Saturday, February 21, on the train to Plauderville, which is a station in Garfield. I’m going solo since Mike was called back to his crib to meet his new parole officer. He wasn’t happy about it; he was looking forward to seeing Elaine again, but it’s a new parole officer, and she’s got to flex.

It’s been good having Mike around, and he might come back tonight but I have a feeling he won’t make it.

Bill is still south of the Mason-Dixon line, and he’s due back tomorrow, just in time for a major blizzard that has been forecast.

Lunch with Elaine, Meghan, and Shelby was pleasant. I had the usual diner fare, hamburger deluxe, and a chocolate shake. Then Elaine and I went to the house and sorted through some of Frank’s CDs to sell or donate somewhere. Elaine is overwhelmed by the number of CDs and magazines Frank had accumulated.

Getting to the train station was difficult. Garfield PD sent a text message telling residents to stay indoors. That was not an option as we were outside and planning on getting to the train. The station I bought a ticket for was unreachable, so we went to the next station.

A few minutes later, I boarded the train and was rolling towards Hoboken. As we left Secaucus, the train died. An Eastern European woman complained to the conductor that she had tickets to a show and she might miss it, and wanted money right then and there.

6 or 7 of us in the dead car had a good time laughing at her.

Now it is Monday, February 23, 2026. It’s a snow day. About 18 inches fell overnight. I was told via text that the fruit stands would be closed today, which was good to know. The commute tomorrow promises to be a mess.

Bill made it home safe and sound, which was nice. He came home yesterday and was soon in Manhattan for a class that he signed up for a few weeks ago. It was scheduled before the snowstorm, and since it had only started snowing at that time the class was to begin. It may have been a waste of time, but in for a penny, in for a pound.

It was hoped Mike could have come back yesterday, but he was held back once again by his new parole officer. It’s their game, and he has to play by their rules. It’s been touch and go with communication, phone, and text. I haven’t left the apartment since yesterday, when I went outside to help Bill with his luggage and climb the four flights of stairs.

Looking out the window, I see a lot of snow. It’s a different view once you’re on the street, obviously, and I won’t see that until tomorrow. I have this feeling of apprehension for some reason. The Sunday night dread before a school day. But there’s really nothing to dread. It’s a good job at the fruit stand. I think it’s the agency that placed me there that is causing this feeling.

Friday, February 20, 2026. Not a bad day. I took personal time off. Needed a break. Not that the job at the fruit stand is stressful, it isn’t. The staffing agency that placed me there stresses me out though. I’m trying to figure out the sleep system. I’ve been doing well with sleep but I do wake up needing more sleep. So perhaps bedtime should be earlier. That seems to be the way to go. Not sure if I would apply the earlier bedtime tonight. Probably Sunday night.

Mike is here, Bill still south of the Mason Dixon line. It’s been a personal day off yet it was not pleasant outside, not at all. There was a plan to go to the big supermarket with Mike but he opted to stay in and I went out into the rain. It looked bearable looking out the window but when I descended the stairs I looked out the door and noticed that I would need an umbrella. That meant climbing four flights that I just descended. It did not make me happy.

And the umbrella did not do much against the rain. It was raining sideways. And my footwear, nice as it seemed in the apartment, was woefully inadequate. I did not want to climb up the four flights once more so I opted for damp feet to match the damp everywhere outside. I walked, did my usual Saturday errands on Friday. The supermarket was not crowded and I couldn’t tell if it was from the day and time of the week or the weather.

The big supermarket usually floods when it rains. Not so much inside the store but the streets surrounding it turn into canals. It wasn’t so bad though there were spots on the sidewalks and street corners that needed to be negotiated, meaning walking out of the way of this little ponds. It didn’t matter though, as my feet were wet, my socks were wet and the sneakers were wet. I soon made it home, MIke took the bags from me as I set about taking out my wet clothes.

And with a slap of the hand, Mike and I made a tag team as he went to the closer grocery store. He had things that he needed to get and a walk of one block was more amenable for Mike than walking the distance that I did to get to the big supermarket. He came back with plenty of goods and food.

We sat around watching TV, or rather I watched TV, MIke watched his phone. We also shot some video and took photos, for myself. I trust Mike’s direction with the camera and the collaboration works. Occasionally some bumping heads but that’s all part of the process. I tried to find something worthwhile to watch tonight and he wanted to watch something that I’d never seen before. I watched Bugonia twice, once alone and once with Bill and was hoping for a three-peat.

We are watching the Lion King which I had never seen before.