Journal (2009.05.08 Fri.)
I managed to get up early enough to leave in the early afternoon. Google Maps suggested a direct route, but Mother suggested a longer one using freeways. I decided to try the former on the way down and the latter on the way back. Navigating was particularly difficult for someone who has only once been allowed to travel outside of town in the last nine years. (Mother did give me permission to do a bit of practice before that time, but it didn't fit my schedule.)
On the leg of the trip with my brother, talking about D&D got sidetracked into my social problems. He gave me a lot of advice, of which the gist seemed to be that people will do horrible things all the time, so I just have to put up with it and be friends with them. It's good to have someone with whom I can talk about these things (as I don't have any friends, and I can't talk with the people at work or gaming), but I think the fact that he doesn't know me is a handicap. He probably hasn't heard about my major psychoses, and he seems to think that I'm able to function like a human being.
When I asked whether he keeps his A/C set on "circulate" for the same reason I do, he said that tobacco smoke in small amounts is actually beneficial to one's health, as it inures the body to its effects. This didn't turn up in my cursory research on the topic. I can understand how difficulty breathing could strengthen the lungs and make them more resistant to emphysema, but it seems odd that one would be able to develop antibodies against carcinogens. Even if so, I still feel that poisoning others for the sole purpose of poisoning yourself is not validated by a side effect. It's like coughing on people when you're sick and saying it helps as a vaccination.
We arrived at our destination in the evening, so our father allowed us our freedom for the moment. Other than watching a bit of Happy Feet and some other stuff, one other incident was that Daniel complained about my snoring, which shook up my perception that it was safe to spend time with him. He also said that it was unhealthy of me to use two pillows.