071008

 

Cincinnati, OH

Thursday July 10, 2008

     5:57am  6.47 hours of sleep last night.

     7:14am  I woke up and I was bored. Joe brought home a new load of scrap metal and I tried to take some of it apart before they woke up, but I didn't have any tools. I needed more than my Leatherman. I don't know. I kind of want to skip town already. They have a friend who lives in Middletown, a little north they want me to meet. I'm supposed to go up there Friday, tomorrow. Oh yeah, and they don't give me an equal third of the money. The first time when I went with Joe he gave me twenty bucks. We made like $160 total, but I was okay with just twenty. When we went yesterday Tom didn't give me anywhere close to a third of the cut. I don't really care about the money. I'm getting exercise and I usually work for free. I cut up LaTonya's tree for her yesterday just because I was bored. I'm reading my book right now. On Page 112 there's an awesome paragraph:

The startling truth is that our best efforts for civil rights, international
peace, population control, conservation of natural resources, and
assistance to the starving of the earth—urgent as they are—will destroy
rather than help if made in the present spirit. For, as things stand, we
have nothing to give. If our own riches and our own way of life are not
enjoyed here, they will not be enjoyed anywhere else. Certainly they
will supply the immediate jolt of energy and hope that methedrine, and
similar drugs, give in extreme fatigue. But peace can be made only by
those who are peaceful, and love can be shown only by those who love.
No work of love will flourish out of guilt, fear, or hollowness of heart,
just as no valid plans for the future can be made by those who have no
capacity for living now.

     9:52am  I just got up from a nap.

     2:33pm  We've spent an ardous, hot time cleaning scrap. We're all done and we're going to go to the scrapyard now and cash in.

     2:49pm  Oh yeah, I called Echo from Florida earlier from Kim's phone and she told me she wants to send me some money! She told me she had a restraining order put on John. I'm sorry I didn't call you back, Echo. The phone cut out and I didn't have that much to say anyway. You left me speechless with your generosity, Echo. ::muah::

     4:34pm  Man, I'm not having too good a time. I only got ten bucks for all the work I did today. Ugh, I worked so much more than Tom did today. Joey only gave me ten dollars after we cashed in at the scrapyard. He told me that Tom would give me some too. After the scrapyard we went to that restaurant to eat chicken livers and when I mentioned it to Tom he had the nerve to tell me, "Oh, I'm strapped." Right after he bought all this beer and shit. At that point I was thinking I won't feel so taken advantage of is Tom lets me take a shower and do my laundry. When I asked him he had the gall to tell me, "Oh, my mom bitches about the water bill. Can you wait until the morning? I don't take showers every day. That's so much fucking bullshit. I feel so taken advantage of. I can't wait to leave. Ugh, I busted my ass today. I was all sweating and shit in the hot sun, and not only do I ONLY get ten dollars for it, I can't even take a shower? Fuck that, man.

     6:29pm  I really apologize for my lack of entries. I'm really bored and today I felt really taken advantage of. I only got a measly ten dollars after doing so much more work that Tom. He didn't even unload anything at the scrapyard. Joey and I did almost all of the work. Joey gave me ten bucks. I wouldn't be nearly so pissed if Tom would have had the decency to let me take a shower. He's a pussy, man. He's all scared of his mom. Right now Joey offered to pay me some money to help deliver this wood.

     7:53pm  I went with Joey and we unloaded all that wood at this nice lady's house. She's a weedsmoker too. We came back to check the firewood they have for sale. Joey checked the bucked and there was a twenty dollar bill in it! It's an honor-system bucket. Take what you want and give what you think it's worth. They bank. We're driving back to the house. Man, I want to leave already. I want to go see Doreen in Middletown and change my scenery.

     7:57pm  Badass, Joey just came up to me and gave me a twenty dollar bill. That's awesome. Now I don't feel so taken advantage of. Joey told me, "Yeah, I ain't no Tom Skaggs." Joe's a man of his word.

     10:13pm  It's turned out to be an alright night. Joe gave me the money I deserved. It's not so much about the money, and it totally wasn't Joe's responsibility to make Tom's wrong right, I just felt really taken advantage of by Tom. Like if I was just some cheap labor to fund his drinking beer. We're going to see Doreen in Middletown and that will be my springboard North. I've been playing around with the idea of going to Toronto, to Canada. Detroit. Last night I talked to Doreen on the phone and got her to look at the Leaf Blower video and Free Hugs. She was all psyched about it.

Next day..