the dayton days [43]

the civil war reenactors were the best

Monday. Dylan came over, and we took the new car for a spin. Toyota Celica. 1992. A beauty. The headlights flip up! Ams says the car looks too cool for me. "If you squint in low light, it looks like it's a miata," I said. "And it's a two-seater." Except it just has two doors and five seats. Dylan headed home (he'll be in Tennessee all week).

Tuesday. I had a weird noon-4:00 shift, training on our new Symphony POS system. I made a kickass dinner back home: ham, potatoes, baked beans, and beer bread. A family dinner, the first in a long time. Jess Lynn called, gave me the scoop on Sean, a boy she's kinda dating. It sounds like he's playing her, so I just told her to be careful. 

Wednesday. Winter depresses me, and I ate like shit. I had Friday plans with Jess Lynn (she's in town all week working at Oakwood), but they were cancelled: I have an interview with Tazza Mia at 10:30 AM that morning. No positions are yet available, but Rob's been talking me up, and he wants to get a feel for me. Work is decked out in Christmas decor, and it's pretty cheery. Someone's stealing money from the store. I can't imagine any of my coworkers doing it, but I've watched enough Law & Order to know you can never be sure. Sarah's going to a show at LaComedia this week, said she'll hang out with me beforehand. We'll see how that goes. There was an ADORABLE girl at work tonight. Old-fashioned, doing homework, reading her bible. So hot. And, yes, she was in college.

Thursday. Sarah likes my new car. Hell, everyone does. We ate dinner and chatted it up and then she left. Tomorrow's my interview with Bob. I really hope it goes well. Rob called, gave me some pointers. He said Bob may have a full-time position to fill. I don't want to get my hopes up, but the thought of moving back to Cincinnati and being with everyone, especially Ams, makes my pulse quicken.

Friday. I woke around 7:30, spent some time in prayer before the interview, and then drove down to Cincinnati, parked at Fountain Square. The interview was at the Vine Street location, just up the road. A nice, cold, rainy November walk. It's autumn, after all. The interview went really well, but he could only offer part-time, and I need full-time. Oh well. I visited Rob at the other Tazza Mia in Carew Tower; he agrees I should stay in Dayton for the time being. "People are in and out of here, a full-time position will become available, I'm sure." I returned home, picked up sushi from DLM. I got pretty depressed, feeling gridlocked and poor and hopeless. You know: the usual.

Saturday. I had a good breakfast, cereal & toast, before my 9-5:00 shift. Jessica was upset I traded shifts with Betsy last week: "You're my only strong bar, the strong barista, and you bailed on me on one of our busiest mornings!" Tony & I talked about our dream homes. Honestly, I'd be content with a small apartment, sparse furniture, and a loving wife. After work Dewenter & I met up with Hank & Ashlie for the traditional "Christmas in Springboro" on Main Street (we skipped the parade). We got bourbon chicken for dinner, sipped hot chocolate, and petted goats; but the Civil War reenactors camped outside Hank & Ashlie's apartment were the best. I set up my Christmas tree in my room, and Ams came into town and we smoked on the front porch and went to bed.

Sunday. A heavy mist fell overnight that dawn wouldn't crack. Very eerie. I spent the morning at the Oakwood Starbucks visiting Jess Lynn & researching sanctification. I picked up groceries on the way home, and Dylan came over and we went to DLM and fixed dinner: fish, mushrooms, baked potatoes. He told me all about his Tennessee trip. Dewenter joined us after Ams left, and we had a few beers.