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I get a '65 Beetle
Monday, May 7 2001
[REDACTED]
The glumness of impending layoffs hangs over everything in the company, making people sullen and about as unresponsive as steering wheels that have been sloppily attached to their steering columns. I'm finding that trying to get things fixed or even "to happen" is invariably an infuriating experience.
During lunch, my housemate John, Gretchen and Gretchen's friend Jacob were all having a big play date together and they came to my workplace to pick me up in John's Audi. The main task of my lunch break was to drive into Santa Monica so I could buy some silver wire to make Gretchen a proper engagement ring. After that we ate lunch at Tacos Por Favor, Chris Johnson's favorite lunch restaurant back when he was my co-worker. John was delighted with the place: the cheap prices, the relaxed atmosphere, the free books, the salsa bar. "I can't believe you never told me about this place," he scolded.
In the evening I did my best to make Gretchen a silver engagement ring, first pounding the eight gauge wire sort of flat and then bending it into an approximate circle with pliers. But since this was my first ring in years, I wasn't very good at it and the result of my craftmanship was too small, so I abandoned the attempt for the evening.
Later Linda and Julian showed up in separate cars, one of these being the rust red 1965 Volkswagen Beetle that Julian bought from Chris Johnson for $100 back before Chris decided to become a concert musician in Mexico. Now that he doesn't have a job, Julian sees no need in owning a car so he'd decided to give it to me. My only expense was having new valves and other engine toppings installed at the Silverlake bug shop. That was kind of expensive; it came to $550.
After signing all the title transfer papers and such, all I wanted to do was kick back with a glass of sake and shoot the shit. John was appalled that I didn't immediately take the car out for a spin, but I've owned a bug before and had no particular desire to do any unnecessary driving.
Somewhere in the midst of conversation, Linda said something about how she'd link her website to my "journal" once I was no longer working at our former common workplace. I had to shoot her a very dirty look to get her to drop the subject; I didn't want John finding out about it. Long ago I'd told her that the journal was not a subject for general discussion, and here she was casually blabbing about it. For a little while there it seemed the damage had already been done. John immediately asked, "Journal?" and I had to change the subject to get the issue to die. But perhaps he forgot about it; it didn't come up again. Still, this had the effect of spoiling my evening. For her part, Gretchen was dismayed at how unseriously Linda took the news of our engagement.
According to Linda, some people in my workplace are actually viewing layoffs as salvation, since at least there's a severance package. One of my co-workers (a young lady who happens to be a reader of this journal) has specifically asked her boss to lay her off.
a brief history of my automotive transportation options
~1992-March 1996 - the Punch Buggy Green (1970 model) (actually owned and insured by my parents)
September 5th 1996-Fall 1998 - the Dodge Dart (1975 model), bought for $200
May 7 2001-? - Punch Buggy Rust (1965 model), free but needing repairs
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