Right As Rain

I never could have imagined I’d be on my feet and working out in the Pain Cave this Monday morning. But there I was doing a full body back and bicep routine, 3.2 on the treadmill in-between sets. On little sleep I might add because, after no problem sleeping my life away all of last week, I was so excited about being able to work out again that I tossed, turned, had insomnia last night.

Catching up on what's been happening around the complex, while I was in last week’s self-induced coma … the Monthly Calendar indicates that staff has reopened the office area, clubhouse, game room … but “with restrictions”.

But get this …. Instead of indicating on the calendar what these restrictions are, we’ve been instructed to “call office for more information”.

Won’t be playing that game.

Put the restrictions in print.

I also see there’s to be an activity — “Summer Movies in the Park” management calls it.

On Friday, June 18, on the Grassy Knoll next to my building, the movie “Get Out” is to begin at dusk.

That’s actually a good idea.

Get Out is a really interesting movie. So interesting that I myself have viewed it like a zillion times.

I find it hard to imagine there might be others around here who’ve not seen it but, whether they have or have not, desperate for a community activity, many might bring lawn chairs and show up for the viewing.

Again, though I can’t imagine anyone has not seen Get Out but, just in case you haven’t …… it’s a horror comedy that deals with racism.

Black people are abducted, and what was done to them is sort of like what Psychic Jeanne Dixon described as a Walk in situation  — one consciousness voluntarily walks out of a body, another consciousness walks in. Only, in Get Out, it's not voluntary. Instead, White people — in need of the Black person’s skill or physique,  walks in and takes over the Black body, after the Black person's conscious awareness of himself/herself is forced into a dark place in the background of the body. 

The pitfalls of being Black are not addressed in the movie, but I like to think the joke is on the Whites, seeking Black bodies .... giving up their White Privilege to live life in Black skin.

At any rate, it’s a fascinating movie — not horror bloody gore, except for one medical procedure I always turn away from.

I am not interested in hanging with the folks outside, when I can pop the CD into the laptop and watch Get Out any time I want, but I will head down to see the lawn setup.

Are they going to screen it on the exterior of one of the buildings?

Are they going to set up some kind of viewing screen?

Or is it something stupid, like setting up a TV on the lawn — expecting all those present to be able to see and hear?

I also want to head down, for a hot minute, to take roll call — see who, of the old group, are still around. Having not seen, for over a year, the man chasing Not Dead Nancy, or the married couple (married 35 years) who got into a physical fight with each other, I’ve been wondering what's happened to them.

If residents show up, I might also get an idea of whose been moving in, as there has been indication of two such recent move-ins.

None of the movement was in my quad.

Sue’s upstairs, across the quad, unit is still vacant.

Took the guys a long time to get it ready for a new tenant, because of so much work having to be done because of Sue’s smoking inside — plus, Sue had a dog.

No word yet on whether Bourgeois sealed the deal.

Bourgeois is the woman who complained about how unhappy she was while living here, couldn’t wait to get out, so to speak (LOL) but now wants to return — the only holdup being she’d have to pay $2500 to compensate for all the work it took to clear the place of her having smoked inside the unit she occupied before she was so happy to move out that last time.

Bourgeois is the second person I personally know of as having moved out and wanting to come back. The first being Veronica.

Bourgeois can lease a unit if she forks over the dough management wants, but management refused to lease again to Veronica, who then tried to skirt around management by making arrangements to move in with another resident.

I don’t know the specifics of why management didn’t want Veronica back, but Veronica pulled a fast one on those of us who were friends with her.

She knocked on my door one night asking to borrow $40. I gave it to her no hesitation, no question.

Two or three days later, when I ran into her, she couldn’t look me in the eyes and instead of greeting me said, “I’m gonna get your money back to you”.

$40 wasn’t going to break me and, to tell you the truth, I’d thought nothing more of it until she made that statement which, to me, was an indication the $40 was a gift, not a loan … and I was okay with that. I'd just never "loan" her money again.

After that, I didn’t see Veronica around at all. So I asked The Seer, “Is Veronica okay … I haven’t seen her around?” and was informed Veronica had moved …. to Texas or New Orleans, some place out-of-state I can’t recall.

I had to laugh at being taken-in so smoothly. I laughed even louder when I learned I wasn’t the only one she’d “borrowed” $40 from that night.

Would have been interesting to see how Veronica planned to face us all had she come back, but moving in with another resident never happened. In fact, the resident, who was going to allow Veronica to move in, was herself on management’s short list — for maintaining her unit in deplorable condition (she was a hoarder), and got herself evicted shortly after.

Play it straight, do the right thing — don’t smoke in a no smoking complex, don’t con your friends, and Karma might not have to teach you a lesson.

Oh, and btw. Just in case you missed it.