beulahbondo's Diaryland Diary ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Granny days According to Peth, we are all grannying up for the winter with our knitting and our pies and our blankets. I know I am. I write to you this morning wrapped in a blanket, in my glasses and slippies. I wish there was a pie in the picture, but there isn't. Maybe I'll heat up a fish stick. So to bring you up to date on the A&B case of the neighbor: the case was resolved with 18 months' probation. I didn't have to testify, but I did have a hallway conference with someone from the DA's office that seemed to have something to do with the outcome, as the vicitm - the battering neighbor's girlfriend - had crossed over to the defendant's side and would not testify that he hit her. Literally, she had crossed over. The 14th floor of the courthouse has two places to go when you get off the elevator: victims and witnesses, and defendants. These two areas are separated by the central elevator area. When I left my hallway bench to go get a coffee, I saw the neighbors on their own bench on the defendant side. Other than that, I had no contact with them. He did not get to face his accuser. Well, he does face his accuser, every night in bed I suppose, but not this one. It was all strange and dreary and alienating. The court personnel seem to be all gum-chewing, pantsuit-wearing 25-year-old women named Carrie who strut around with piles of beat-up folders. Most of them wore black boots with interesting heels. They talk so fast that "superior court" sounds like "spearcourt." The courthouse cafeteria is called "The Corporate Cafe." Huh? So now it's resolved, I guess. I still feel strange and awkward living above them. Plus I'd really like to get a one-week membership to the swanky gym where she works, and she has in the past offered me such freebie, but now I feel weird asking her for it. Bah. Onward. The other night I went out with Bubbles for long drinks and catching up, and when I got home, chilled to the patellas from the walk, the phone rang and it was the winsome and giddy Pinky and Teasel, who are home from college and wanted to come over and visit. Now you know I love those girls, but I just couldn't switch gears to accommodate 18-year-old visitors, plus I was literally getting into my pajamas. But Teasel surprised me last night by showing up at some student video screenings and that was great. I needed company, especially smart and discerning company, to sit through 2 hours of first-person video narrative. Now the laundry must be fetched. First I had to put it off for 24 hours because my laundry soap was frozen solid. When it finally reached slush consistency I did the laundry - now it's been sitting in the laundry room because I just can't face walking through the frozen parking lot and down into the basement. Blah, blah. How I do run on. 11:35 a.m. - 2004-01-15 ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- |
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