1958 3 of 3
SATURDAY, NOVEMBER 1. Up the next bright morning at 12:10 and start in on stamps, not dressing till 3 and not eating breakfast for my starved body until 3:30. Back to stamps and house repairs and drink making and getting refused by Stan, all of which mysteriously takes until 7 pm, when I catch up on writing this. Then Bill calls and I suggest subwaying and we go out at 8 and ride and ride, getting great attention with our tights until 11, and then back to here at 11:30 and mess about just a bit and get to sleep about 1.
SUNDAY, NOVEMBER 2. Get up at 8 and mess around and talk and come multitudinously and get soft even, through constant tension. We get up at 2 and finally eat breakfast of omelet and cereal at 3 and then I go out to get paper and look at movies on 42nd Street and then I'm back up to read paper and debate what to do, and finally get out EB and start reading and cataloguing. Very tired (wondrously) and get to bed at 1:30.
MONDAY, NOVEMBER 3. Eyes smart at work due to constant straining and I sample lovelies at SHARE and get started on assignment. Back to mope around and look at messy apartment and dress up and off to get front row center at "Jamaica," which wasn't bad, but not too good, though I enjoyed it. Back to the Wishbone for an hour, trying cuties and then up 6th to be beguiled into following curly-haired blond down 6th. We walk to his apartment and he turns me down. I mope back home and fall dejectedly into bed at 1:15.
TUESDAY, NOVEMBER 4. Up for taking a bath and gulp down breakfast and get to work in helping Terri and Joan and my own problem, everything going rather nicely. Out of work to eat slightly and go to Army-Navy Store on 3rd to stock up on linen, blanket and underwear. Rush to Cinema 16 and see a Nazi film on Jews, with a horridly sickening part of sacrificial slaying that was most effective in turning stomachs. Bill comes up for some light petting and leaves at 12, and I get to bed at 12:45.
WEDNESDAY, NOVEMBER 5. Up to wash dishes and rush out for breakfast and to another hectic day at work, helping Dick and finding my own bugs in PRACT. Very hectic day and I get home at 5:30 to sit around and mope until 7, when I fix supper, eat and do some things so unimportant that I can't remember what they were, on the evening of the 14th, when I finally get around to catching up on this. I have an idea it was something with Bill, though he left early, since I listened to QXR at 11:30. Probably loafed around simply thinking and went to bed late.
THURSDAY, NOVEMBER 6. During these days I usually leave and return unencumbered, but when I take laundry, I usually take shirts too, like today, and pick up laundry and a ton of groceries at the same time. Get back to fix up place fairly nicely and put everything away and shine shoes and get quite a bit done. Consequently time, on wings of thought, song and story flow past and I got to bed quite late, since today is Friday and the last day of the week.
FRIDAY, NOVEMBER 7. PRACT going rather well and I'm helping Joan and Harriett too, so work is great. Bill invites me up for supper and I go, to feed on soup and marvelously heavy date-nut bread baked by his mother and get up feeling completely full. We have a little to do after walking through park and then I subway home. Looking at everyone and shuttle and uptown and downtown. Subways are for sexing. Home and droop about until I drop into bed, quite early, at 1.
SATURDAY, NOVEMBER 8. Up very rested at 10:30, and get set to buy groceries, of which I have none, until I call Sutton and find I can just catch a show of "Gigi" which I do, prolonging the morning by stopping at the 58th Street Library and investigating their sculpture section and swimming section and card catalogue and stamp catalogue and then card shop and thus get home at 3, eat breakfast and sit and dream until Bill calls, and I eat lunch at 7 and we go to the Park East to see Bunny Bates, a camp-like haircut, and then to another little bar, to carry a bottle with us and the Cork Club, which is the spectrum of femininity, then to the Bali and dance a bit, and finish bottle of beer. Back here at 4 and have quite light sex and fall asleep, me deeply, he, so he says, poorly.
SUNDAY, NOVEMBER 9. Morning brings sex and a beautiful day, so we're up to his place for breakfast at 2 and get out onto Riverside Tower at 3:30 and stay until 7:30, while Carillon plays and city glitters and sun sets and the city twinkles. Back for dinner at Bill's and then down to Cork Club, Ce Soir, and to the Mais Oui, where we dance some and stare at sights. Back early at 11 and to bed by 12:15, in separate beds, no less, for comfort.
