March 2002 Week 2

Constant kindness can accomplish much. As the sun makes ice melt, kindness causes misunderstanding, mistrust, and hostility to evaporate.

Albert Schweitzer, philosopher, physician, and musician (1875-1965)

Monday March 4, 2002

Christy took Cindy to Panorama City to be evaluated for Autism, I think the jury is in that she is Autistic but it still needs to be determined to what extent and what sort of services she will require. To date Except for Legal Counsel I have not been very impressed by any of the County/State provided services, they seem to all be bureaucrats with their eyes on the clock, they are concerned only with meeting minimum requirements.

Mike went to school today, I went down to check on him but he was out in a regular class... I talked to an Aide for a minute and asked her to give me a call this evening. There is something fishy about the reports I am getting from Mike and the reports I am getting from his Teacher, The don't mesh, Mike isn't the most dedicated truth seeker in the world but he does have the presence of mind to know that I will check thing out and he rarely lies about stuff that happens at school. I am beginning to wonder if mike is being as bad and disruptive as is being reported...

Calie and I went to Crazy Otto's for breakfast... I keep threatening never to go back, but I do, it's the only "Sit-down" place to get breakfast in town... I hope that situation is rectified soon.

We got the call from the Aide I mentioned earlier, Christy and I both listened... she says that Mike is being set up to fail... the teacher has said that Mike is "a sexual predator", a transfer from Juvenile Hall... and a whole slew of other stuff. I am not pleased... Christy is already typing up a formal complaint about this guy... looks to be an interesting week ahead...

We cannot do everything at once, but we can do something at once.

Calvin Coolidge

Tuesday March 5, 2002

Mike said he didn't feel good so I decided that I wouldn't press the issue, after the conversation with the Aide last night, and coupled with what Mikes girlfriend's mom said about what she was told by the Principal I think Mike has enough problems.

I went down to vote after dropping off the kids, I am a registered Democrat... unfortunately... I don't want to vote for a Democrat this time but I have no choice, my ballot only has Democrats on it... it's a new law that says that you can only vote for the people the party you are registered in Primary's so all I can do is vote for the guy I think will give the man I really want to win the least trouble in the real elections. Our ballot machines are the same punch-card ballot that was designed in 1919... it's crazy, after all the hullabaloo in Florida that they haven't even made an attempt to upgrade the Polling Place...

I went to see "We were soldiers" with Mel Gibson... to my mind the movie was a powerful tribute to soldiers… if that was the directors intention he did a good job. I surrender myself to the movies I watch… get involved… I sat a few seats away from a fella about my age, he was sobbing out loud, I though that was an interesting development… till I realized there were tears my eyes too. Seems to me that any movie that can do that to a person deserves some credit.

Bunch of stuff on my mind tonight, a home for kids coming out of Foster Care in Glendale being squashed by indignant home owners. A trip to Arizona to visit with my Sister and a cousin I haven't met in about 50 years... my friend Jerry who's brother died in the fight depicted in the movie. but I'm tired and the kids are being weird....

The heights by great men reached and kept

Were not attained by sudden flight,

But they, while their companions slept,

Were toiling upward in the night.

Henry Wadsworth Longfellow, poet (1807-1882)

Wednesday March 6, 2002

Since when has it been against the law for people to be stupid... They have arrested and jailed a young man for carrying a wrapped fake hand-grenade, a gag gift for a friend. I hear the media parroting the reactionary idiots in the FBI saying that what the young man did was unconscionable... when in my mind what he did was just a lapse in sound judgment. It seems to me that Security people refused to listen to the guy and over reacted and they are covering that up by demonizing the poor boob...

I saw an article in AP, "OIC Had Ample Evidence Clinton Lied". Well, Duh... why is this news? I think the first question that popped into my head is why now, who has something to gain by flogging this dead horse... don't suppose Robert Ray's Senate campaign had anything to do with it do ya?

I am roughly Bill Clinton’s age, I tried to imagine what my reaction might be to being blind-sided by an accusation of my having a series of sexual encounters with a 21 year old intern... (aside from basking in the improbability of it), I would lie like crazy to protect my reputation, my marriage and my family... not to mention my job. It's hard for me to condemn a man for being human. Over the years I have known people who got caught up in situations that escalated out of control and they are still my friends... President or not, how can I hold a man to a higher standard than I would hold my friends... or myself. But I've said this before...

Kids were off school today, Pupil-Free-Day for the teachers, Pandemonium For Parents Day for everyone else... I told the kids I would take them to the movies if they cleaned the house, they finished about noon so I took them to see "Snow Dogs" It was not a bad kid flick, the kids seemed to like it, I thought it was pretty bad... James Coburn is getting pretty desperate I guess, seems like he will take any role that's offered to him... his arthritis is getting pretty bad, it hurts me to look at his hands.

Autumn wouldn't sit still so I called Christy to ask her to pick Autumn up, luckily she was just on her way home from the College, I only had to wait about 10 minutes.

