September Diary3

  I had a lot of chores to catch up on now that labor day is over and stores are open again. I awoke early in the middle of the night and started to think about the long hiking trail down by the local park. It was so long and torturous like life. If I could make it to the end of the hour-long walk then I would have the satisfaction of at least finishing something in my life. 

         I went home and watched some more of Sex and the City and started to feel sassy. Plans formed in my head of going somewhere fun and fabulous where I could order a cosmopolitan like in the show. I had two choices: West Hollywood or Santa Barbara. In the end I chose Santa Barbara due to the cool beach climate and its relative walkability. 

         One of my first chores to do was pay my rent. It is a three step process. 

Part one: go to the mail and get the check stub. 

Part two: go to the bank and withdraw the cash for the check stub.

Part Three: go to the post office and buy a money order with the cash and mail it with the check stub. After all that nonsense. I went to my favorite bus stop by the goodwill to wait for the trolley to take me to the shopping center where Michaels and Target were.

     On the trolley, I arrived at the shopping center with a lot of ambition, but little energy. I had made a list on my phone of all the places and things I would need to go and buy. 

#1. Buy pear juice, soda and stuff to bake a birthday cake for Artemis at the grocery store.  

#2. Get my monthly and seasonal section of paint brush pens at Michaels.

         I went to Michaels first and got all the pens I needed. I wanted pens to illustrate my monthly diary. I tried to keep it updated. It's become a monthly tradition that helps set a visual tone for my month. I wanted royal blue and burgundy with brown and tan accents. I also decided on a hunter green pen because of camping season. The only disappointment was the burgundy pen was worn out and faded in its color. All the other pigments in the pens were much darker and deeper in tone than I expected. The brown looked almost black. 

         I spent too much time at Micheals. I was almost late for the trolley to take me back home. I had just enough time to drop into Walmart and pick up a case of Pepsi. I had plans for when I got back home. I wanted to catch up on some digital art. There were going to be studies and samples of colors, fashion and illustrations for my diary. All that was gonna have to wait. 

         I waited for my uber at the train station. While on my way to Santa Barbara in the backseat it seemed it took forever to get far away from Camarillo. I wanted to be dropped off in the same library I found love nine years before when I was a young and naive student at SBCC. The library was not the same. It was renovated and the computers where I first saw Sean Wilcox sitting were gone. It felt strange and unfriendly to me.

         I wandered aimlessly looking for something familiar. In my confusion I stumbled into a store selling coffee and sweets from the Middle east. I indulged myself with almond nougat and rose flavored Turkish delight.

         The next place I discovered was a Halloween store. I saw this as an opportunity to discover the new self I would unveil in West Hollywood on Halloween night. I looked for devil horns and came out with a whip and a kinky rhinestone hat to go with my new dominatrix personae.

         Feeling bold and daring, I went into a sex shop for the first time. The dildos looked promising, but I could not figure out the right size for me. The most intriguing thing was the arcade. It was tempting but I had no cash and did not want to be traced back with a card. The place was dead anyways so I left.

         One last adventure was to follow. I went to the aquarium on the pier and had a wonderful experience. It was a petting zoo for mermaids. Tanks of goods to touch awaited me. The fish knew my presence and danced for me with the lobsters. I felt the silky and slimy back of a ray, as well as some sandy sharks. There were also sea urchins and starfish to pet. Upstairs i was greeted by glowing jellyfish and a dancing octopus. I was the only thing I enjoyed on my trip to Santa Barbera.

         Last month was full of strange cravings. I wanted soup and noodles from east and southeast asia. Now all I want is albacore tuna sushi. That is what I ate for dinner in Santa Barbara. I sat on the docks and watched the fish and crab play their games in the rocks below the waves as I dipped the pale pink flesh in the emerald wasabi. Then the sun set and I went on my way.

          I wanted to dance the night away. I did some research and discovered some grim news. Ever since covid. The gay scene in SB has died down to nothing. The only thing left were the cruising parks and they left little to be desired. Full of thugs and bums, it was not the romantic environment people made it out to be.