16.)

Howard is listening to the song Welcome to the Jungle by Guns and Roses. Howard is trying to connect to the internet. He’s having trouble and is getting frustrated. He can feel pimples growing on his face. He hears a noise. He walks to the bathroom and looks at his face. His head hurts. He puts some clothes away and throws some stuff his bed. He feels tired. He selects Alice’s name on his cell phone and presses send. He hangs up on her. He feels bored. He feels like he doesn’t do anything. He wishes he had more money. Welcome to the Jungle ends. He wishes he lived in a richer part of town. He isn’t sure what to do. He puts on the album 40 Oz. to Freedom by Sublime. The drums make him feel good. They lyrics remind him that life’s a bitch. He wants to punch himself in the nose. He doesn’t have work tomorrow. He wants to get drunk. He calls Pat and leaves a message. He looks at icons on his computer desktop and feels dumb and gay. It’s 4:55 PM. He looks at the cords coming out of his computer. He looks at John’s dog. He wants to kick it out the window. He wants to lie in a tub of beer. For one second he feels extremely motivated to lie in a tub of beer. He pops a pimple on his face. He thinks he is fat. He wants to make a rum and coke. He takes a shower. He calls Liz and doesn’t leave a message. He wonders what his neighbors are doing. He wonders if the storm has something to do with his internet connection’s failure. He hears a noise and looks at John’s dog and sees John’s dog throw up. Howard walks away. There is no way he is cleaning that shit. He thinks about whether or not people like him. He thinks about the fact that his stomach isn’t perfectly flat. He says “fuck that” to doing sit ups. He wants to be pushed off a really high houseboat onto really cold water and then never have to work again. He thinks about people who make money by doing medical testing. He thinks about pounding his head against the wall. He looks at John’s dog and isn’t sure what to do. He tries to connect to the internet until 40 Oz to Freedom is over and then brushes his teeth and takes off his American flag bandana and goes to bed.