Voice from the past

Tonight I got an IM from someone I haven’t chatted with in three years. It’s this girl I knew from back in Texarkana. Met her while I was working at Baymont Inn and Suites, when she was a young, spunky 17-year-old. Heh.

There was this one night she came to visit me while I was at work. Kept me entertained and awake during my night-shift drudgery. She hung out by the front desk while we chatted. Managed to keep some of the guests chatting in the nearby lobby entertained as well. Was an interesting night.

That was the last time I remember seeing her, even though we IM’d and chatted for a few more weeks before contact withered away. Fell silent for almost three years until she messaged me tonight. Oh how I do love the occasional shot of randomness in my still bathtub water of a life.

Found out she lives just 3 1/2 hours away from me. Living near Houston. She even suggested I take a road trip some time. Heh. Sounds interesting enough. Y’know?

Hey, it couldn’t hurt to do something with my time, right?

Cheers.

Deh goes da neighbahoo’

The greatest things about having immigrant hispanic neighbors:

  • Never having the same parking space twice
  • Never a quiet moment (except on nights before the workday)
  • The occasional birthday party underneath my window, complete with piñatas (even more entertaining if only just to see if the kids will accidentally whack each other in the head or their fathers in the nuts)
  • Even more frequent barbecues, complete with rising smoke and with blaring, distorted conjunto playing from a car with raised trunk lid, underneath said window
  • Leering glares as I cross the parking lot to my car to leave the noise
  • The constant and interesting stream of fresh young cholos moving in with their scary driving habits
  • Having kids playing near, around, and on my car with nary a chastisement from their parents
  • The random and sometimes frequent chirping of hypersensitive car alarms going off when the dumpster gets emptied or the kids play too close to those cars
  • A constant flux of roofing and carpentry detritus either scattered across the parking lot or piled dangerously near the dumpster
  • The here-and-there appearance of an empty cerveza bottle, a pair of children’s shoes, or a metal ladder
  • The wafting scent of boiled chicken blowing around when I get home from work
  • The loud talking, frequent yelling, and occasional shrieking of young and old without being able to comprehend a single word
  • And, finally, the dead car, with borrowed sandbags, stolen from a nearby road construction site, in front of the tires, rotting in one of the few prime parking spaces.

Ah, never a dull moment. God bless ’em.

¡Vaya con Diabolo!

Ugh

Sitting at home at midnight on a Friday night because of a stomach that doesn’t know if it’s sick, nauseous, or plain ol’ upset really, really sucks. I should be out there somewhere, not sitting at my desk at home.

I was doing great all day, and then when I went out to dinner after work it all went downhill from there. Almost had the “stomach squeeze” right there while I was eating. Had to abbreviate my meal. So much for going home, cleaning up, and heading out as soon as I had planned. Hung around the house until 10, then headed out, but once I got settled in at Mojo’s and got to working on the laptop, the sqeeze hit again. Now, four miles away and after a trip to Randall’s for Emetrol, antacids, ginger ale and some ground ginger, I’m at home sitting in my boxers under the coolness of my A/C.

And now, even though I’m no longer sweating bawls, my stomach’s still edgy. And I’m snoozy, to boot. I know my roomate was complaining last night of some stomach twinges, but I guessed it was one of those “bugs” that always float around. I was wondering what it was that we’ve shared in the last week; wasn’t food, dishes, utensils, toothbrushes, barfbags, nothing. Couldn’t think of anything until I remembered, “Aw, shit — we’ve both used the phone!” Shit. Ah well. Wouldn’t be the first time I’ve caught something from a fuckin’ phone.

Yep, this is shaping up to be one letdown of a weekend.

Well that was plum weird…

I had a good ol’ long session up at Mojo’s today. Spent about 12 hours up there, just a programmin’, lookin’ at the photos I got developed, an’ chattin’ with any of my friends who was just passin’ through. Was a good time. An’ today I actually made a chunk a’ headway in my programmin’ duties.

But anyways, several hours after most a’ my people done left, this woman comes up to me (I got my laptop, see) and she asks me if I got any geeky skills, for you see she’s got some problems with her laptop. I says “Sure” an’ she sits down with me an’ I help her out. Hell, didn’t have much better ta do but play good Samar’tin. Well, after tryin’ ta fix her “com port” thang, which didn’t work out, I move on ta fixin’ her wireless connection. I get that fixed, and she was so ‘preciative. We sat an’ shot the shit fer a while, I intra’duced myself, an’ she was so thankful she asked if I wanted ta go fer a ride, y’know, ta take care a’ me. She was gonna smoke me out! Heh!

Now, don’t get me wrong here, I get stoned maybe once a year er so, but I figgered ta-night jus’ wadn’t the night, so I turned her down. She was cool with that. I was cool with that.

So we kept on chattin’ an’ whatnot, playin’ with her dawg (a well-b’haved nine-year-ol’ rottweiler, I might add), pokin’ ’round on her laptop and such, and then this gal asks me if’n I got a girl! Heh! I says “no, I don’t really,” then I point ta my laptop an’ say, “An’ this is prolly why.” She got a good laugh off’a that. An’ then, a few minutes later, she asks me if’n I’d like for us ta get to know each other better, y’know, non-computer stuff. She pro-po-zishins me! HEH!

Well I tell you what, it ain’t often I get hit on by a 41-year-old woman. Now, don’t get me wrong, she was good lookin’ for a woman her age – thin build, long curly hair, had kinda a Janis Joplin / Hippy thang goin’, but I jus’ wadn’t in the mood I guess, bein’ all shy and such (I figger I’m kinda “passive-agressive” with girls), so I turned her down again. And she was cool with that, and I was cool with that.

She asked me if I hung out there often, an’ I told her “Just about every day” an’ she laughed. Sumphin tells me perhaps that I’ll be seein’ her again. Y’know, I hate ta be the “woman” in this sitiation, playin’ coy like that, but if she comes back ’round, I think I might jus’ take ‘er up on her offers.

An’ lemme tellya, it’s women like that who keep this town cool. Gawdamn do I love this place. God bless Austin.

Y’all stay tuned now, y’hear?