I'm really enjoying the book, but finding the time to read it is the problem. And to see the same book always stuck on the right side of the blog is starting to depress me; I'm certainly going to fall short of my goal unless I just take a week off to do nothing but read, which, I suppose, I did for 22 weeks.

Back to the court-appointed DUI classes: there are three counseling facilities that are subsidized by the county of Ventura to treat not just substance abuse, but also things such as bipolar disorder. One down the grade (Oxnard), two up the grade (Simi and Thousand Oaks). As a first time offender, I've got 3 months in the program, which means that for 12 weeks, I spend one day out of that week in an hour-and-a-half session in a group of other first time offenders. The other members of the group, of which the number will fluctuate as people "graduate", vary in age, race, gender, and BAC. We've got a nineteen-year-old guy convicted with .05, an 80-year woman with .20, and a 35-year-old guy who's got .28 and has been hiding in Canada for ten years.

Beyond that, I've also got four face-to-face meetings with the counselor. Jill, my counselor, is actually pretty good, and like I said, she was very frank and open about the discovery of cancer-like tissue, and I applaud her bravery. She earned instant props as far as I was concerned. There are also three education classes during the three month period, though I have no idea what's involved there.

My proof of enrollment has been submitted (despite their best efforts) so I'll be driving my shitty Cressida in about three weeks. In the meantime, my routine has been to just spend every other night in a conference room in my sleeping bag. There have been many standing offers to give me a ride home, but in the end, I'm too drawn to my sense of handling my own transportation. Also, it's just a matter of convenience: unless you plan on picking me up in the morning, it's just easier for me to stay here.