Truck 4 sale

I'm definitely flying by the seat of my pants down here. Two vehicles, one license plate, nowhere to hide. The good news is I managed to find my misplaced digital camera and thus was able to get Truck House on eBay about a minute ago. If you want to buy Truck House, here's the link:

http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&ih=012&sspagename=STRK%3AMESE%3AIT&viewitem=&item=220185897340&rd=1

Also included here is a picture of Truck House showing how it was set up like a squatter cabin. That's how it was. Not uncomfortable, but not very well thought out. In comparison, the van (Van House?) is much more 'open.' I can have the side windows open, and even get a breeze. I have the entire back section curtained off with three $3.50 table cloths from K-Mart which are clipped in place with those clips I got at Staples. This setup is about as near-perfect as I can imagine. The cloth is thin enough that it lets in some light and breeze. I can see shapes of things or people outside, but nobody can see in at all, hands cupped to the window or anything. The curtains are a reasonable match to the color scheme, and go to the inside of the existing curtains and 'window dressing shit.' This results in a thoroughly normal looking vehicle. The built-in ambient lighting, reading lamps, and storage space are all great. It's TV-ready. If I want to start watching movies, I can just plug the components right in. For now, I have underwear and a quasi medicine cabinet instead. I have to do something about the enormous electrically powered fold-out bed. It takes up twice as much space as it should. I'm also carting around an extra captain's chair that I took out of the floor. That's jammed head-first behind the bed. I'm thinking about throwing all that stuff in a dumpster on the fly. But then I won't have it "if I need it." To me this is a highly amusing "stuff" dilemma for someone trying to simplify.

I was talking to Seth yesterday to find out where he said the unlimited french toast was. He is constructing a deck on the roof of his van, which is strap-clamped in place. He built it in the Home Depot parking lot. When I was talking to him he was standing up there putting a canvass 'fence' around it with bamboo posts. He's going to drive into the desert and set up camp, and have a little star gazing setup. Seth was talking to another guy who lives in his pickup truck. This guy told us that he enjoys that the last thing he sees before sleeping is the stars. He said he wasn't trying to be poetic or some shit, but there is so much action up there. Then he asked if I wanted to buy any porno dvds. That reminded me that I think I've seen him before in the K-Mart parking lot, when I was deliriously tired after no-sleep when Truck House was getting worked on. "Nah, man, I don't have a TV anyway." "You sure you don't want to look at what I got?" "Nah - I don't even have electricity." Pause... "I believe you..." Somehow that caused me to burst out laughing. "Alright then."

I ran into Seth again today getting breakfast from Publix. I gave him the Van House tour, and got his strong approval. He was excited to poke around under the hood and start looking at conditions and fluids. He knows I know nothing of this, but we compared engine areas for a few minutes and chatted. He said everything looks great on my end, and showed me where he has some cardboard and shit jammed in his engine compartment keeping that great as well. He paid $500 for his van. Maybe I'll do that some day when I learn how to fix 1979 vans. I like the idea of a fucked up painted beast. He's got a real gem.

I'd like to have something meaningful to say about my feelings concerning Truck House, but I really can't come up with something. It seems that it was just a box truck, and a vessel to get me down here, and a place to sleep. I have no real love or hate for Truck House, but from a practical standpoint I'll be happy to see it go.