Mother in town.

Yes, she's in town. And as far as I know she doesn't know I'm writing about her, although I wouldn't put it past her to read this for months on end and never even let on that she did.

First to the Palms -- the amazing Trading Post three blocks from here I never go to 'cause I don't have money for the things they sell. (Neither does she, but then, she goes there *maybe* once a year, for me it's simply where I turn to get home every day.) She bought eight fetishes (you hush), and five of them wound up being by the same artist -- Patsy Natewa, I believe, from Zuni. What can I say? When someone's art speaks to you, it speaks to you, and Ms. Natewa is working in exquisitely good form. Seven of the eight were from Zuni. One was Dineh.

Then to Southwest Acupuncture College where she buys me a book -- "Grasping the Wind: An Exploration into the Meaning of Chinese Acupuncture Point Names" by Andew Ellis, Nigel Wiseman, and Ken Boss. Wiseman and Boss' "Glossary of Chinese Medical Terms and Acupuncture Points" is more responsible than any other single book I have for whatever understanding I possess of Traditional Chinese Medicine. I guess I've got just enough Linguistics coursework in me or something that it makes *perfect* sense presented that way. I think it's safe to say that anything from Paradigm Publications is very much worth reading. I'm going to enjoy this very thoroughly.

Then I took her to the meeting, which was fun for me, but poor her, I think she was just bored stiff through most of it, especially since we had a business meeting afterward. But heck, she gets to meet my freinds without being in a smoke-filled room in the bad part of town that way. She even brought brownies.

Then she took me out to dinner at Amerasia, Albuquerque's only Dim Sum restaurant. I've wanted to try it for years. Tonight I finally did -- it's not San Francisco's Golden Dragon by a long shot, but it's very, very good, and very reasonably priced, besides.

Dropped her off at the hotel and went to Foxes.

From the sublime to the ridiculous.

First two hours of my shift one guy, who wasn't causing problems otherwise, refused to get out of the stall in the men's room. Meanwhile his freind who had his keys drove his Lincoln all over, coming in and going out four times while he stood in the stall, angry at him for taking his keys. Meanwhile a third freind and I conspired behind his first freind's back to ensure that his car didn't get stolen. Then his freind with the keys did -- I don't know -- something with a complete stranger in the car. I filled up three trick slips with notes in code just in case anything happened that needed to go in the logbook, but nothing did. Finally I called a saferide for the guy in the stall without telling the freind with the keys and cancelled it five minutes later when they all walked out and drove away.

Elliot, I've got my eye on you and anyone you're with or ever talk to, from here on out. You can ask Anthony where that'll get you if whatever happened tonight wasn't just random stupidity, which I grant you it may well be.

Yeesh.

Then Albert told me somebody needed to go, indicating a fat drunkard who was annoying some lesbians at the pool table. After he's cried wolf so many times for people looking at his boyfreind I'm a little leery to approach the guy but do anyway because sometimes he does see things that need attention when I don't. Good thing he saw this guy behaving like an idiot. I told him he needed to go and he was slow but left without a fuss. I found a bottle in his jacket, slipped it out, held it up for god and everyone to see, and walked over to the door with it, just like leading a donkey. Gave it to him outside the front door and told him he couldn't come back ever again. Ten minutes later he's slumped over his bicycle in the parking lot. I go out with the flashlight and it's freezing cold -- Albert says I should knock him upside the head with it but I just shine the light on his lock, four tries later he gets the combination right and weaves on down the sidewalk, out of sight.

Someone I apparently slept with in drinking days gave me his card. He works for -- well -- I shouldn't say. But apparently the universe is trying to tell me something yet again.

I'm sorry to everyone who emailed me today that I haven't answered one of your notes. I'm not trying to be rude, it just seems to happen. Heh. I'm also shining up the bedroom floor (which takes forever because suddenly it's bitterly cold) and trying to stay on top of a handyman day job offer which might start in a couple of weeks if all works out. I'm going in to Hartman to organize their inventory again on Tuesday. I still also need to get the hospital application finished up and do my taxes. Tomorrow I finish finishing the bedroom floor and bring in furniture and tend the door at Martinique's Farewell, which is likely to be the busiest night I've ever seen.

I am insanely busy.