8/7/01 6:27 PM Tu

I'm at L. A. High. Rochelle and Ada have gone to Idaho for the week. I'm still trying to get my head around that. I typed fifteen sloppy minutes this morning. It was hard to sleep last night. I showered, put in a load of wash, drank a cup of cold coffee and drove to school. I got the kids busy and sped-read the four days of newspapers I hadn't read while Rochelle was sick with strep. Then I typed that haphazard fifteen. I thought today might be the free day at the museum. I called LACMA. It's tomorrow. I drove to Vonn's. I was already parked when I remembered I didn't have the coupons. I was in the store when I remembered that. I was supposed to try Smart & Final. Two hundred bucks later, I drove home with no T-bones, nor chicken--the prices were fucking insane. I was unpacking when the Borracchon showed up. He drank all my beer while I did the dishes, the laundry, the washing, the ironing, the folding, the putting away, the taking out the garbage, the straightening up and so on. I spent hours, and I've only just gotten to the pile of shit on my desk. I told Borrachonito about Ada's ordeal at Cedar's. He told me he had just been released by the LAPD after a child molestation accusation. That made me uneasy. I'm sure he wouldn't do such a thing, I tell myself. Bastard must've drunk seven beers, at least. I found May's and Abel's phone number. Gave a call. Filed a few papers. Then it was time to come here. Borrachonito talked about going to the Brass Monkey tonight. 

I said I'd call.

I was so relieved last night when Rochelle called and said Ada had been a perfect angel for the four-hour flight. I had prayed it would be so and dared to believe it could be but feared that it would be miserable. I worried about ears popping and flight delays and being stuck in Boise, and I had forgotten to give her cash.     When I get home, I'll call Rochelle and make something to eat. I'll read some of the agents book and call Borrachonito. I'll email Jeff. Start a third-person page and head out to the Monkey for a while, I guess. I'll leave before closing. I'll sleep 1:15 to 7:15. Go to work. Finish that page. Haven't seen Mr. Kuhl's new movie. Supposed to go downtown with Thing tomorrow.