December 2001

Saturday            December, 1  2001

I finished the Laundry that I started on Friday... nine loads... damn. Cindy's room was so cluttered with cloths and stuff I couldn't walk into it... 

I went to the thrift store and bought 2 reconditioned mattresses... $169. THere is no point in getting them expensive ones because they trash them, these are pretty nice though... better than the ones they had.

Christy took the girls to church, she had pot luck there too... she got back about 1600

We took Autumn to Chuck E. Cheese... she loves that place, it is fun to watch her play, she is so serious about the games and she just looks up and laughs with such undiluted joy. We spend about $90 every time we go but it's worth it... the kids all have a great time. There aren't may places you can go with kids these days where you can just turn them loose for 2 hours. Even Mike has fun there... he spent most of his time flirting with four 13 or 24 year old girls who were so proud of their new "push-up bras" that they were cracking me up... It was taking every ounce of their self control to keep from saying "Look at my boobs, aren't they spectacular!"

(The dates on the photo's are wrong, my camera wasn't set correctly)

Sunday              December, 2  2001

"IT'S JUST POSSIBLE," THINKS PETER "I'VE GOT THE BEGINNINGS OF AN IDEA THAT MIGHT BE TOO BIG FOR MY BRAIN"

Paraphrase of Dec 2^nd "Ballard Street" by Jerry Amerongen

Saw that in a cartoon today and cracked up... that sensation is not new to me. Mister Amerongen seems to be pretty well tuned into my brain... Ballard Street is one of my favorite cartoons

Christy went to help a lady move, she left at 0730, she came back for about 5 minutes around noon to get Christian for Pathfinders... I watched football and did dishes and laundry ... Sandy took Mike to Valencia so Mike could meet his girlfriend Amy and go to a movie... I am not totally comfortable with this situation. I don't imagine Amy's family is real pleased either...damn.

Mike and Sandy came back about 1500... Amy didn't show up... Mike took it well, but I felt sorry for him, he worked and planned and schemed for weeks to make this happen... too bad. I can't imagine what he and Sandy found to do for 4 hours but she said she had fun at the food court watching the people and doing her crossword...

Steamroller Rolls Into Los Feliz House 

(LA Times)

A steamroller crashed into a house in Los Feliz Thursday night.

The accident at 1860 N. Commonweath Ave. occurred shortly after 8 p.m., CBS2 News reported. There were no immediate reports of injuries.

The steamroller, which appeared to have a city of Los Angeles seal on it, crashed into a bedroom, local news wires reported. The owner of the home, who was home at the time, said that he saw four young boys trying to operate the machine.

..... Police are investigating the incident.
I don't know why I feel sorry for those boys, but I do... I imagine their saying "Oh shit!"and running like crazy... they learned a good lesson... I hope.

Monday             December, 3  2001

Time is the coin of your life. It is the only coin you have, and only you can determine how it will be spent. Be careful lest you let other people spend it for you. 

Carl Sandburg, poet (1878-1967)

...Tedium and senior moments... I was late getting Cindy to school, late getting Autumn to school, Mike was picking on "B" and hurt his feelings so "B" was crying and angry. When We started off to school I told "B" "Mike is a Jerk, don't pay any attention to what he says!" Then Mike popped his head up and grinned at me in the rear view mirror, he thought it would be funny to stow-away while I took the kids to school, he was in socks and was not wearing a shirt... What he failed to take into consideration, I was not going back home, I had a Dr's appointment at 0910 and there would be no time to take him back home... he would just have to go with me and stay in the car... pissed me off and cracked me up at the same time... Mike can be such a Putz... 

Christy had to go to Autumn's IEP, 0900 - 10:00 Algebra Class 1130 1430, and her Swimming aerobics class 1730-2100  today... 

Doc said I would probably live, he gave (Kaiser sold) me a rib belt, it does seem to help, wish I had had it 2 weeks ago, He changed my medication for Acid Reflux, something called Protomix. 

Packers won a game tonight... they were awful in the first half and awesome in the second, the Jaguars were exactly the opposite... QB Brunel tried valiantly, but he needs a better team under him.

