Entries this day: Drive_to_Waco Fone Ma_&_Jon

Drive to Waco

10:31am CST Monday 24 March 2003

I'm going to see my mom in Waco (1.5 hours away) today! And... oh she's bringing me some ties (I hope she got the message; I archived some ties with her when I began my homeless life) and I bought a few ties at Ross.

Oh and I gotta pack! And get dollars changed to yen. Lotsa dollars!! Lots more yen!!!

But..... I don't leave until Wednesday...

Aw yeah.. I've got plenty of time.

12:18pm

See? I'm already in the restaurant 45 minutes early. I like being early, but I don't necessarily need to be *this* early to be happy. Maybe 10 minutes. But hey, plenty of time to write. Maybe I'll compose my first mass email that I plan to send.

Fone

1:27pm CST Monday 24 March 2003

Weeeeeeeeird.

I am exactly 99.9% certain I'm at the right restaurant. The directions include:

1. go to Waco (did that)
2. exit Lake Shore drive which might be exit 340 (I exited Lake Shore drive which is exit 341 but highway 340 is at that intersection)
3. go east (did that)
4. find a Mexican restaurant close to the freeway called El Capitan or something. (I found a Mexican restaurant close to the freeway called el Conquistador; I think that's close enough. Starts with "El C," has a vaguely similar conotation, Captain is more common a word in English that Conquistador, and she said "or something")

But ma is not here. She's not normally late for things that I know of.

I tried to call her cell phone, but the pay phone won't let me dial it. I tried the operator, and she got the same "number is disconnected signal". I tried not dialing 1. (It said dial 1) I tried three different numbers in Austin. I tried Janette's number in Dallas. All go to the same "number is disconnected" after I dial 1+area+prefix. I don't even get to the last four numbers.

I went to a different payphone in a different building. Same thing. I'm going to ask around to see if I can borrow a cell phone from someone.

1:56pm

Short story: I couldn't call collect to ma's cell phone. Tried three different carriers. No one was home at Janette's (I tried to call collect her phone). I dialed 0 and they couldn't help. Dialed 00 and they couldn't help.

I dialed the number listed on the phone "call if you have problems or complaints," and they don't service this phone!!!

I tried 0 to find out who I complain to but she didn't know, or maybe something else.

I was so boiling with frustration I was dialing 0, preparing to say calmly, "I am literally going to destroy this phone if you do not get me connected to this number now. I will destroy it and walk away and it will be a hella lot more expensive to you guys than making this simple phone call."

So great to hug my mom after all that.

Ma & Jon

3:12pm CST Monday 24 March 2003

"I better say something meritable so Rob will write it down."

"What a world where the leading rapper is white, the leading golfer is black, the French think Americans are arrogant, and the Germans don't want to go to war."

So GREAT to see my mom again.

I told them what I knew about my apartment, my city, my roommates, etc etc. Yammered a bit about the stupidity of war and the awesomeness of Macs.

At first I was like "erg" and didn't want to drive all the way to Waco just for lunch, but something about being so frustrated by the phone made me really really really appreciate seeing ma. Gave her a bigger hug than ever because of that phone.

She brought a pile of my clothes - lotsa rally t-shirts and many ties and I don't know what else. I thought there might be a suit in there but I don't see it. No worries; I only need one.

5:13pm

I'm home now. _8 Mile_ blasting on stereo; house is empty of people and so clean!!!