jozjozjoz.com :: brain barf... yum!

Today is "Joz Helps Others Day" (also "Crazy People Talking to Joz Day")

A rare Saturday "off" from work and this is how I spent it...

First, I woke up and played a game of Zuma:
6/4/05
Total Time: 32:58
Combos: 133
Coins: 17
Gaps: 51
Max Chain: 28
Max Combo: 5
TOTAL SCORE: 131840

I didn't have to clean the house (Thank you, Yoshi!!!) but I needed to go to Costco to purchase a bunch of stuff for my parents, who are in Taiwan. My Mom and Dad have been calling me every other day to add things to my Costco shopping list, in anticipation of my Brother's upcoming trip to Taiwan (where he can bring them everything they want).

My friend from up north (she is trying to move to L.A. and looking for a job and a place to live) arrived earlier this week but I haven't had a chance to see her until today. She somehow agreed to go to Costco with me. She patiently waited as we rolled into the Costco in Burbank and I could fill my empty gas tank (the light was on!) @ $2.24/gallon.

We decided to go and have lunch next and ended up nearby at Olive Garden. We had a great meal and decided to head back to Costco to brave the crowds; giant shopping list in hand. She had thought that she wanted to buy stuff at Costco, but decided she didn't need 50 granola bars or 35 bottles of water at once. Meanwhile, I filled up the cart with $600+ stuff (mostly for my parents, but also some stuff for me).

We headed back to the house (which Yoshi was nice enough to clean and vacuum), put the food that needed refrigeration away, and headed back out to the Target at West Hollywood Gateway. My friend was able to buy what she needed at Target (in quantities decidedly smaller than those at Costco) and I was able to purchase the last few items on my parents' list (things I couldn't find at Costco). Oh and I got one thing my Bro had asked for, too.

We left Target and came back to my place. As my friend sat down in front of the TV, I went into the kitchen to get a Diet Coke for her to drink. All of a sudden I heard a young female voice from the outside saying "Excuse me! Excuse me!" I looked out the back door and saw a young (teenaged) Latina girl crying on the backsteps. She asked if she could use the bathroom. I was hesitant, but she didn't look like she was trying to cause trouble. And she was crying. I let her into the bathroom and I heard the water running, as if she was washing something. When she came out, I saw her still crying. I asked her what was wrong and she said something about being in a car with a friend who thought she was joking and pushing her out of a car. She turned around and pulled down the waistband of her pants where she had a huge, bleeding gash on her lower back. She said she was in a lot of pain and I went to get the first aid kit to try and cleanse the wound and bandage it.

I got the largest band-aid I could find but when I got near her wound to disinfect it, she screamed and begged me not to put anything on the gash except the bandage. So I did. I asked her if I could give her a ride anywhere and she, "Could you? Please?" She said she lived close-by and I asked if there was anyone I could call. She looked panicked and asked if I had called the paramedics. I said I hadn't and she asked that I wouldn't. I said, "OK, let me take you home then."

As we got in the car, I asked her name and how old she was (16, she said) and I asked what happened to her. She said she was with some guy (she didn't know his real name, she just knew that he had some trouble with the law and couldn't get picked up by the cops) and they were in the car together and they started arguing and he wouldn't let her out. So she opened the car door as they were driving and jumped out. I asked if he knew where she lived (she didn't answer that question, so yes) and then I asked if he was going to come back for her. She said she was pretty sure that he wouldn't come back. I told her to stay inside and if he came looking that she should just call 911 and let the cops deal with the guy. He obviously didn't care about her if he was ok with her jumping out of a moving vehicle and didn't slow to see if she was ok. She said she would (I doubt it, but what can you do?) and said thanks as she walked into her apartment building.

I came back home and hung out with my friend for a few more minutes, but after that bizarre incident, I was tired. She said she was ready to head home, so I got her things together for her and told her thanks for going to Costco with me and that I'd talk to her soon.

15 minutes later, she called me back and said, "Can I come back over? I am locked out of my place and I can't get my roommate on the phone." (She is staying at one of my friend's place.) I said, "Sure. Come on over." She got to my place and as soon as she walked in she told me that she HAD gotten in touch with her roommate and that her roommate was in OC and was not coming back until tomorrow. "Can I stay at your place?" she asked. It was at this point I couldn't help her. I offered to call a locksmith for her. She was concerned about the cost (she is currently jobless), but I said I'd cover it. I called a locksmith who quoted a price of $50 and I sent him over there. I wrote a check for $50 and handed it to my friend who said she'd pay me back (which was sooo at the bottom of my list of worries at the moment). And she walked out the door. 30 minutes later, she called me and asked for the locksmith's # because he hadn't shown up yet. I got her the number and I haven't yet heard if she made it indoors. I hope so.

UPDATE @ 8:44pm: My friend just called. She's in and she's fine, but the stupid locksmith took over an hour to get there. I also told her not to worry about the $50. Since I paid for lunch, she's going to take me out for a nice meal after she gets a job.

Anyway, it was also "Crazy People Talking to Joz Day" and I cite two examples of where crazy people (all strangers) started talking to Joz (and I SWEAR I did not do ANYTHING to provoke these incidents):
-Crazy woman in the bathroom at the Olive Garden in Burbank. We had seen her when she walked in... carrying two giants bags (luggage) wearing a light green tank top, a short green skirt and a knee-high black and white stockings, asking to sit at the bar. I was coming out of a stall and walked up to the sink (next to her, where she was applying make-up). She was talking, I assumed to someone else, when I realized I was the only other person in the bathroom. Then I realized she was looking right and me and saying, "...let me tell you that if you are ever in a predicament where you meet a hot guy and go out with him just because he's good-looking... don't! Bad idea! Don't do it! Don't learn the hard way like I did!" I was like, "Ok, thanks for the tip and backed out of the restroom." I noticed she was all bruised on her upper arm. Even though she was crazy, I hope that she wasn't beaten up by above-mentioned "hot guy."

-I was looking at bottled water at the end of an aisle at Target. I may have been making a comment about the price of water to my friend who was standing nearby me when a guy with long hair, sunglasses, and dressed in dark clothing walked between and said, "Don't flatter yourself!" Um. Yeah. Huh?!