7:00 a.m. I woke up at my girlfriend’s house. She’s been sick with RSV, but I still don’t really feel sick besides being a little bit tired.
8:45 a.m. I drove out to LA fitness in Saugus. When I arrive my friend Neff is there. Neff grabbed the last court. I explain that I might be contagious with RSV, and Neff doesn’t seem to care. While Neff and I are talking our friends Mike and Dennis show up. I explain that RSV thing to them, and they prefer that I don’t play so they don’t get sick. I hang out at LA fitness while my friends play handball. I have a lunch date with my mom at 11:30.
10:45 a.m. I say goodbye to my friends on the handball court. I drove to the Weather Vane in Hamilton to get the famous Reuben sandwich. This is a rain check birthday gift for my mother. When I pull up to the restaurant I see my mother’s car. I walk up to my mother’s car and she rolls down her window. I explained to her that I might be contagious with RSV. We agree to keep our distance while we dine. Both my mother and I get Reuben sandwiches. It’s a really good meal and it’s always good to spend time with my mother.
12:30 p.m. I drive to DEI outdoor sports in Reading Mass. I might have been to the store once before, but I did not understand their return policy. This is ideal for when I buy gear for myself cuz I’ll just return it before the year is up. I look around the store, and I stop in the boot section and ask the clerk if they have the boots that Nick wanted. The Clerk tells me that they do not have any more of those boots. I look through the sale items and I’m able to find a pair of boots under $100 that would fit him. I bought the boots for my friend. I spent a little bit more time exploring the store and I get signed up for an REI membership.
2:00 p.m. I drove to my girlfriend’s house and picked her up for her surprise birthday present. My girlfriend loves crystals. I drove my girlfriend to the Harvard mineral museum. When we walk into the large room full of all kinds of different crystals and minerals and gemstones, she is in heaven. At this point I’m beginning to feel drained and I have a headache. I think I might have contracted the RSV.
5:00 p.m. I did not save the location where I parked the car. I got lost trying to find the vehicle. My girlfriend’s talking to me and she gets frustrated that I’m not listening and then I get frustrated, because I’m really trying to focus on figuring out where I parked the car. We head out in the direction of the first place I think I parked, I realize we’re going in the wrong direction. I look at the maps again and then I’m able to figure out where I parked the car. I remembered a landmark close by. I’m feeling drained, I have a headache. Once we get back to the car I feel relieved, my girlfriend and I drive back to her place and rest for the rest of the evening.
HINDSIGHT: 10/30/2025
I remember this day. A learning point for me was the amount of frustration I felt when I couldn’t find the car after my girlfriend and I visited the Harvard mineral museum. I wasn’t feeling well, and I couldn’t remember the parking lot where I parked the car for the life of me. It didn’t help that Harvard was like a maze. My girlfriend was talking to me while I was focused on finding the car. She got very upset and was being nasty to me because I wasn’t listening to her. Often times I was able to diffuse these situations. She always accused me of using her… It was times like these, like right after I took her to the motherload of gems for her birthday, and she was mean and nasty to me right afterwards, that caused me to keep distance from her. I’d think how could I ever commit to such an inconsiderate and abusive person. We all use people in some way. What I practice to do now is make sure my close friendships and romantic relationship are built off of love and respect. If I wasn’t homeless during this year I think I would have left my girlfriend. It was a toxic connection, but she provided me companionship, sexual gratification, and a place to stay out of the cold. I also liked her son. He was a good kid.