The Beginnings – Part 23: A FLYING ELEPHANT

Loathing the act of throwing up, this brought me to my senses.
-James Kirkwood
GOOD TIMES BAD TIMES, a novel

Twenty-five years ago today:
July 26, 1987

I found photographs from my camping trip with Johnny in July 1987.   I like that checkerboard shirt of mine of goldenrod yellow and black.  

The camping out excursion made me recall how nice it is to eat breakfast outdoors in a wilderness setting. 

I still can't believe how Johnny miraculously set up that tent.   I could never do it.

I did do a great job preparing the bacon.   I wonder when I will go camping again.   I don't see it happening in the near future.


The Beginnings – Part 23: A FLYING ELEPHANT

April 29, 1983

I shared my letter from the PTT Advertising Manager with my immediate supervisor, Otha McCain. We talked about the ODBE Program and other company internal transfers. I cannot submit for any transfers until November 3, 1983.

I didn’t make it to the cocktail party at the Emeryville Holiday Inn. Instead, I took a nap and was enjoying the rest.

My doorbell rang and it was Elisa. She dropped in to show me her three week old baby, Stephanie Brown. The baby does look a lot like Rick. She has that strawberry blondish hair color. I loved the baby and her cute smile techniques. What a cute and cheerful baby. Maybe I shall drive over to visit the baby on Wednesday. I’d like to snap a few photographs of her.

Tonight I have the urge to take off on an adventure into Hayward to a place called THE ECLIPSE. I decided to go ahead and go. I took a drive to THE ECLIPSE but the external atmosphere left much to be desired. It didn’t impress me, so it was just as well. I merely drove passed the place and now it is raining.
I thought, “The hell with the place for now.”

When I returned home dad was on the telephone talking to my mom’s sister, Betty. I overheard that Howard West’s father had died of heart failure. Howard is married to my Aunt Lillian (my mom’s youngest sister who was born in 1952).

I watched an Alfred Hitchcock film called SUSPICION with my dad. Dad started to doze off into a deep sleep towards the end.
Then he asked me, “What happened?”

My horoscope in mom’s TOWN and COUNTRY magazine was fascinating. It was written that on May 28th or 29th there will be an occurrence which will seal my fate and even change the course of my life! Ironically, I just happened to be moving out on May 28th.

My tentative date with Cathy Ainlay of Walnut Creek was cancelled for a future date. Perhaps we will go out in a few weeks from now. I didn’t really feel like meeting tonight anyway. I just want my shorts back which she has kept since July 1982 when we went to that LOVERBOY Day on the Green Concert. Maybe I will get those shorts back one day (?).

April 30, 1983

I had a strange dream last night. I can only remember that there was this little old lady that I knew who had a baby elephant in her backyard. The elephant started jumping onto the adjacent neighborhood fences and in turn began to fly atop the rooftops of the nearby homes. Is that strange or is that strange? A flying elephant?  It was funny during the dream when some teenage girl looked out of her bedroom window and saw the elephant. She screamed. When her parents appeared in the teenage girl’s bedroom the teenage girl began to vomit pink popcorn balls. They were huge chunks of popcorn. I think that’s around the time I woke up.

I scared and ‘freaked-out’ my brother, John. I put on the YODA mask from the film STAR WARS: THE EMPIRE STRIKES BACK. John was sleeping and I laid down right next to him. When my brother opened his eyes the look of fear and shock on his face was priceless. If only I could have recorded the expression on his face.

As for the remaining part of the day, Mom and I went out to look at furniture at BERKOVICH and SON, GOLDEN FURNITURE and MACY’s. I ended up purchasing a sofa and loveseat (off-white in color) at MACY’s. I also bought two lamps at the MACY’s Clearance Center. I also dropped by THE TIMBERS to show mom my new apartment. It’s all so exciting.

I received a neat postcard today from Barbara Reynolds of a little boy and a clown. I love it. She’s so sweet.

Jim and my cousin, Cecelia Markus, came over to visit my mom and dad. I sat and talked to them at our dining table. We discussed restaurants, food, birds, the zoo, teeth, dentures, my Dad’s retirement at Del Monte Corporation, babies (specifically since my cousin Yolanda Ortega happened to have a baby), Patrick’s prom (Cecelia’s son) night at H’s Lordships in Berkeley and other random topics. Jim mentioned his new truck and I shared the insight of getting personalized license plates. I showed them my new CA plates: ARMIJO5.

I telephoned Renee Miller but she wasn’t home. Nici Maurino was home. Nici and I discussed the idea of driving over to NEIMAN-MARCUS and Daly City next weekend. I may visit her tomorrow at a bar on Webster Street in Alameda. She is working as a bartender part-time in addition to her job at the Pacific Telephone Repair/Installation office. She’s pretty cool at times.  Will she ever settle down?

She wondered how long it would take for her to escape and settle down safely in some other country to create a new identity and a new life for herself.
-Stieg Larsson
THE GIRL WHO KICKED THE HORNET'S NEST