I fixed my RW CD-ROM, wellll some little girl at Tech Support for "roxio" clued me into a patch that fixed the problem. I used it to back up my pictures...it did exactly what I told it to do... not what I wanted it to do... now, instead of being in nice and neat and easy to locate in little folders they have been "Moved" (Not copied) into one huge file on a CD-ROM... 3674 pictures... like I had emptied albums and thrown the pictures on the living room floor... talk about Putz... damn... it will take days to put them in any kind of order... 

It's late... I am going to kick myself to bed.

Tuesday             December, 4  2001

Well, my PC wasn't completely fixed... it went back to not shutting down, it went into some sort of loop and rebooted every time I shut down... "The Auto-reboot Bug". After playing around for an hour last night I found some reference to this happening in Windows 95 and 98 with some :feature" in Direct-CD, which is part of Easy CD Creator... I looked around this morning and found that there is a .02b point issue update so I loaded it ... now everything seems to work fine... Windows XP is a bit of a task master, seems like the programs it likes work fine the ones it doesn't like can be real bugaboos to fix... be prepared to do a lot of updating of your software if you load it, and be sure you have current drivers. 

Snow on the ground this morning, ice on the windshield... it was a chilly morning.

I got everyone to school late this morning, really galls me to do that... I apologize to everyone concerned but I still feel bad. This morning "B" was being a jerk again... he had on three shirts and a coat, and two of the shirts were filthy. "B" has hygiene issues... poor guy. Anyway, we had a big to-do about the shirts, he went storming away, Cindy couldn't get it together, so I was late taking her, which made me late getting back, then dealing with "B", finding clothes for Autumn... we were already to go and then Calie jumped out of the car to go get her homework, and find a hairbrush... "Herding Chickens" comes to mind.

Autumn was about 20 minutes late... I had called to let the aid know so she wouldn't be standing in the cold. As I was leaving the aide was trying to coerce Autumn into her walker. I asked why the walker was necessary, she said Mrs. Gondar said Autumn wasn't to leave the room without her walker. I went in to the office to ask the secretary to pull Autumn's IEP to see if it was a stipulation in the IEP. Mrs. Gondar was there and she went through the whole thing... that is not a requirement in the IEP. So... she said, "Well, it is our policy, due to Autumns unsteadiness and her falling down all the time and the chance she will get jostled in the halls, we have to think of her safety first..." well I am thinking of her wants and her need to feel like one of the kids, and her need to lose any dependence on "accommodation devices". I have a hard time being assertive in these situations, especially when you know the response will be "We are only trying to protect Autumn and keep her safe from being injured." Shit... like they will be there every second for the rest of her life, she has to learn to cope and survive now... not by miraculous bureaucratic divine intervention when she turns 18.

I came home, fixed the PC so it would shut down, and jumped back in the car to take Mike to Steve Muggio. I talked to Steve about Mike's behavior on the November 20th. Steve seems pretty tuned in to Mike... he wasn't surprised about the fight Mike and I had, I have to admit, I wasn't very surprised either... in a way it needed to happen... my concern is when will he feel it's necessary to test me again.

I got home and Christy had "Laundry Mountain" all folded and boxed... I was amazed... she worked on it for about 5 hours. 

I went out to see "Spy Games"... a very good movie, an easy 5 times better than "The Castle" Spy Games was so well choreographed and tightly shot and scripted you sort of hate to blink when you're watching it. It was an excellent movie, there was hardly any sex, minimal cussing, none of it gratuitous, and though there was plenty of violence it was mostly implied and you always seemed to be seeing the aftermath... all and all, a classy flick

There is a helicopter buzzing the lower part of the valley, police, I can see their spotlight... I wonder what's going on... I will probably never find out...

Wednesday        December, 5  2001

Autumn's therapy... Christy had a meeting at Regional Center, Algebra at AVC, and Water aerobics and Prayer meeting in the evening. I found a letter I wrote to Desert Winds Soccer league a few years back:

Coalition of

Responsible

Articulate

Parents

To: Desert Winds Soccer League

In the interest of equality and fair play C. R. A. P. would like to propose that we make some modifications to the variety of soccer played here in Acton. 

