I own a large compound that includes several buildings surrounded by high walls. The main structure has three floors which houses the bed rooms and living areas. Multiple wives and children live here with me. Unlike the famous compound in the news (bin Laden's demise is recent), mine is replete with internet and phone service. We have a satellite dish. Our refuse is burned only because we live in a remote area with no trash collection service. Our neighbors are rattle snakes, coyotes and a few black ops helicopters.
My life is open to anyone with a computer. Or just ask me. I have credit cards and email addresses. There is really nowhere for me to hide, unless I hike into the desert and encounter a UFO abduction. I think a UFO is preferable to Navy Seals coming after me.
I don't need large numbers of virgins at my call when I die, because that would mean dying violently and for a Cause. As it is, I'm not doing very well with the women already in my life. I don't think I have delusions of being the Messiah or Mohamed but it would be nice to have several sources of good income. If I'm lucky I may never live to see commandos breaking down my door to kill me and politicians telling stories about my cowardly death. I'm not sure I have the courage to be so evil that armed forces worldwide are ordered to hunt me down and massacre me.
Well, the truth is, I have been telling lies. Previous paragraphs are a fabrication. No such grandiose compound exists in my possession. But it is nice to daydream about such things. Our living quarters consists of a 1,650 square foot townhouse. We have three bedrooms, a kitchen and two bathrooms. Since the economy tanked there have been five humans, a cockatiel and a cat living here. The carpets are dingy and the walls need cleaning. It smells like dogs live here because we have three dogs. There's not much room for any of us. No privacy.
I'm the only one in the household with a consistent income, if you can call $10.50 an hour an income. My wife was laid off two years ago with no prospective employers anywhere. She discovered a way to collect unemployment and go to school. So with a Pell Grant in the bank and a script under her arm she went to film school. Since graduation she's trying to make “a go” of a production company. She works long hours and produces little money. So goes the demanding hobby that I hope someday will pay.
James, my youngest son, studies Japanese in his bedroom. He's been considering getting a job to buy Japanese books. The more he considers working the more a possible job gets in the way of his grand scheme. It has been suggested that James apply for scholarships to study in Japan. That kind of study is too slow and boring for him. James wants to earn a living translating Japanese computer games into English. Living in Japan amongst the members of a Japanese family better suits him. Learn the culture and live the language. Good idea.
My daughter went to film school with her mother. Jewel has expensive sticks and an HD digital camera. Her lifestyle is far beneath the one she intends to live. For Jewel there is a “disconnect” between what is and what will be, at least for now. She wants to shoot movies and doesn't like the commercials and documentaries her mother's production company is making for a pittance. Jewel is impatient.
Jacob wants to be an cosmologist. My oldest boy has struggled to make enough money for school, food and a car. Since his Jeta broke down his address is once again mine. Because he has no funds for car repairs he drives one the family cars. We have a van and a jeep. Both guzzle gas and bleed Jacob’s checking account. The aforementioned kitten living with us is his. She spends most of her life living in his room, too afraid to venture out amongst the big dogs. Occasionally the door is left ajar. The dogs bolt for the bedroom in unison, competing for the chance to “play” with the cat.
I'm not sure there is a point to any of the above, except that it felt good saying it. There are a few more points to make that would finish this missive and sum up the situation.
My wife has managed to find a part time job since her unemployment benefits ran out (she's a 99er). If we are lucky it may replace the unemployment insurance she no longer receives. This will give her fledgling production company a little more time to prosper.
With an Associates Degree under his belt, Jacob will be heading off to Tucson and the University of Arizona this September. It's all about making enough money in the summer to pay for the transition.
Then there is Judy. The oldest daughter (about 17 years senior to the rest of them) lives next door in the townhouse owned by my brother-in-law. She too has been unemployed and collecting a government check, until she answered a question an odd way on her weekly claims submittal. This sent her benefits into limbo for three months. Finally, after hearings, denials of resumption of benefits and appeals, she has her unemployment pay restored. Judy has had man trouble, woman trouble, government trouble, health trouble, etc., etc. She is generous to a fault and by pooling our resources with hers we barely make ends meet. The ends do meet.
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