MONDAY, NOVEMBER 10. Up at 7 and to baths and with Bill subway and ferry to Governor's Island for a uniform I ended up getting at Brooklyn Army Base, alone. Back to work at 2, getting one test ready and then home to get ready for my pupil, talking to Barlow en route and staying three hours at the Mexhet's, trying to get something through "Jacques's" thick skull. Back at 11:30, and I just plain old go to bed, with apartment starting to look crummy.
TUESDAY, NOVEMBER 11. Start working on training problems and machine time so difficult to get means I spend more time just plain talking to Harriet, too. Very restful. Pick up shirts and eat and travel uptown to "Birth of a Nation," D.W. Griffith's KKK eulogy. To Bill's for a snack and a few hours of relaxed communication which is quite pleasant. The be-all and end-all of friendship? Just maybe. Back home at 1:30.
WEDNESDAY, NOVEMBER 12. Up early for bath and combing hair, being almost late for work. Pract almost finished, and I might get a customer before I leave for my six-months. Back to write Larry letter and go up to 86th for one hour and three-quarters, getting through to Jack, I hope, with Trigonometry that I'm teaching (tutoring him) him. Talk with 86th, sick Sylvia, and eat supper just before getting to bed. Seems I never get quite enough sleep, since I'm dazed upon getting up in AM, feel like sleeping 3-4 more hours.
THURSDAY, NOVEMBER 13. To work helping Harriet on her program, start soy cereal breakfast and it last me through till 1 quite nicely. Eat supper and get up to Columbia by bus for "Que Vive Mexico" and get back to talk and out at 9 to walk down to Bob's and 72nd for a hamburg. Wander through Park, and see many very nice, and certainly very loose, fellows in park. Very peaceful and beautiful with city lights reflected in quiet ponds. Meet Carlo and get back at 12:30 to be invited to Mrs. McGeogh's where she shows me apartment damage and talks about ALL the people she knew and her GRAND life, letting me go at 2:45. I get to bed at 3:15.
FRIDAY, NOVEMBER 14. Up VERY dazed in AM. Get sent down to NYU with Herman for a run which never pans out and back up for lunch at 3 and two hectic hours as I get chosen by Dick and Harriet and Joan to work overtime on problem. Double time for Sunday---great. Back to wash dishes and socks and bathroom and living room floor. Eat supper and loaf until 11, when I finish this, and get to bed early enough at 12:30.
SATURDAY, NOVEMBER 15. Get up at 8:30 and slowly eat and get into work about 9:30, which feels good. Terri leaves machine idle for hours and doesn't use printer, so I go hog wild and play with machine for a couple hours, getting good and bad runs, and going along like crazy until 7. Distracted conversation with Harriet follows and I leave for lunch from 5 to 5:45 and leave work at 10, to get home and eat and sit in the tub for an hour with mirror and comb and try parting hair in new way.
SUNDAY, NOVEMBER 16. Next day I get up at 6:30 and my hair is very messy and a glob of oil doesn't help any. Joan doesn't come in and I work on without supper, breakfast or dinner until 4:30. Saturday I bid farewell by looking over East 50's from roof of building and Sunday I show Bill how things work and we travel with mail to Grand Central PO and dash back to borrow $7 from Jack and dash down. Eat supper and lay and fuss with Bill, but we mess around and nothing in particular happens. Get to bed at 11.
MONDAY, NOVEMBER 17. Back to work to find many changes are necessary and much of my work was for naught. Day passes slowly as I feel poor effects of having absolutely no weekend relaxation. Talk awhile with Bill and have to buy groceries and get back in time to call up Mr. Bechman and decide I'll re-see "Mr. Hulot's Holiday" and "The Prisoner," a striking film. Back to gobble yogurt for supper and fall into bed at 12:30.
TUESDAY, NOVEMBER 18. MUST catch up on sleep. Up and am almost late for work as I sleep a bit late. Whole day again taken up with Harriet's work as I make a few more runs and then get involved with Ted. Monday I worked overtime until 6:30 sorting his cards and Tuesday afternoon I spent most of time floating around the card to tape for Ted. Come in for a few hours to set up some tests and left when I was sure they would be run right. Get supper and drop into bed at 11, one of the earliest in ages.
