My bank account situation is all straightened out. That’s a relief.
I recently learned that I’ll be going to Quebec next weekend for work. There’s a sense of sadness involved that diminishes the excitement, as I’m going because a coworker recently passed away, and most other staff members will be attending his memorial service that weekend. He did a lot for the organization in his years of employment, and he will be missed.
I was flagged down yesterday by a random man in traffic, who said he was a publisher and wants me to write a book. He looked somewhat legitimate, and while I didn’t really believe that I was about to get a book deal on the corner of Topanga Canyon and Roscoe, I wanted to know how this guy knew I was a writer. (Of course, I forgot that I’m in LA, where more people are working on* a book or a screenplay than not.) Anyway, one of his first questions once we stopped was whether or not I am a Christian. The mystery vanished. He’d seen my “Even the Devil is God” bumper sticker and wanted to explain that the only reason I’m not Christian is because I haven’t read Matthew and John while fasting for two days on cayenne-pepper-and-maple-syrup water. So that’s what I’ve been doing wrong all this time. “Uh, hey…I’ve gotta go…I think I left my refrigerator on…”
I went to UCLA Dental Center to get a third opinion on my gums, and it turns out they want to do the same procedure that I was on the verge of having done by another periodontist out in Camarillo. I canceled with him because I was worried that I needed more extensive treatment and learned that UCLA offers rather competitive rates. It was nice to hear that I won’t be needing the more extensive treatments. The bonus is that my insurance will likely cover much more of the procedure than they would have in Camarillo, considering that the total cost at UCLA, before insurance, will only be slightly more than what my share was going to be in Camarillo. I’ve scheduled the surgery for just after Thanksgiving. I’ll let you know how it goes.
That same day, I rode down to Long Beach to pick up a book for class. The CSUN bookstore didn’t have any more copies in stock, and none of the typical bookstores had it, either. I saw that it was available on Amazon from a local seller, so I contacted him to see if I could stop by. I hadn’t considered the fact, though, that this would mean driving from Westwood to Long Beach at 4:30 on a workday. Traffic was gnarly. I got a lot of great practice cutting lanes, though. I made much better time than the cagers, slicing through traffic like a hot knife through butter. By the time I made it to school around 7pm, I felt like I’d been playing an intense video game for hours. Good times.
Finally, I’ve just got to say that I hope everybody votes for Kucinich or Edwards. I have found myself really disappointed with Obama lately, as it seems that all I ever hear from him is “I was against Iraq.” C’mon, man, you can do better than that. But you can’t do better than Kucinich. If only this country wasn’t so weirded out by hobbits. Sigh.
* Of course, by “working on,” I mean have at least once in their lives had a fleeting idea for a book or a screenplay that they’re going to sit down and write when the circumstances allow it.
