The cockroaches have got me down. Cockroaches have taken up residence, the major tenants of my kitchen.
They find the cat food, the cat stops eating. I move the cat food, they begin exploring the hall and now my bedroom.
Eek! Go away! Don't come back and I don't care where you play!
It isn't just me. I was warned they live in the building. I have seen them elsewhere. The building regularly gets sprayed.
But still, something needs to be done. Boric acid, I read on the internet, deals with roaches and termites, another problem I might still have.
Could be toxic to pets and humans, warns one site. Definitely is not, cites personal testimonies at another.
Work today has me nearly at the frustration level a week and a half off had erased.
Happy? Not today.
I drive towards home, looking for the nearest home supply store. (Forgetting the nearest one to me is a mere few blocks away. Still getting used to the neighborhood.)
The car is acting funny. Inconsistent.
Up Hollywood, down Sunset, there's a Home Depot! I knew it was here someplace.
In the store I find a product. It is a foaming spray barrier to cover intended area.
DO NOT USE IN HOUSEHOLDS WITH PETS! DO NOT USE IN AREAS NEAR FOOD OR FOOD PREP AREAS!
Great! I pass, for I had thought (for some odd reason) it would be in powder form, that I could pour it down the sink drain and see how that went. Contained, location specific, not accessible for pet eating or licking.
I get back in the car, heading towards the favorite coffee place in Silverlake. A reward for trying, something fun to look towards. From just past the 101 to Sunset and Hyperion, a couple of miles, tops?
No such luck. I get to Von's at Virgil, mere blocks from my destination. Sulfur smell, white smoke, ragged engine running.
I pull over.
I make some calls.
I sit and wait.
I make some decisions about how to proceed.
I barely manage to get home, the engine completely unpredictable.
Positive, I had vowed, wasn't that what I said was the purpose of these poems?
Positive, yes, seeking beauty, or appreciation in my days. Not just the negative. Not just the bad.
I am thankful I have a car, fully paid, and am sure this can be resolved, easily, in the hands of a qualified mechanic.
Yeah, it will get dealt with, but not tonight.
I am grateful I live one busline away from work, and know I can get to work tomorrow, by myself, regardless of car behavior.
New magazine, new catalog, I go on up to warm couch, cuddly lap cat, and 2 CSI episodes with commentary to dream drool over printed images.
I stop, and CSI in the present, re-run, but one I haven't seen before. Joy! Happy and warm.
Alarm set for 4:30 am, tired, the car is a tomorrow thing.