 Rule change # One

The referees should not be allowed to blow whistles.  Whistles are loud and startling to the children.  They are also arbitrary and impersonal and can scar the children emotionally.  Referees should stop the game and take the child out of sight and earshot of the rest of the team and the crowd instruct them as to proper behavior so as not to unduly stigmatize them.

 Rule change # Two.

Some children are much faster than others.  The slower children are not being allowed to experience the full joy of soccer because they are being beaten to the ball by the faster more agile children.  We should affix weights or some other apparatus to the faster children so that all of the kids are on an equal physical level.

 Rule change # Three

Not all parents on the sidelines are cheering in a reinforcing, supportive manor. Some parents are not cheering at all and some are actually being quite stern with their children. C. R. A. P. thinks that parents should not be allowed to attend actual games. Volunteers should be enlisted from the community who will stand on the sidelines and cheer all the children equally.  The referee should be responsible for enforcing this rule.

 Rule change # Four

Since there is a wide disparity in the experience level of the coaches.  Coaches should not be allowed to attend the games.  Substitutions and other strategies should be handled by the referees so as to ensure all games end in a tie.

 Rule change # Five

Children on opposing teams should be of the same height and weight. (In support of Rule #2)

 Rule change # Six

All the uniforms on all the teams should be the same color.

 Rule change # Seven

There should be only one goal post positioned in the center of the field.

 Rule change # Seven

The position of goalie should be eliminated.

 Note; Lest you be inclined to take these recommendations seriously, This is a joke

(dis)Respectfully,

Pete Daggett

Thursday           December, 6  2001

Autumn's therapy, I let Mike put Autumn in the car, and I was so distracted by that break in my routine that I forgot her coat and her backpack... I talked to the school and they said they could cope.. they have a storeroom full of jackets...

I took Mikie to therapy... I got the sense that not a lot was accomplished...

Mike was rude to Sandy... I am not clear how... Mike likes Sandy and I am sure he wasn't intentionally disrespectful, he is really quite clueless about what the affects of his words and actions are having in others. I told Sandy to be sure to tell him when he is out of line.

Friday                December, 7  2001

Mike is still running off at the mouth... I don't know what's got into him...

(1400) Laid back day (so far) , I know there are mountains of (constructive) things for me to do, but I am just too lazy today... I am tempted to spend a paragraph or two whining about the sorry state of affairs my life is in but... things aren't so bad... I just read about a guy in the Philippines who cut off his own penis because Jesus told him to... I guess there are things I should be thankful for... 

Jerry sent me another Christmas card... his cards crack me up... he pastes his face into real Christmas cards... we are having a discussion: here is a sample...I wish more folks would write like this with me... it is fun to watch a conversation evolve... in an e-mail, it's nice to be able to think for a while before I 'speak' too.

Christy was teaching at COC in the morning and taking a test at AVC in the afternoon... I will try to go see "Heist" tonight, Christy has a sinus infection and feels terrible, I will see how the house 'feels' and only go if I think there will bew no hassle

Leigh's Birthday tomorrow... she got her AARP letter about 3 years ago I figure, she has actually been sending me e-mail, at the dizzying pace of 6 a year... she isn't what I would call hooked on the cyber world, by any stretch of the imagination.

Karen sent me this today:

Thou Shalt Not Skim Flavor From The Holidays
By Craig Wilson, USA TODAY

I hate this time of year. Not for its crass commercialism and forced frivolity, but because it's the season when the food police come out with their wagging fingers and annual tips on how to get through the holidays without gaining 10 pounds. You can't pick up a magazine without finding a list of holiday eating do's and don'ts. Eliminate second helpings, high-calorie sauces and cookies made with butter, they say. Fill up on vegetable sticks, they say. Good grief. Is your favorite childhood memory of Christmas a carrot stick? I didn't think so. Isn't mine, either. A carrot was something you left for Rudolph. I have my own list of tips for holiday eating. I assure you, if you follow them, you'll be fat and happy. So what if you don't make it to NewYear's? Your pants won't fit anymore, anyway.