WEDNESDAY, NOVEMBER 19. Up feeling much better and back to get even more corrections, which I spend greater part of the day doing. Few runs made during day and I have fun finding a bug in my OWN problem, from writing down twice. Talk a lot and phone a lot, relaxing in general. It seems the last ten days have been one LONG five-day week and I'm LONGING for it to end. Eat and in again at 8:30 to set up final tests, run some of them, getting great experience on machine. Afterward over to Julian's who forces himself over HERE and even into my bed. I get to bed a couple seconds before 2.
THURSDAY, NOVEMBER 20. Get up to take laundry out at 7:15. Day is exceptionally hectic as printer is down and priority gets me on and off machine and printer at great clip to everyone's disgust. Finish to send all off at 4 and relax. Home to eat and catch up on this and finish at 7:00, when I probably talk to Bill and decide to do nothing, when I get some EB reading done and get to bed fairly early, probably around 11.
FRIDAY, NOVEMBER 21. All this from the 20th to the 5th will be rather sketchy, since all of it is written on the 5th. Seems I'm getting more and more lax about doing things I must, which will give me a start in about a week, as we shall see. At work Friday I look for first time in long time at my test problem, probably getting the final test finished. Now all I have left are various things assigned me, and my tape-list problem. Out and home for letters, eating very little supper, since I recall lying to Bill about having sardines, which I hadn't. I probably go to Bill's Friday and listen to music and we talk and get back early Saturday morning, and get up about 12.
SATURDAY, NOVEMBER 22. Eat brunch and fix up house quite a bit and then off to various rounds of buying cereal and record needles and practically everything but the paint I had set out to buy. End up at the Modern for my second view of "Intolerance," which was every bit as impressive as the first. Sign records out of Donnell Branch library and get back to dump things all around apartment and welcome Bill, who comes over and we get to sleep with the usual difficulties.
SUNDAY, NOVEMBER 23. Up for breakfast and off to Cinema 16 for a short on British monastic viewpoints and a mysterious thing about "Another Sky" in Africa. Back here to go to Bill's for lunch and I get wrapped up in Ouspensky's "Strange Life of Ivan Osokin," which I read through, while listening to Bill's records and tapes, and then we traipse over to Bob's to survive Jim for awhile and I try manfully to read 37 manful pages of manfully written pornography. Then the pictures come out and Bill and I have a visual ball. Leave about 12:30 and I stagger down to jerk off twice and get to bed at 2:30, a great way to begin a week.
MONDAY, NOVEMBER 24. Monday is a vague blur, I got paint finally, and that was about the extent of my good works. I have a feeling I came a couple of times, most disgustedly.
TUESDAY, NOVEMBER 25. Another day of work and home to eat and get out to the City Center for the Opening Night and "Divertimento No. 15," "Orpheus," Glinka Pas de Trois," and "Symphony in C." Quite a good audience, too. I get home safely, however, and get to bed at a fairly decent hour.
WEDNESDAY, NOVEMBER 26. Up for work and at noon get told I have to reproduce 28,000 cards, with special characteristics. Wander around till 3 getting George Hoffman set up and then off I go, getting checks like crazy. After 6 or 7 boxes George takes off and I'm left with boring job that Carol makes easier after awhile. Finish at 8:05 and dash home to change into vest suit and rush down to Ballet to see "Fanfare," "Afternoon of a Faun," "Medea," and "Bouree Fantasque." Intermissions are fun and for supper I munch cream puffs, to enjoyment of dolls around me. Out to meet Bill afterwards and we talk for awhile, meeting Arno in Wishbone and then up here while I eat a turkey sandwich. We get to bed at about 2, after a pleasantly warming session.
THURSDAY, NOVEMBER 27. The morning is lively, as Bill comes so strongly the entire bed is drenched. Breakfast is ignored as we dash off to see the tail end of Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade. Up to his place to read Variety and then down to see "White Wilderness" and some costume farce. Back up to his place for a Thanksgiving turkey dinner with sauces and such. Take off reluctantly and fully and get to work Friday.
FRIDAY, NOVEMBER 28. Get to apartment to mope around for awhile, then down at 7 pm to wait in the lobby for cancellations for "The Visit" closing tomorrow, at 8:35 one comes in, and I slide into the seat to see quite a morbid play. Dash down to Times Square in rain to meet Bill on subway. Wander about looking for a chocolate sundae with pineapple topping. Back up here for another romp, and breakfast at 2, when Bill leaves.
