How's everything? I hear you had to be a character witness for your dad the other day; hope everything went well. Give him my regards.
I don't have a diary or anything so I'll just use you. This is your new intern duty.
Rebecca Straub is here; her and Andy are having a gay old time in the den. Last time I saw her, she was screaming at me for no reason when I walked through the door of their apartment. She's actually being pretty swell. Seems to be mad at her pseudo-boyfriend; maybe they'll get back together.
Don't say anything about this, but I'm starting to seriously think about just abandoning this apartment at the end of the month, leaving the landlord the deposit and paying him what I can now and the rest later. Scott is a mess, doesn't seem to be getting a job any time soon, constantly throws temper tantrums when asked to help with the mag or when someone eats some of his pudding - bought with the food stamps I made him get - and owes me a month and a half of rent, not counting this month. He's also extraordinarily irrational in that fashion particular to grown males who don't read - remind me to tell you about orality vs. literacy, as it's a pretty interesting concept and he's a perfect example of an individual whose mind operates almost entirely in pictures and audio. I actually made a recording of him one day, when he had just moved in to crash in our den as he didn't have a place, when he was accusing us of stealing his cigarettes and hacking his computer, all the while claiming that he wasn't accusing anyone of anything and then going right back to accusing us. It was the most ridiculous thing I've ever seen. He stays in his room about 22 hours a day on average doing his little webcam show that seems to have an average audience of six or seven. Plus he's just stupid. Andy seems to be working hard but he's still emotionally stunted and otherwise incapable of being a man; he was crying again today, which irritates the fuck out of me and shows that I was wrong to think that I could help turn him into something he's not. I've spent literally $2,000 on him over the past few month, probably more as half of my cigarettes and liquor go to him, as does half of whatever friends bring over (as you noticed); he's not going to be able to make enough money to pay rent for that room, much less pay me back the small portion that I've asked him too, as I don't think that other restaurant is going to open up any time soon. He was waiting on some job that never materialized for a month and a half when he first moved in, so he clearly gets jerked around a lot or doesn't know the difference between a sure thing and a slim possibility. He'll also continue blowing his money on drugs, which are way too easy to get on this block. He also doesn't have the ability to sense if someone is irritated by him or is disinterested in his constant stories, particularly when he's drunk. At any rate, his parents live 15 minutes away, and it might be best if he stayed with them until he can get his mind straight and save up enough money to start again. Scott can go stay with whatever girl he was originally staying with or whatever.
Straub just now asked for the check back that he was going to sign over to me; he's going to buy more crack with Rebecca, apparently, and then give me the remainder of the $180. There's no way he's going to be able to pay for even half the room he's sharing with Scott, much less give me any of the money he owes me so that I can pay for his back rent.
I'm just going to ditch all my broken furniture at the end of the month, I think, and take my laptop and clothes and books and find something else temporary until I get some checks in and can afford to get my own place next month; Melvin's grandmother is apparently renting cheap rooms at her house in Crown Heights. I just don't see how this apartment can be viable any longer with what's owed in back rent, and I'd like to be able to work in an environment that doesn't involve constant distractions from crying males. I'll probably tell them next week when I'm sure. Anyway, you were right about me needing to get away from this nonsense.
Anyway, keep this to yourself, as I need to think about the available options before I make that sort of decision. Andy will certainly be reliable for any gigs you can give him, as he's a different person when he's actually working and otherwise being an adult; I just can't take care of him anymore. Also, don't indicate to him my feelings about him at all, por favor.
The good news is that I got another article green-lighted by Vanity Fair on Friday, which is an easy $300. Even better, I've been asked to give a lecture on Tuesday to a class at Rutgers regarding evolutionary psychology, religion, the intelligent design movement, and related topics, and they're even paying me $150. I'll record the talk and use it for something else, too; perhaps as a sample so that I can get other, similar gigs.
