day 25 was the most miserable yet i think. normally temperatures in this area are in the 80's during summer. yesterday it was 93 and 93 here feels like 103 to a flatlander. i sat 99% of the day with a cold wet washrag on my head. it was too hot to think, let alone write. to top it off, it was overcast, 40% chance of rain, which never produced a single drop, and the whole valley here was heavy with smoke from the fires in redding and sacramento. we were prepared for spot fires up here, started by lightening strikes, but those never happened. by 9 a.m. it was 85 degrees, today at 9 it's still only 66 so i'm taking advantage of the cool to write.

day 26

you'd think that with my present situation of having a place to park every day, and being able to shower etc, that i wouldn't be quite so lonely. but for a single guy, homeless, living in his car, it is quite lonely. i almost envy homeless families, since they have each other if not a home too. the hardest part is not having a lot of people to talk to, and oh my god, if i didn't have my laptop and internet access, i'd be a basket case by now. the internet has allowed me to not only share my story, but connect with good friends i have made over the years, but also make some amazing new ones since this particular part of my life has begun. once you lose the ability to connect with others, even if it is online, you lose the most important function you can have in life. the ability to relate to others, the ability to impress and effect the lives of others is one of our most valued and necessary functions in life. i often wonder if, when you see a homeless person sitting on a bench or the sidewalk, talking to himself, if he/she isn't just going through the motions of what used to be their ability to connect with others. i think i'd rather die than to ever get that bad.

i think i have narrowed down my car problem to being a bad heater core going out on me. if that is all it is, that's a quick and easy fix for someone with 2 hands. with me though, it will take hiring someone to bypass the core with a connector and 2 hose clamps. it should only take about 10 minutes to do. if that's all it is, i'm good to go.

one thing to watch out for in a homeless person is mental fatigue. when they start to fall apart mentally and give up hope. that is a definite killer for those without a home. this is why the government needs to fully address the homeless problem and do it now. those who are homeless due to the mortgage crisis are the most vulnerable to have mental fatigue from trying to cope. these same people are also the ones who still try to maintain a job or at least look for one, and still have value to contribute to the workforce.

it's 81 degrees now, time to go sit in some shade.
peace out.