1. About those carrot sticks. Avoid them. Anyone who puts carrots on a holiday buffet table knows nothing of the Christmas spirit. In fact, if you see carrots, leave immediately. Go next door, where they're serving rum balls.

2. Drink as much eggnog as you can. And quickly. Like fine single-malt scotch, it's rare. In fact, it's even rarer than single-malt scotch. You can't find it any other time of year but now. So drink up! Who cares that it has 10,000 calories in every sip? It's not as if you're going to turn into an eggnogaholic or something. It's a treat. Enjoy it. Have one for me. Have two. It's later than you think. It's Christmas!

3. If something comes with gravy, use it. That's the whole point of gravy. Gravy does not stand alone. Pour it on. Make a volcano out of your mashed potatoes. Fill it with gravy. Eat the volcano. Repeat.

4. As for mashed potatoes, always ask if they're made with skim milk or whole milk. If it's skim, pass. Why bother? It's like buying a sports car with an automatic transmission.

5. Do not have a snack before going to a party in an effort to control your eating. The whole point of going to a Christmas party is to eat other people's food for free. Lots of it. Hello? Remember college?

6. Under no circumstances should you exercise between now and New Year's. You can do that in January when you have nothing else to do. This is the time for long naps, which you'll need after circling the buffet table while Carrying a 10-pound plate of food and that vat of eggnog.

7. If you come across something really good at a buffet tab le, like frosted Christmas cookies in the shape and size of Santa, position yourself near them and don't budge. Have as many as you can before becoming the center of attention. They're like a beautiful pair of shoes. You can't leave them behind. You're not going to see them again.

8. Same for pies. Apple. Pumpkin. Mincemeat. Have a slice of each. Or, if you don't like mincemeat, have two apples and one pumpkin. Always have three. And don't forget the Ben and Jerry's ice cream large scoop an each of them. When else do you get to have more than one dessert? Labor Day?

9. Did someone mention fruitcake? Granted, it's loaded with the mandatory celebratory calories, but avoid it at all cost. I mean, have some standards.

10. And one final tip: If you don't feel terrible when you leave the party or get up from the table, you haven't been paying attention. Reread tips. Start over. But hurry! Cookieless January is just around the corner.

 

I have book-marked the authors Craig Willson's page at USA Today (His link changes so go to USA Today and look for Columnists)

I found another Web Journal too, it is nice to know there are others out there who dare to share their lives... makes me feel a little less strange...

Saturday            December, 8  2001

Christy stayed home today, she is sick as a dog (whatever that means) she can't get out of bed... flu I guess.

Autumn spilled coffee on my keyboard... ten years ago that would have been the end of it but the new keyboards are designed to survive little mishaps like that... I took it apart and dried it off... works fine...almost like new... the "r" and "t" keys make a loud clicking noise now and the space bar feels a little weird bit it works fine.

The stuff I typed Saturday night is gone... AaaaarrrrgggggGGG!!! Luckily I didn't type too much... perhaps I had a premonition... 

Jerry sent me the URL for a site put up buy a teenaged boy... he sent it as a joke, like this kid was a kindred spirit, and I knew that, but I read most of it... it is an online journal of very personal stuff... I was tempted to smile and forget about it... just another tortured teenaged soul... but I felt sorry for him. I have seen a lot of these on the net… young kids trying to make sense of it all, the College kids are a little more idealistic, and less introspective. I figure this kid to be about… 14… 16… I try to remember myself at that age… I can’t… know I was never that involved with my friends… I was too shallow, and too wrapped up in my own agonies as I recall… I hope that kid saves his diary… I wish I had a window into what I was like back then… I really can’t remember     

Sandy moved out to the Motorhome yesterday... Calie and I worked to get her room ready for them to sleep in tonight... it's been about two weeks since the poor kid has been able to sleep there... Sandy is glad to get out of here too... the Motorhome is over three times larger than the trailer she was in so she's happy too.

I didn't get to see Green Bay today... damn it... sounds like it was a pretty tough game... Christy went to the Deaconess's Meeting today and picked up a couple kids about noon and took them back to the church for their "Pathfinders" meeting...she got back about six, cooked dinner, and went to bed...

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