KIND OF VICTORIOUS, CAR-WISE

At the coffee shop again with my two small comrades, one of whom got four shots this morning and is feeling under the weather, i.e. cranky, clingy, and needy, which makes dragging her around running errands all the more draining for both of us. But I have to say she was very brave this morning--she barely complained about the four needles that stuck her in the arm--and she has overall been a trouper, helping me out with Malko and yelling to me when she hears my phone.

Today I sold the Volvo, and I am so FRUITCAKING HAPPY! What a relief! We are vehicle-free, and--oh boy--we got NO MONEY for either of the cars! Hmm...maybe not so good. But both buyers are supposed to make payments, so it should be ok. We hope. I have to say I'm kind of glad I had to deal with the cars--even though they were a hassle, I proved to myself that I was perfectly capable of selling them. The mystery of those forms and smogging-or-not-smogging has fizzled, and I can officially say I'm an old hat at selling cars! Or something like that.

I talked to Joedy this morning and he was back in Montezuma, having left Claude's place yesterday. He's seen a few more houses, I think, and will tomorrow too. He was in much better spirits today--less worried--and that made me feel less worried too. On the whole things seem more positive today, probably because the cars are off our hands and there are only a few pre-departure tasks left. Last night I had dinner with some good friends--Nadine, Selena, Nicole, Linda, Adam, and Dana--and it was so much fun. We had a couple drinks before eating and it was great just hanging out together. We were at Carlito's, where Joedy and I had our wedding dinner, and that made it extra-special. I'm lucky to have such good friends, and I'm really going to miss them...

Malko just woke up and it's time to drop the VW bus off at the shop, where Tim, its rightful owner, will pick it up to drive it back to Utah. Goodbye, bus!

Tonight we'll have pizza at the Rose Garden with a few of Lula's friends, and then tomorrow it's off to LA to spend the night at a motel near the airport. Then, Friday morning, we'll be off into the wild blue Costa Rican yonder.