Dec 19 - The new maid, Mimi (or Enid)

Tuesday, December 19, 1972 - Page 354
LOCATION: Newport Beach, Santa Ana, Anaheim

APOLLO 17 LANDED TODAY AS PLANNED

11:00 PM
I got to sleep last night finally around 3:30. Good ole insomnia. Got the 8:00 A.M. bus just barely (had to skip brushing my teeth), and the driver gave me an envelope containing the new bus schedules that are coming into effect in January. I quickly fell asleep on the bus, stretching out in the rearmost seat (my usual location) and awaking only seldom to notice we were passing thru thick fog. I woke up in time to get off (that's one of the mysteries of the brain, how it always signals a sleeping bus rider when the trip is over -- I've never seen it fail) and loped groggily to the RTD terminal. It was less foggy there in Santa Ana and it burned off quickly, resolving into a warm day. I wandered to the terminal's facilities (I didn't have time to attend to that at home) and wandered back to the lobby.

I read "Catch-22" and was at work by 9:40. Worked on painting 114, taking an apalling amount of time and taking breaks incessantly. I'm learning. The new maid I noticed a few days ago was back today -- a beautiful girl wearing low-ride levis and a yellow body shirt that revealed her admirable contours -- unfortunately she was wearing a brassiere. She ignored me very well, I thought, and I assumed she was one of those girls who were so cold a little light comes on every time they open their mouths. But when a leaky faucet broke in room 118, I couldn't avoid her (she was working on 118 & 119) and discovered she had a husky feminine voice, a nice smile and quick wit. She's pro'ly married. If not, I'll hijack her to be my model. Her name is either Enid or Mimi, I'll find out for sure later. I hope she doesn't quit the job like Laura & Laura did before her. Angela, though cute and deliberately charming, is 16 and goes to school and is still hesitant with life -- Mimi (or Enid) appears to be mature and intelligent. I hope, I hope. I hope.

Anyway, I quit working at 5:15 again, and passed up the 6:00 Laguna bus for Dave's 6:30 Balboa. Neither John, Lois, nor the coffee girl were featured on this trip. Dave sold his car to one of his fellow drivers (he showed me the check for $150) but my suspicion against his congenial sincerity was warded off by a congenially sincere promise that he'd be looking for a car for me and let me know if he found one.

A woman got on at South Coast Plaza -- she wanted the Laguna Beach bus, but Dave informed her the last one left a half hour earlier. He took her on, and dropped she & me off at the bridge on Coast Hwy & Newport, and I escorted her to the Greyhound station.

She was from Berkeley, just graduated college, & had been a Junior High & High School English & Music teacher & was going to Laguna Beach for a rest at a friend's hotel where she was staying for free. I carried her heavy suitcase. The Greyhound station was closed, and I tried to call the Greyhound station on a payphone, trying various numbers which were either busy or din't answer. Luckily a bus pulled in -- heading South. She got in, I handed her the suitcase, and she went away to Laguna.

I walked home, stopping to buy new pants at Mister Britches. Got home at 8:00, ate a T.V. dinner & watched T.V. Mom got home around nine after shopping. I took a bath and tried the new hair styler-drier that she bought. So I'm beautiful now. I'm on page 314.

TOMORROW: Laramée & Mike's Anniversary

Dec 18 - Denizens of public transportation**

Monday, December 18, 1972 - Page 353
LOCATION: Newport Beach, Santa Ana, Anaheim

(12:14:04 AM 12/19/1972)
Got up at 8:00, got to work at 9:45. Drove the Van a bit today cause Mike had to take his bike to the motorcycle shop to get a tire replaced (at Kawasaki's expense -- faulty merchandise) so I had to shuttle him Twice -- to drive there, with him riding his bike, and to drive back, with him riding his bike back after it was fixed. Washed some more windows ('twas a warm sunny day), finished the caulking, and broke a bathroom mirror, but still found time to procrastinate (about an hour's worth), to read. Had lunch at the Hamburger House.

Got the 6:30 bus (though I was there soon enough for the 6:00 bus) and talked with Dave. It was quite a crowd that day -- there were only five passengers -- one normal rider in back, the rest of us up front: John Keenen, a grossly extroverted sex pot who drives an ice-cream truck (he's 18); Lois, a regular rider on Dave's bus who's young, married, clever, and pretty in a simple way; and the girl who works at a coffee shop who gets on at South Coast Plaza and who rides free because she gets Dave a cup of coffee which he shares with me. I held yellow yarn for Lois while she wound it into a ball, and John (very loud) talked about various things, mostly about girls & himself -- I countered his comments with clever put-downs that he didn't notice, but which kept Lois, Coffee girl, & Dave chuckling.

The main topic tho was between me & Dave: he's got two other guys whom he works with who wants to buy his metallic green '62 Chevy Belair with the lousy upholstery but good engine whom I'm competing with. He'd like to see me get the car cuz I'm a helluva nice guy and he doesn't want to sell it to some one he works with cuz they might bug him later.

I walked home, cuz mom was playing bridge, but on the way Chunk picked me up in the Barracuda, then picked up Winnie at her house, then dropped me off with Tim's chess set. I wrapped it up like an X-mas gift and I'll give it to him. Am on page 249 in "22" -- am gonna read it now.

TOMORROW: The new maid, Mimi (or Enid)

Dec 06 - Night launch of Apollo 17**

Wednesday, December 6, 1972 - Page 341
LOCATION: Newport Beach, Santa Ana, Anaheim

(5:00 PM 12/9/1972)
Got the 8:00 A.M. bus, got to work by 9:45. Spent most of the day painting, finishing 230, commencing 231. Ate at Hamburger House. I started reading Star Trek 8 (on page 32). The Computer convention's still going on. I got the 6:30 OCTD with Dave the bus driver. Also featured were a bright young senior of Harbor High who had gone to the computer convention (computers & self hypnosis were his hobby), and a nice girl who worked at a cafeteria near or in South Coast Plaza -- she gave Dave a cup of coffee and he paid her fare. He's a helluva nice guy.

Mom picked me up at 7:25. Got home & watched the delayed Apollo 17 launch at 9:30 P.M. It was supposed to go at 7:53 (Pacific time) but a computer got pissed off and din't let them go. I took a bath before the launch. Being a night launch it was very beauteous. At 10:00 there was a special on Cortez' conquest of the Aztecs. Was very well done. It began raining late that night. I finally got to sleep around 2:30 A.M.

For an excellent half-hour special about Apollo's final mission to the moon, see NASA's "On the Shoulders of Giants" in the upcoming post for December 13

TOMORROW: The Blue Marble