Chapter 1: 01 - 10 - 11

01 - 10 - 11

“Oh, you don’t know the shape I’m in”

Packed up from Doheny State Beach and drove to Orange to “Just-In-Time” Overnight delivery and brought my DMV print out. I’d applied before Christmas and ha gotten an email back on January 3rd asking for a resume. I sent it saying I could be available to interview as early as that Friday (the 7th) or anytime the next week at his convenience and that I’d  bring the Printout at that time.
Not getting a replay, I decided to go in Monday to give the Printout with hopes that he might interview me while I was there. He did - sort of.
He had no recollection of having asked for my resume. He had e fill out another application and then he and another person grilled me. “ Any DUI’s”? “What are the points on your record for?!”
I don’t believe I have any points on my record currently” I replied . “See, the last dates have “’ero’ and ‘clear’. The earlier points were from 2000  and came off in 2006. I believe they were parking tickets.”
 It went on in a dismissive inquisitional tone. He asked about why I’d been out of work for so long. I perhaps responded poorly for an interview but I was so taken back by the question. You have no idea how difficult it is to find a job out there these days. This is the worst economy since the great depression! I’ve applied for dishwasher positions and had the same question asked.  And HR  people don’t get it at all. They still operate under the belief that ther must be some character flaw if you can’t find work within g three months!” Like I said, perhaps not the best response in an interview situation.. But, JESUS, where have these people been living for the last 5 years? The  last 3 years with daily reportage about the unemployment situation! I honestly believe that they don’t make the connection  between the unemployed (bad, lazy people) and record high unemployment  levels (just a number, like “11% unemployment”)
Anyway, they said,  “We’ll look over your application and see if we have anything  part time for you. We’ll call you in a couple of days if we do.” “For maybe a part time position?” The  Job listing was a full time position. And I’d have taken it too!
My hopes dimmed.  I hoped for a call over the next few days But the call never came. I called later. Position filled.
I had experience in the field. But I’m sure many others did too. There are a lot of bodies out there for every position listed. It’s a crapshoot as to who get’s it. But the odds favor the younger, out of work short applicants.

I left there that day thinking I  was going to be camping at Huntington  Beach that night (or Bolsa Chica) but it turned out that the information I’d received was ill-informed.  I checked out every possible campsite all the way down till I was almost back at Doheny -Newport Dunes, Crystal Cove…Camping was either for Rv’s only or just too expensive for my budget. I headed back towards campgrounds in the south, trying to avoid going back as far as Doheny. It was a great place, but I was already trying to economize. O’Neill Park had been a first choice, but it was closed due to muddy conditions (Still is, as of Feb 16th, 2011) after two other locations didn’t pan out I called a place just before Doheny, but inland and cheaper called Casper’s Wilderness. The price wold save me $15 for the night and it was close by.
Great luck. They were open and the price was even lower than Doheny. I drove up Ortega Highway and finally arrived then found out “You can’t have a dog here. Didn’t they tell you?”
“No. they Didn’t”
“How many nights were you planning to stay”
“A couple”
“I’ll give you one”
“Ok”
The ranger was a nice guy - gave me a discount on the price, so a $25.00 fee became a $15.00 stay for the night. The “Nice guy” discount. I think I got the discount because HE was “the nice guy”.
Turns out a wilderness park is focused on protecting indigenous animals natural habitat. And letting dogs there reduces the space the “locals” will feel safe in. Also, if my dog  defecates there, the processed food she eats will chase away a variety of animals who will smell it and notice a foreign odor and never return.
So I kept Mischa on a lease and in the tent. The tree we pitched out tent beneath was occupied by a very loud bird. Crow possibly, but I think maybe a magpie. Quite freaked out by our proximity.

But the thing that freaked me out and woke me from a dead sleep…was silence. No crickets, birds, frogs. Not even cars along the highway behind us (which could be quite loud - lots of bikers and muscle cars and trucks in need of tune ups passed by on a regular schedule it seemed.) but this was total absolute silence. I instinctively though a relatively large predator might be near. Bobcat, Mountain Lion, Cougar all three of them - what ever name you want to call it. It could be stalking my doggie…or ME!
But then the normal sounds started to breath again…and so did I.
Though each time that repeated during the night…I was  wide awake.
I imagined mountain lions or coyote packs coming after us! But eventually my hyper-vigilance waned and the only thing that disturbed my sleep were the trucks or motorcycles that roared by on the nearby highway.