and with riding long distances at night with spotty traffic, would again catch up with me, challenge my stamina, and make me a little bit fearful for my safety. I'd intended to pull into the first rest stop once I'd finally crossed over into Florida, but for the entire time I was required to ride on ''Interstate 95'' on the Florida side, I was about convinced that they had decided to outdo even New Jersey's ratty-assed lame excuses for ''rest areas'' (with no ''facilities'') and had chosen to not have any rest areas at all: I would not see an Interstate Highway rest area in Florida until I'd branched off an reconnected onto the ''Interstate 75'' sometime after 04:00 Friday morning (Aug. 28), where I was in dire need to crash & fade, but because of the complications with the biting insects I'd encountered during my attempted naps at the second Georgia rest stop location I'd pulled into, I'd improvised with the secondary (lighter) ''rain suit'' arrangement I'd brought along with me and re-purposed it as an impenetrable ''mosquito barrier,'' whereby I'd gotten the best rest of my entire time out on the road, sleeping close to two and a half hours, arising just as day was breaking.
I'd finally arrived at my destination at approximately 09:45, late of the earliest possible check-in time of 09:00. Once I'd signed all of my necessary forms and brought all of my personal effects up to the room (which they'd had pre-chilled to Arctic phukking temperatures), I immediately took a shower and went straight to bed and tried (mostly unsuccessfully) to get some much needed sleep.
At some point (around 11:00 or so), during one of those ''can't get/stay asleep'' moments, I'd making a quick call to Martha to let her know that I'd arrived safely, but also letting her know that because of being assaulted with the lingering ''soft-serve migraine'' and the rundown feeling it was no doubt significantly contributing to, I'd be calling back sometime later.
It also turned out that cracking the (screenless) window and door did little to nothing to dissipate the chill that was still hovering in the room, so I improvised by turning on the heating elements on the electric mini-stove top to bring some heat to the scene.
I'd initially intended on making the follow-up call to my mother later that same (Fri.) evening, but it was not until late Saturday morning (Aug. 29) that I felt well enough, though still feeling headachy, very drained & lethargic, and intestinally unsound, to give her a slightly more detailed update re: my arrival and my first (unflattering) impressions of everything I've witnessed of Florida (and Tampa) thus far. At call's end, and after several disrupted attempts, I'd managed to pull myself together enough to try to get out and explore a little bit and try to engage in a little bit of grocery shopping, first checking online for what ''Publix'' supermarkets (damb... they don't have ''Kroger'' here) and ''Dollar Tree'' stores they had anywhere in the vicinity, now that I'd finally learned how to get connected using their Wi-Fi (my first time experience using Wi-Fi ever).
When I was finally feeling responsive enough to force myself back out into the world to conduct my exploratory food run, I'd first decided to travel in the opposite direction to get a tad bit more familiar with that region, as it is the direction I'll be needing to travel in order to get to the location where I'll be required to attend my instructional classes, and I'd allowed myself to go as far as the edge of Downtown Tampa before doubling back and heading in the direction of Brandon.
The first shopping center I rolled into had nothing to do with any of the intended business establishments I'd planned on visiting, I think I was actually more enticed by the presence of a ''post office'' branch (which ironically had a driver's licensing office located in the same plaza only a few doors down, eliminating any possibility that I could use that post office's ''literal location'' option as my privacy-protecting ''physical address.'' While passing through the area I became aware of the ''Asian Supermarket'' in that same section of the plaza where the other two noted establishments were housed, and immediately was drawn in to investigate. While it was certainly no ''Daiei/DonQuijote,'' it was still of an impressive size, about what one might find in one of the ''independent'' chains -- and yet, for its size and variety, there were still a few (seemingly ''manini'') items I'd felt were missing (in this case during this particular visit, considering the ''snack cracker'' selection less than impressive, and becoming upset that the only option they had for the original chocolate version of Glico ''Pocky'' was in the large pack, not the individual sized packs, until I came across the next best alternative which was chocolate and coconut dipped... but I was giddy to learn that they were *ALL* ''Japanese'' Pocky, NOT the ''Thailand'' version which are the only ones we can find in the ''Roanoke Valley'' areas). While browsing around, I'd decided to do some radical impulse buying, grabbing a few items such as fresh bean sprouts and canned ''lotus seeds'' (which I'd never tried before) which I'd intended for salad-making, a small package of jasmine tea (again, the ''tea'' selection was another of those areas where I'd felt incomplete), an ''on the whim'' purchase of a couple of bottles of sake flavored with ''fruit essence,'' whatever da-hel that means (both of which I felt had a ''bite'' to them but still felt and tasted ''watery,'' with the ''peach'' version slightly edging out the ''mango''), and including in the mix four different containers (flavors) of ''Sunflower'' creme-centered snack crackers (which clearly are going to have to travel back to Virginia with me), as I could neither find the same variety at the one location I could purchase them in Roanoke or find at all for any sort of a ''reasonable'' price online. They also had a ''hot food bar'' set up cafeteria style, where I'd ordered a half ''roast duck'' and some tasteless yellow ''rice noodles'' (which were already half-warm at purchase time and would eventually turn cold by the time I'd returned to the suite, despite having been outside under the intense heat and trapped inside a typically hot trunk department).
Continuing on with the trek, stopping/exploring at a couple more shopping plazas to ask any workers I'd come across for clearer directions to my destinations, I took passing note of several other businesses of interest I was passing by, in particular the location of a ''Progressive'' insurance agent's office.
