I've Sold My Soul

I guess I should just go in chronological order on this...it's going to be long, so you better be sitting.

I went to bed early last night because I had to get up at 3am to call my credit union in Rochester to deal with something that was causing some red light on me opening a checking account here. I get up and call. Seems that there was some $21 charge from the account I used for Smegma Records...like, five years ago. With the same credit union! I've taken out two loans and a credit card from them in the meantime and they never said a word to me, but they reported it to some credit bureau. So, that's (allegedly) being handled.

I went back to bed and couldn't sleep or not very well. I woke up around 7:30am to the sound of Bea watering the foliage on the side of my cottage. Damn, retirees. So I hung around the house, waiting for the electric company guy to come and put the electricity in my name. I uploaded all the pictures (which I'm sure you saw), mopped my bedroom (don't ask), worked out a little. I called the electric company who told me I didn't have to be there - a different story from last Friday. So I decided to go over to the school to fill out some paperwork.

Before I left, I stopped over to L & B's to ask a couple of questions. The bees in the tree in back are not a big deal (for now). Then I asked about the mail. There's only one mailbox that we share. I guess that's not such a big deal, but it has a lock on it and Lee has the only key. They'll drop off my mail at the door. Uhhhhh...now, I guess I don't care that much, but it sure is going to be weird when I get packages from Big Breasted Waitresses Video, Inc. "I....uh...training film"

Just a hypothetical...I would never order porn, Mom.

So, over to school. Filled out some paperwork. As Mark (my boss) & I are talking he mentions that they're working on starting a Performing Arts wing of the charter school. We both kind of looked at each other - my idea about the radio station & cable access TV - fit right in. It doesn't mean I'm going there next year, but just that I definitely have a place here and can fit in a number of roles. Mark also mentioned there's been talk about starting a school baseball team...he already knew I'd be able to coach it. Tenure? I don't need no stinking tenure!

Mark keeps saying, "if you need anything, just ask". Well, I took him up on it today. He has a Japanese Fred Sanford-type pickup. Saturday, I went to our local Salvation Army and bought a kitchen table & a couple of chairs. The chairs fit in the rental car, the table wasn't even close. So he let me borrow the hooptie to go get it. Of course the back was full of crap so I had to drive it to the recycling center to drop that stuff off first. So now I have a table! I'm sitting at it right now as I type. You think that's not a big deal...you have no idea how important it is to have some kind of surface to type/write/eat on that you don't have to kill yourself to use.

It was then I was officially deemed a "local". As I was bringing Mark's truck back to the school, I parked and some guy drove up to me and asked me for directions. ME. I've been here 3 days and I can't pronounce the street I live on. He asked me for directions to the Salvation Army! I just freakin came from there! I was able to tell him to get on Pulani Highway, then everything else was landmarks, rights & lefts. But I gave someone directions. If he didn't get there it was because he was an idiot...for not being able to understand directions with only 2 turns and for listening to someone who's been here 3 days.

Here comes the twister

Last night I was online, looking at car dealerships on the island. Originally, I was thinking to go with biodiesel. The dealer didn't seem too reliable. So I decided to put my money where my mouth has been for the last 10 years and go hybrid, but looking at the cost...I figured I didn't want to go that route. So I decided to just get something cheap and small. Well, as I was looking around online I found a used Prius. It didn't have a price, but the 5 new ones that were on the lot that I saw online a week ago were already gone, so I thought that I'd just drive down to check it out. (I'm sure you can see where this is going)

I pulled into the lot, got out and this guy who's standing there says "Hey Brother, you looking to buy another car just like that?" Referring to my rental. Now, when he called me Brother, I was wondering if he had gotten some report from the Rochester ghetto...where I'm strangely known as Brother Dave. Not in a religious way, but more in a Nation of Islam, stick it to the man way. They never taught me the handshake.

This dude's name is Brother John Ahsam. It's on his dealership business card. But he acts more like Felix than any of the NOI people I know. That's not an insult to Felix, just an observation. So I ask him about the Prius and the next thing I know I'm test driving it. Damn, that thing is f-ing cool. I look at the price. There's no way I'm going to get this thing - even at 60% interest. Two hours later, I'm signing the contract for this freakin car. I pick it up on Friday. I can afford it, but it's an expense I really wasn't counting on. My July trip back home may be a bit more economy than I planned, but it's all cool.

So I celebrated by buying a steak and some of Hawaii's Genny Beer - Steinlager. It's actually from New Zealand. Not too bad.

I'll have a picture up of the new wheels on Saturday.

As I typed this, I saw my first flying cockroach that everyone warned me about. Little bastard got away.

But I have a car and a kitchen table...things are going to start happening to me now!