SATURDAY, NOVEMBER 29. I ignore mess in apartment and taxi down to "Cue for Passion," two minutes before curtain time, after finding seats available for same. Get out and shop about for tickets, but find nothing. Eat a hot dog and root beer and wander into Radio City to see "Home Before Dark" and a stage show about a masquerade. Eat a candy bar to stave off hunger pangs and then back home to meet Bill finally and tour the 316 and the Tic Toc Club, after touring East Side. Both places sort of nice, but quite soon we're back to go directly to sleep, since I plead fatigue.
SUNDAY, NOVEMBER 30. Get to sleep about 2 and up at noon, when my sore throat persuades Bill that I don't feel good. He takes off as I fix place up for first time in ages and get to work on letters, getting quite a few of them off. Still feeling poorly and I look in dismay at the monstrous cake which Cesira sent me for Thanksgiving. After eating and a bit of EB I'm ready for bed, to catch up on some of my long lost sleep.
MONDAY, DECEMBER 1. Up feeling sort of sick, but go into work at least making an attempt to buck up. Leave with a headache at 2:30 and get back to bed, staying there until 10, when I got up for a bowl of soup and a swig of juice and back to a bathrobe covered, coat muffled bed.
TUESDAY, DECEMBER 2. Sleep through till 9, when I call in to say I'm quite sick. Lay there thinking about the tale of "Why Do I Bother with Plays and Movies," that I'd started the other day. Resolve to see only cultural events, among many other things. Being unable to do the things you want to do makes you appreciate more the ability to do things you MUST do, if you follow, with the result that the entire day of Tuesday being spent in bed (except for three cans of soup, cheese crackers, binocs on the scenes across the way and two phone calls from Bill) results in many good resolutions made to do more work on necessary things in future.
WEDNESDAY, DECEMBER 3. The next day partially proves this as at work I do much work on LIST and get home to buy and make supper and defrost refrigerator before getting back to put in an hour of overtime on Burns and McDonnell, taking records back and getting many details done, only to get back and wasted evening simply counting how many pages in EB, including indexes and those extra pages. It comes out to 1 1/3 cents per page for cost and gets me five hours wasted with many letters left to be sent and all bills left to be paid. The counting, my memory states, was done after Cinema 16 Wednesday, seeing five films on children's games and troubles. Cinema 16 coming immediately after supper. The overtime on 2950 was Thursday, taking records back to the library after a single-handed run of frame 13.
THURSDAY, DECEMBER 4. Back to listen to my new records and eat a very large, very filling supper, ending at 10 and then talk to Bill until 10:30 and actually get to bed at 10:45, hoping to feel better, which I don't at 8 am.
FRIDAY, DECEMBER 5. Finally get down to Botti to get shower fixed, after a month of "meaning to." LIST makes quite a hectic day, and a rasping cough makes life in general miserable. Turn a very sad-sounding Bill down at 6 for supper and settle down to two solid hours of writing in two weeks and catching up on ballet write-ups etc. Finally get down to supper at 8 and after that, I listen to "The Planets" till 10 and write letters till 12, eat cake and read EB till 12:30 and get to bed by 1 am, very tired, indeed.
SATURDAY, DECEMBER 6. The chore of writing all two weeks above notwithstanding, I write this week and a half to December 16 on December 16. Get up at 11:45, feeling very much better and fix things up when a call from Frank, saying he wants to come over, transfers my energy from painting to scrubbing and I scrub every inch of floor and get everything (except walls) shipshape. He comes up and we talk for two agonized hours which will surely be written up in detail later. He hasn't seen anyone and is getting desperate, so I simply decide the best thing I can do is help him along, which I do and we have a complete riot until 4 am, when he leaves and I fall asleep on bed, hardly having energy to move to bedroom.
SUNDAY, DECEMBER 7. About this time somewhere I decide to tackle fireplace with paint remover, and spend an entire day removing paint. I call Bill over at 4 and at 5 we go out for a wild walk in the park, looking at the frozen water. I step through it and see Bill off and I'm off in a taxi for here, whereat I lounge around doing nothing, until bedtime.
