The heat is on. And the air conditioner is off.

(June 12th, 2007)

OMFG it's so hot...

105 degrees at 1pm today. We had a rolling blackout that kept us without power for 4 hours today.

There was a hate crime at the Food 4 Less today. I wasn't there but it was all over KCAL's news. Some big fat loudmouthed white guy walked into Food 4 Less with a baseball bat, screaming about "Wetbacks!" and then he proceeded to bash out the brains of a Latina checkout lady in front of everyone in the store. The security guard got a good shot in with his baton and he collapsed. They have him in the jail ward at Olive View now. The checkout lady wasn't so lucky. She's dead.

There would be a car wash to support her family and help pay for the funeral, but nobody washes their cars anymore. People don't really drive anymore. The streets used to be crowded, now only the curbs are. And driveways. And front lawns.

Yesterday was Richie's last ride to and from City of Hope. The whole idea of me giving him his chemo was scotched when they considered the blackouts. Yes, an IV pump has a reserve battery, but the medicine has to be kept in a very climate-controlled environment. They're insisting he make the move to the temporary housing at City of Hope. My family is going to chip in on storage for our stuff, but I don't trust anything local. I don't know if I trust anything in their neighborhood either, considering the riot that happened in Palms that spread to Westwood a few days ago.

We now have to figure out what we will take with us, what we will leave behind for the neighbors, and what goes into storage. I have to take my laptop. Richie has to take his little guitar amp and a guitar and a bass. No way to take the drums...too much. At least he can plug a pair of headphones into the amp and practice. The practice pad will have to do.

The price of gas has kept fairly steady, but it is clear anything can set it soaring again. And weeks of gas above $5 a gallon has been murder on the economy.

If this keeps going until August I don't know what will happen with the semester.

Meanwhile, it's a little cooler now. Maybe I'll take a walk. Or maybe I'll just go out into the atrium of our apartment building. I don't feel safe about a walk after dark today. Damn.