Details.

Another day off that I ended up spending at work... the overtime just keeps racking up.

I did manage to find a swimsuit; $3 at WalMart, piss ugly, but what the hell. Haven't had to use it yet, though. I may go check it out tomorrow.

Rachael keeps bugging me for details. The truth is, I'm a little embarrassed about how sneaky I have to be, and how much a bum I am (even if it is willful). So here ya go. I spend 3 or 4 nights a week in the hospital parking lot in town. It's 5 minutes from work, if I have to be there early, it's well lit, there's always help nearby, and best of all, there is a space from 5 to 9 PM where the door is open but no one's at the front desk. So I can waltz right in without attracting attention and uncomfortable questions (what would I do if questioned? probably lie, invent someone in a coma), and head straight to the bathrooms.

I alternate that with nights out at the WalMart. Little more uncomfortable there, as there is rarely anyone else parking, and it's pretty blatant what I am doing. On the plus side, I don't have to try to jump into my truck without anyone seeing me. There is also a truck stop about 30 minutes away, where I don't have to hide at all, there's always a bathroom open, and I can get a shower for $5. Not too bad.

And that's it for my life. Work and sneakiness. I went to see a movie last night ("Torque", if you must know, and I'm not embarrassed cause it rocked. Except for the end where you get a Matrix-style fight with motorcycles; not on motorcycles, with motorcycles, and a really silly scene on "the fastest bike in the world." His cheek muscles actually started to fly back, like on the Gravitron. Enough of this aside) and ended up sneaking into a second (that one is embarrassing, so I'm not telling you).

This turned out to be quite difficult. They had 7 theaters, but they all let out at the same time! How silly is that? So I had to try to hide in an empty theater, praying they had already cleaned it, for over half an hour. I had my cell phone out, and I was all ready to fake an intense conversation with a boyfriend that would explain why I had to hide out in an empty theater.

Haven't started the low-tech yet. Maybe tomorrow. I found a nice little cafe with comfy seats in the back. I just can't bring myself to knit sitting on one of the standard issue metal chairs that all the places around here seem to have. I need an overstuffed chair, or an old beat-up couch. Or lots of other knitters and alcohol, and then I'll just sit on the ground.

The other night I woke up and the condensation inside my truck had frozen. Love traveling in winter. Actually, it didn't feel that bad. I love, love, love my sleeping bag.

Things I Couldn't Have Gone Without On This Trip:
- my sub-zero sleeping bag
- this blog
- supportive friends and family that aren't going to forget me while I'm gone
- the kindness of strangers
- happy curtains
- buddy Jesus on the dash
- and now his friend, the monkey-on-a-spring-wearing-a-shriner-hat (thanks Tara!)
- my eye-blinds (black with little skull & crossbones wearing pink bows)
- free AAA maps
- free AAA lockout card/key

I would give credit to more stuff and people, but that's all I can think of right now.

Mainly it's just that sleeping bag.

I think it needs a name. Let's have a name-the-sleeping-bag contest.

Okay, just ignore me, I'm in a strange mood. I am not sure I really want to sleep inside something named Burt or Edith. "Whatcha doin'?" "Oh, just crawling into Ralph."

I don't know if I am ever going to get 2 days off to go exploring, and I have pretty well exhausted the one day trips around here. Oh well, all the sooner I can go raring off on my own. I think I'll leave a few weeks
before I meet Rach, so I can spend some time lounging in the Keys, and on Sanibel Island, which people rave about.

Back to my parking lot for the night. I will lull myself to sleep with thoughts of a Margarita on pristine Gulf beaches. Maybe some storm clouds gathering off the coast, with enough breeze to rock my hammock gently, and the promise of a rip-roaring storm in the night.

Comments

[Theresa]

Hmmm, I think you should call it Johnny Depp. Whatcha think?

[Kira]

I think you should call it a Bethany cozy. "I'm going to crawl into my cozy now" sounds much better. And I really liked Sanibel Island, although I think I was about 10, so I might not've developed my superb taste by then. The turtles there are incredible.

[amy]

Your 'sleepy'?? Around here we call our duvets our 'Puffies' :)

[Kevin Brandon Banaag]

i think it should be named KEVIN!!!

[billy]

...tile...

...or hank mccoy - especially if it is big and blue and warm and cuddly...

..or remy :^)...because reading this post entry you seem to be living the life of storm *after* the seige perilous *geek alert* :^)...

[dadbear]

Call your sleeping bag Ben. If anyone asks, the formal name is BenThere DoneThat. The name fits, and Ben is a warm cuddle of a name, anyway.

Love ya!

[Stonering]

I would like to suggest Ruprict for the sleeping bag name. It's a name that makes me chuckle.

When I lived in FL, I did visit Sanibel Island. I could not for the life of me figure out what it was that made people excited about it. It was a beachy tourist town. I wasn't impressed. I never got as far as the keys, although I still hope to go to Key West some day. I did greatly enjoy driving down Alligator Alley the one (well two I suppose, there and back) time I did it in daylight. I loved spotting gators in the canals off the side of the road. And I didn't see any deceased ones on the road, which I was releaved about.

[Stonering]

Sigh. I do miss the thunder storms sometimes. You could take some pictures of the big clouds and the lightning, if you get the chance and post them. It was a major event locally when there were two or three claps of thunder in an hour. The neighbors didn't quite understand why I kept laughing. I don't miss replacing phones, answering machines, computer parts, and small appliances regularly due to the lightning. But I still miss the storms.

[BURRITO BEANER]

The Burrito Bag! Because I love me a warm burrito with yummy warm insides! -Nina

[carol]

okay, what i really want to say is: I WANT A MONKEY ON A SPRING IN A SHRINERS HAT!

but really it's besides the point that i'm jealous of that, insanely.

i think you should name your sleeping bag, much like kevin, and you need to say it as it's written, with all the exclamation: HERPES!!!!!!!

tee hee, i'm done.