I'd arrived at ''Publix,'' but I was already overloaded with the items I'd purchased at the Asian market, plus there was still concern over the hot food's situation, so I had to put any exploration inside on-hold and instead asked one of the grocery staff where the ''Dollar Tree'' that was supposed to be in the same area was located (he said it was across the other side of the road I'd just come in on), I then proceeded to gather a few items I'd be needing for some improvised meal preparations (plate, bowl, mug, minor utensils, and a few more packaged food items, including sugar for tea) and strapped these onto the motorcycle handlebars.
I would later learn very early Sunday morning (Aug. 30), as I was trying to fix myself a post-midnight/pre-dawn snack, that the glass bowl I'd purchased at Dollar Tree had had an unnoticeable chipped lip, which cut into the base of my right thumb as I was prep-washing it, and that the kim chee I'd gotten from the Asian market did not have a proper seal on the lid and appeared to have formed mold inside the lid area. So later in the afternoon I took to the road again with the intention of replacing the pair of defective items. My first intended stop had originally been the Asian market, but somehow I'd inexplicably overshot it and instead believed that I'd arrived at the ''Publix'' across from where ''Dollar Tree'' was... but when I'd changed course and crossed the street I could not find ''Dollar Tree'' anywhere! As it had turned out, during my excursion the previous day, the ''Publix'' at ''Brandon Mall,'' which was where I'd believed I was supposed to have been searching for in the first place in my quest to find the supermarket, had somehow completely escaped my notice (not too difficult to unintentionally overshoot , actually, given the fact that the facility is largely obscured from street view, as are a number of shopping centers along that stretch of roadway), which eventually brought me out to the next ''Publix'' further in the distance on the same main stretch of road. So after exchanging my bowl at ''Dollar Tree,'' I then attempted to regain my bearings on rediscovering which shopping center housed the Asian market and where it was located: the trip had me pulling into numerous obscured & partially obstructed plazas along the way, which though not originally part of the plan did help me to become somewhat familiarized with where some things were and what was available. Eventually, again after considerable misdirection and confusion, I did manage to relocate the appropriate plaza and managed to track down the Asian market. Not so pressed for time during this return trip, I did manage to explore the shop aisles at a somewhat more leisurely pace and found that some of my earlier concerns were not entirely accurate, whereas some other areas still held true to some of my still somewhat minor criticisms.
As I was beginning to pull back into the lodging facility's driveway, I'd spotted a couple of ''Florida Sandhill Cranes'' lounging about the small marshy ditch just on the other side of the road: I was fortunate that they had allowed me to move in as close as I'd allowed myself to do reasonably without them being given to spooked flight to snap some photographs and video on my main camera, followed by a couple of shots on the cellphone camera for the purpose of transmitting them to family and friends. (I am also now inclined to believe that it was from one of these birds that the feather I'd come across and retrieved from that same general area as I was leaving to do my purchase exchanges had come.)
If anything truly negative can be said about this place (lodging facility), for which I'll definitely be registering a ''Yelp'' business reviews account, it's endlessly dealing with this infuriating assault of cockroaches! -- which seriously places great strain on any other ''positive'' qualities I'd been initially inclined to ascribe to the establishment. At least they're not two-for-two by also having a ''bedbug'' problem (that is, that I know of... yet).
''Extended Weekend in Review''
August 31, 2015 (Monday)
The Devil was hard at work against me again today. First, he made certain that my attempts to plot out a detailed travel course online to help me locate where I would need to park then walk to attend classes this morning faced a double hinderence from webpage freeze-ups and from the fact that ''Google-Shit'' has yet again fuck around with and fucked-up another of their so-called ''services'' by re-engineering and worsening the [former] ease-of-use of its ''Maps'' app, forcing me to essentially wing-it on my final legs of the trip. But as if that had not been complication enough, he further compounded the issue with this morning's dragging & droning street traffic, lending truth to all of the Tampa residents who in unison voice out their displeasures with it while participating in the ''City-Data'' online help-&-advice forums. So despite the fact that I'd left the premises with a 1/2-hour window (which would've been even earlier, had ''Goo-Goo Prix'' not decided to be so phukken uncooperative), I still wound up arriving ten (10) minutes late. But apparently, that wasn't fucked-up enough for my Enemy, so as it would turn out, the course instructor had informed our class that they were going to be implementing a new policy: under the guise of allowing classes to be dismissed a half-hour early, the time would be made up for by shortening what would've been a normal ''one hour'' lunch break down to a half-hour, so the result was me running about the area losing track of time and returning to class approximately 20 minutes late and still without having gotten anything to eat during that whole time.
Complications on trying to get myself reoriented to escape the area after class had been dismissed for the day had likewise persisted, but these were more or less taken in stride as part of an adventure excursion, since it was, for all intents and purposes, ''my own time.'' I first managed to unintentionally venture into the ''Hood'' (knowing exactly what it was the very second I'd crossed over into it and well before I'd seen my first ''human'' evidence of it), deciding to ride through it a bit before heading in the opposite direction, eventually landing partially (and ''ahead of schedule'') into the ''Downtown'' area, and again struggling with these road route layouts to eventually find my way back onto ''Adamo Drive.'' During that brief out-of-the-way journey, I'd come across (and photo-documented) an odd little curiosity by the name of ''Jayhawk Motel'' -- which sadly gives one the immediate sense that it is a place of low repute, especially given the fact that it's just within or just on the outskirts of the 'Hood.
21:25, Eastern Daylight Time
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