2002-04-13 - 7:33 p.m.

The location is in this beautiful part of town, just a few blocks from La's work, and down the block from a fantastic coffee shop, a book store, a wine/beer store, and a huge market that even sell sushi!! Its my dream come true. The apartment has a balcony, a pool -- and the best part is that La liked the building too and she wants to live there.

If she and Jim wanted to move into the same building as me, and it all worked out that we lived in the same building, I think I would die of happiness -- because that was my dream when I came out here. That we would all live in the same building, so we'd have our own separate lives, but I'd still be close enough to knock on La's door when I was having a personal emergency and needed her pronto -- or so that on Saturday afternoons we could lolligag by the pool together without alot of planning/driving/coordination.

So cross your fingers for us!!

I got a letter in the mail from Albert today. Not a letter really -- it was just a card, with a picture of me that he took the night we were shrooming together! that's all! no writing or hello at all. That is TRES ALBERT. I died laughing when I got the card, its just so him to do something like that.

I miss Albert. He really is such a unique person, and I'll never meet anyone else like him. I wish he would come visit me! Getting that card from him totally made my day.

I think I'm going to get a polaroid camera and drive around taking pictures of really cool things here, like the view from the Yamishoro restaurant, and the outside of my new apartment building, and some bouganvilleas ( ohmygod the bouganvilleas here are crazy! they're everywhere! when I first moved here I thought they were too bright -- but now they're my favorite flower) and a picture of me -- and then i'll send it to him in a card, with no words. I gotta get on that this week!

Meanwhile, the most hilarious thing happened to me at work -- My boss (who is black) said something to me I don't think I'll ever hear again as long as I live, and I know I'll never forget. We were standing around after work talking about a community fair in South Central in a couple of weeks on a Saturday and I told her I would be there, even though its my day off and I wouldn't get paid or anything, I just thought it would be neat to see the kinds of events our organization puts on and to be there to see the kids eating hotdogs and stuff. Another person I work with will be there, and I'm sure he could use the company.

And she said: "Dreamself, are you serious? You're going to drive down to South Central on your day off to hang out in the park?"

And I said "Sure, I think it would be fun."

And she said "Dreamself, you're not like a white girl at all. I believe you're 'incognegro.' " And then she broke up laughing.

INCOGNEGRO !

Hahahahahahahahahaha. What a word!! Just the word itself cracks me up, and then add to that the fact that it was my very poised boss using that term, and then add on top of that that someone would use it to describe me -- ME -- who is so white and has no rythym and dresses so goth and is Canadian even !!

I've told this story to some friends, who also die laughing, and others who have reacted as if this were some kind of a racist joke on me by my boss -- but it was nothing like that. It was really just the most lighthearted statement, and one that I treasure because it shows that I'm really accepted by my boss enough that she would joke with me -- I thought it was charming.

Ahh another saturday has come and gone in California. I started this day by walking down to the Mexican market on the corner and buying myself a coca cola in a bottle and a mango for break fast -- and then La and I went driving listeing to Janis Joplin in the car, and in the late afternoon I watched the sun go down over Santa Monica from the windows in my apartment. Its been a very california day, and I like that.