MONDAY, DECEMBER 8. Monday goes decently, and I'm put on overtime on Cal Tech, which drives me nuts with DVH [Divide and Halt] and I'm out at 11 in lovely new-fallen snow to call Bill and get no answer, and out to wander in the snow at 12. All this is written up, Dadaistically, in the other paper. Went to Lodge for 20 minutes, Annex for 20 minutes and 316 for an hour, watching everyone and drinking and finally get propositioned by Don Landi, who pays cab and takes all. We get to sleep at 4:30.
TUESDAY, DECEMBER 9. Up at 7:30 and to breakfast and I'm sleepy at work (wonder why). Back to relax in apartment when Frank pays a surprise call. We get at it again very nicely and he talks a blue streak. Onward into the night it goes, as he insists he doesn't have class until 12 the next day, and I don't particularly care, one way or another, since I'm home. He gets started to leave at 1 and finally gets out at 2, when I just fall asleep on sofa-bed---not only home but in BED, yet, already.
WEDNESDAY, DECEMBER 10. Get up next morning and fix place up a little. Get down to typing and pour all my disgust out on paper for a couple hours. Call Bill for sympathy and we get involved in long conversation about communication and he comes over when I beg him to, getting in at 12 am. We talk about our mutual sore spots---his jealousy and bottling up his feelings when I hurt him, my hurting him and making my offenses sound even better when I stutter and stammer around when I tell him what happened. I get down to shedding tears and we feel very close together, getting to bed about 2 and getting to sleep about 3.
THURSDAY, DECEMBER 11. Up for a joint talk and I get ready for work, feeling confessed, refreshed and talked out, all at once. All this from the 9th written on the 27th, so most of it will be garbled. This evening is the birthday party at the Annex and Frank comes down and we talk from 10 and I get down to Annex in freezing weather, only to find it crowded and ugly. We go across town to the Wishbone, which I set up as being very nice, find it turns out empty and sterile, so we're back to the Annex for a bit and then out to the 316, for by far the best and most lively crowd. Out at 2 and Frank goes home and I get in to flop into bed and get ready for last day in week's work.
FRIDAY, DECEMBER 12. Don't know what I did Friday evening, but about this time I had a long, long talk with Kovan, who say's that he's moving out of his apartment and that I'd have a chance to move into it, maybe, offering his furniture, including air conditioner, 21" TV, marble top table, bed, chairs and tables and lamps, for $250. We talk for quite awhile and I get all excited about low rent. In passing, Thursday I went shopping in FAO Schwartz for toy for Rita's birthday, finally ending up with a book and an eyeful of toy store.
SATURDAY, DECEMBER 13. Saturday I'm up late again, after typing Friday night. Call Sylvia and get tickets to "Greed" and get down to Museum in nick of time to see Zasu Pitts following Eric von Stroheim's direction to perfection in this great early film. Roam about the photo collections for awhile, then invite Bill up for supper. One things leads to another and at 8 pm we're talking up a storm and walking through Central Park, then in bed by 9, only to get to sleep, after a simply fantastic session, at 12.
SUNDAY, DECEMBER 14. Up at 10:30 to gobble breakfast and rush to Cinema 16 with Frank to a sequence of six experimental films, none novel. Out for coffee and back to lunch and then up to the Museum for coffee hour with Tom de Gunst. Dash back home and eat supper after painting quickly and race across Avenues to ballet, to see "Seven Deadly Sins," "Fanfare," "Waltz," "Scherzo," and "Western Symphony," a very sprightly evening. Despite little sleep week before, I wander to Wishbone, where I talk for two hours to a straight fellow, quite the handsomest of all. Banter conversation and fend off advances from three or four others, then transfer attention to this smashed one who tried to be sick over clean glasses and friends won't take him out. Bartender refuses to serve him and he then stops drinking, drinks 7-Up and looks daggers; he finally leaves and three others fall together. Then in comes Arty one and dog, followed by drunks and spectacle of dog-lovers taking their sick course. Ending at 4:30 when place closes and everyone leaves. I traipse upstairs to find fellow leaving Kovan's apartment, and get to bed.
