First Forty

Think I will call Beth; can't come up with anything to do with her next week; I still like her — even though she's going out with Jim; can't wait until this semester is over.

We left the campground and got a good heard start up to North Carolina. Tomarrow [sic] we will go to Yorktown.

Yumi drives me to Cabrillo (because of the rain); she comes to the first half of Japanese class; go to Naka Sushi afterwards with Ted, Don, and Ellen; talk of stock market windfalls; Ted earmarks his “next $20,000″ bundle for retirement; all the money talk makes us uncomfortable.

Find articles on Indian Hobbyists; decide to not confront Todd; package I’d mailed comes back with no postage; George’s letters and postcards keep me going; Case and Maureen have worked things out; we talk about the Navy for hours; thoughts of PhD leaving my mind; I need to get more involved in life here.

Go to Zydeco Festival in Long Beach; get in for free; fascinated by people dancing; FREEZE coming back home on the Vespa!

Look at bikes again with Grant; racing probably not for me; we both go to Variety Show at Central; nervous about being spotted; faculty performers great!; Amy sees us, as does Beth — which is good; she looks great; make a hasty exit after the show; back to Pauls’ for ice cream and more “Cosby”

Today we went to the petting farm and had a good time. I kept feeding a little goat with gold feet. The animals loved tangerines.

Don’t go skating because I’m not feeling well; Yumi and Eisuke go swim at Harvey West Park; I dub videos; computer speakers arrive; they sound great and will be perfect to take to Japan.

Raining all day; Meggin calls; struggle to get through “Maxine” on the guitar; write note to Bill Selby; ask him about Morro Bay camping trip; feeling homesick for L.A.; idea of teaching at SMC very appealing.

Discover KCRW and it soon becomes a beacon of light, filling my days with music, news, conversations, ideas, poetry, and fantastic adventures of the imagination.

Sting tickets arrive, now I just need to invite Beth; ride after work; go to sleep at 3 a.m.

We went to the Magic Kingdom for the last time and reviewed the rides. I got some pictures with my camera. Little Oscar game me a Oscar ring.

Call Japanese embassy regarding my JET application; Yumi comes to Cabrillo, asks Ted if I’d contacted the embassy; she gets the impression that I’d been accepted, tells all her friends.

Go running; see Andy twice and avoid him both times; feel homesick; think about alternatives for the future; read the paper, Frederick Douglass, Bukowski; it’s so quiet here; perfect place to work; still standoffish with the boys; they must think I’m some weird hermit.

Messages from The Machine.

Grant comes over to pester me; we watch TV; translate Lamartine at the library; feels like spring outside; no good Blackhawks tickets left; work is dead boring; catch re-run of the “Warner” episode we attended last year; too much to do.

Work on French paper all night; slip it in the overnight-paper slot before anyone shows up for work; skip class to go home and sleep; Grant buys ‘66 Mustang for $750; takes it to AAMCO for new transmission.

Today we went biking around the campground on rented bikes. Me and Todd went swimming at the Polynesian. We would go to the deep end and try to touch bottom.

Decide to not go in to Kuumbwa; inventory at Baytree gets off on the wrong foot; Yumi attends “Feel Good About Sex” presentation at the Women’s Center, learns a thing or two; she’s funny.

Bonus material!: some television commercials (and bumpers) from KTSF in San Francisco, circa late 1999 - early 2000. (Granted, these may only be of interest to viewers of KTSF at that time, but they figure prominently in this story: the sounds of another week coming to an end.)