MONDAY, DECEMBER 15. Monday Bill and I travel down to Village to put sign up in Lenny's and NYU and meet Bill's friend and Chuck, to whom I talk for quite awhile, and he volunteers to finish up painting. I get home and bump into Gloria de Robins and she breaks out champagne and I see her apartment and I'm up again to tell Kovan I called Bachman and he said he'd call back. To bed, gloriously tired.
TUESDAY, DECEMBER 16. Tuesday and Wednesday are sort of a haze, as I stay home to get telephone calls which never come. It takes me a night to fix apartment up and another night I concentrate on painting, actually getting a lot done. Gio comes up to see apartment, and I'm worrying more and more, since Bachman says I can't have cheaper apartment and no one will take the more expensive. I get almost panicky and even debate leaving apartment house altogether, but thought of the money and time saved dissuades me.
WEDNESDAY, DECEMBER 17. LIST problem is thundering to completion, as I have insurmountable troubles wiring the 407 board and fixing mistake after stupid error makes debugging lengthy. Chuck comes over to paint and Frank calls and comes over too. At 8 we go to Lun Far's for chop suey, which lasts until 10, and back to talk until 11, when Frank and I go upstairs to quite a lively session, as he reminisces about how good I am to him and how well we fit together, which is quite true. He leaves at 1 and I fold bed up and go to sleep, worrying about fate of apartment.
THURSDAY, DECEMBER 18. See "Roof"?
FRIDAY, DECEMBER 19. Friday I get final definite word from Bachman. One of Tuesday or Wednesday I saw "Defiant Ones," too, just to round out week. Friday finishes in unknown style, I probably paint or fix up apartment or something else, and get to bed at 11.
SATURDAY DECEMBER 20. Get up the next morning to paint some more and go down to Riker's to try to see Bachman. Not succeeding I stand in line for Radio City Music Hall for an hour to see "Auntie Mame" and the Christmas show. Back unsuccessfully to Rikers and walk down to Macy's, seeing all Christmas windows on way, and meet Bill to do some Christmas shopping. I get for Rita and Dave and Mom and let it go at that. I invite him over and we have pork chops for supper and then talk some more and get to bed for a simply gorgeous session, as I take all advantages of his poor sensitivity and tickle him to death.
SUNDAY, DECEMBER 21. Morning comes in more coming and we're up at noon, and I stall around reading books and suddenly it's too late for anything but the Waffle House at the Met again. Last night Rick Marshall came over to see apartment and I'm relieved when he calls tonight and says he'll take it. I exult and take off for the Roxy and see Lonny Sattin and the show and "Seventh Voyage of Sinbad" at the Roxy. Back home at 11 and get to sleep, steeling myself for the busy week ahead, and busy indeed it turns out to be.
MONDAY, DECEMBER 22. Last test after last test takes place for LIST and I'm busy talking to everyone about moving and I leave at 4 and get down and talk Bachman into letting me take front apartment. Bill comes down to sign apartment out and we get groceries and eat and get back in time to welcome Ruby and can't show him apartment and he leaves and Bill and I walk down to "Seventh Seal" and "Seneschal the Magnificent" and back for a little session and get to bed fairly early.
TUESDAY, DECEMBER 23. Tuesday my last full day of work and at noon Alice and Gio and Don come up to see apartment and Alice gets it. Rick calls and I agree to let him see new apartment, which he does at 6. I had him almost to point of signing agreement and Ruby comes and both fall in love with it. Then I say no and talk to them until 10, calling and recalling Alice meanwhile, trying to explain why they can't and even Rick telling me he's helping Ruby and a $400 bundle fails to impress me. They leave in a huff, then I leave my keys with them for the last week, stupidly. I call Bill over and I try packing, but get nothing much done, even with Bill's help. I feel completely MISERABLE as Bill, Rick, and Ruby and myself are against me for letting Alice in apartment.
WEDNESDAY, DECEMBER 24. Day days and I finish packing and kiss Bill goodbye for six months and get to work at 9:45. Scream for final test and it proves unsuccessful. I leave at 11:30, get up to kiss Julian goodbye and pay him final installment on debt, then up to meet Frank and move stuff to new apartment with his help. Alice says everything's OK and I pat Frank goodbye and race to work at 1:15. Gobble a morsel of lunch from the SBC party, saying goodbye, write instructions to successor and grab a cab at 2:30, getting to bus terminal at 3 and Newark airport at 4. Settle down for a grand flight into the cloudy sunset until 6 and land in snow-covered Canton and take limousine to my door. Eat supper and unpack presents and fall asleep before Midnight Mass in modernized St. Johns. Afterwards we unwrap gifts and I get to bed at 2:30.
THURSDAY, DECEMBER 25. Up at noon and skip breakfast and over to Grandma's to unwrap more toiletries and eat for an hour and talk to Cesira for 2. Downstairs for supper and playing with Greg and Gary and then Larry and Dave come over to talk and everyone leaves while we watch City Center's "Nutcracker" on TV. Larry drives me to drive-in and home, and I sleep at 1.
FRIDAY, DECEMBER 26. Up at noon again and out Christmas shopping after brunch. Get gifts and bottles and meet Larry to see "Tom Thumb" in the afternoon. Up to Newman Club for awhile and then home for a quick supper, then over to Marion's for more playing and idolizing by Greg and Gary, leaving at 9:30 for the "Buccaneers," a disappointing, crotchy show, again with Larry and Dave. Off to Manner's and get Larry's gift and home at 12 again, and again up at noon.
SATURDAY, DECEMBER 27. Spend time talking to everyone on telephone for hours, eat lunch, talk to Danny on way to get a haircut, then afterwards see John and pregnant Dot, I get busy with this project for about an hour and then bathe and dress and bus downtown, supperless, for meeting Bob and get to Cesira's for unwanted date of grinding boredom. Go to Olga's for dinner and dipping and cards and eating, then off to Allan Vaughan's for the Phi Sigma house party. Everyone around is weird in some or another way and drinks flow and talk blows and people glow and Ron makes all odd statements about the people he knows at Fort Meade and suggests we have a New Year's party together. We leave at 2:30 and Bob drives me and Cesira home, where I fall dizzily into bed at 3:30.
SUNDAY, DECEMBER 28. Up at 11:30 for a hearty breakfast and Mass, then back to the papers and finally get caught up with this mess at 2:30. Now I've gotten even with it. YEAH! Much of time taken up with such things as making telephone calls, writing letters to New York, finishing the business I should have finished when I was there, packing and sorting things out, finding orders, letters and insignia, and miscellaneous things of that sort. Don comes over for supper and then Danny visits, then he leaves and Henry and Grandma and Greg and Gary take over. I phone Larry and Dave to go out, but they work, so I get to bed early, to save up for the coming week.
MONDAY, DECEMBER 29. Up early and read with Rita until 3, when I go downtown to buy slacks and stamps and stripes and give Dave his present. Back home to type out orders and finish packing and hunt for IBM letter until 11, when I get to sleep for last time in my house.
TUESDAY, DECEMBER 30. Up at 4:30 for a quick shower and limousine out to Akron-Canton airport at 6, only to eat breakfast and read until 9:30 when my plane finally takes off into the fog. Good connections in Pittsburg leave me in Washington at 2 and alone in limo to bus station and get to Meade at 4:30, getting ride to Provost Marshall and then cabbing to Post HQ and get assigned a temporary BOQ, sign in, and find where to go next morning.
WEDNESDAY, DECEMBER 31. Up and unpack, then skip breakfast to be on time for another Post Hq building, which ends up only for permanent BOQ. They refer me around corner, where sergeant hustles me over to the 2nd Army Hq in a car, and I get referred to a fifth building. They send me up the street, and I get sent downstairs when they've heard of Student Detachment, and upstairs to get referred to Lt. Gross in next wing, who isn't there, but the sergeant shows me a letter I didn't get, sent on the 18th to John Jay, saying I shouldn't travel. Lt. Gross says I must wait till 18th to go to Aberdeen, that I can stay in temporary BOQ and that I can eat in investigate MRU unit. Breakfast at 10:30, lunch at 3:30 and then into Washington, with Laird's names. Wander around for a couple hours, finally get Frank and eat supper in Redskin Lounge, staying until 9, then to Metropole for a half hour of gay gals, then to California Kitchen for snack and meet Frank Kameny. Into Derby room for a mass of bores, then at 11:30 to DeSardo's, alias Chicken Hut, for a raucous greeting of the New Year with cries of delight and kisses and squeezes. Try a few, but went to a party at 1217 L Street at 2 am to end night.