Christy took Mike to therapy today, she wanted to talk to Steve about the treatment Mike is getting at the County Special Ed... She want shopping after the appointment and didn't get home till about 2000.

Age doesn't always bring wisdom. Sometimes age comes alone.

Thursday March 7, 2002

Christy had classes in the morning and is teaching MAPP tonight, she won't be back till about 2300.

After taking the kids to school I loaded Calie, Christian and Autumn into the car and went to Hollywood (Kaiser on Sunset) for a Neuro-Muscular Clinic, it's a team evaluation of Autumn.

I got to the Kaiser complex about 15 minutes early, I went to Neurology to check in at the same place I always do. Building "F" 5th floor, Neurology. The receptionist said in his smarmy condescending imitation of a nice guy voice that I was a few minutes early but the appointment is on the 4th floor in Building "E" across the street. I went to Building "E", and took the elevator up to the 4th floor, there was nothing there, well, Outpatient Surgery and Anesthesiology was there, no reception desk, just orderly's clerks and Doctors in "scrubs" scurrying about., A lady kindly offered to check the computer. She took Autumn's card and walked down the hall, she came back in about 5 minutes and said my appointment was in building "F" on the 4th floor. I walked back across the street and took the elevator up to the 4th floor, it was Neuro-Surgery. I checked in at the desk and the automaton at reception and she said "Your appointment on fifth floor" I said "I was just up there." And she said "Your appointment on fifth floor" (where I started). I went back to the deferential little weasel at the window and said that there is nothing across the street and they sent me back to the forth floor and receptionist there sent me back up here. He said "Did you go to Building #1026 I said "No I went to the 5th floor of Building "E" like you told me." "Well, that's where you're supposed to be, I'm not going to argue with you." he said petulantly. I was tempted to tell him to take his bad comb-over and shove it up his ass but I had the kids with me. I made it over to Building E, which sits in front and totally obscures building 1026... Had it not been for a cleaning lady taking pity on me and escorted me through the maze to Physical Therapy. I would still be there wandering aimlessly. I never would have found it on my own, to get there we took the elevator from the first floor to the first floor (I said that right, First floor of building "E"/1020 to the first floor of building E/1026, then through the reception area to elevators in the back that took us to the 4th floor, we were 25 minutes late...

I really despise officious, self important, little twerps like the receptionist in Neurology. I don't get out much so I may be wrong but it seems like there are fewer of them in customer facing positions these days. That makes it all the more exasperating when you encounter on. It also makes you wonder how tuned in to to their clients an employer is that allows people like this to become entrenched. How long would it take for him to say "Go straight up Sunset to the second entrance, walk through the doorway at the back of the reception area to the elevators on the right. take the elevator to the 4th floor and follow the signs to "Physical Therapy". (I timed it... 15 seconds) I'll bet he has memorized his job description and has paid his Union Dues a month in advance. He is one of those sub-species of human Who hates his job, his co-workers and his employer who would sooner drink battery acid than take the extra step beyond what he has deemed his job to be to help a customer.

That being over with, the The Neuro-Muscular Clinic was a positive experience. It consists of Neurologists, Physical Therapist's, Occupational Therapists, Orthopedic Doctors (Dr, Apel, I like him a lot, he's been Autumn's Orthopedic Doctor since she was three.... The process is pretty cool, Autumn got raves but I have a lot to do now, She needs the AFO for her Left foot adjusted, She needs Physical Therapy and Occupational Therapy 2 times a week, The scoliosis in her spine is mild but needs to be monitored, she needs speech therapy and Gait training. They wrote that she has CP with Spastic Quadraparesis. Here is an excellent site...

The picture is of Autumn hiding in the linen closet, she is hiding from me because I have her medicine, she hates it... but we play games a medicine time, I think she likes that part.

http://www.neurologychannel.com/cerebralpalsy/index.shtml

A little bit daunting though, some of the stuff I read there is pretty hard to digest, I would deem her to have Ataxic cerebral palsy.

If it weren't for lawyers, we wouldn't need them.

Friday March 8, 2002

While searching for a movie to see this weekend I stumbled on this review of "Time Machine". I enjoyed reading it very much, Mr. Owen Gleiberman has an impressive command of the English Language... However, (You knew there would be a However) I wonder if perhaps he has chosen to interpret the title "Critic" under the third definition:

1. One who forms and expresses judgments of the merits, faults, value, or truth of a matter.

2. One who specializes especially professionally in the evaluation and appreciation of literary or artistic works: a film critic; a dance critic.

3. One who tends to make harsh or carping judgments; a faultfinder.

Aren’t Critics supposed to critique, and not just criticize. Has this movie no redeeming value? I am now compelled, no, constrained to see for myself.

They held Mike's Transition IEP in Quartz Hill... it went well, I think. We met the teacher, the psycho-therapist and and the principal...the Teacher Roxanne Macintyre, appears to have absolutely zero slack, this will not be easy for Mike, it may even be bordering impossible.

I took the boys with me and we went to see the movie I mentioned above... it was excellent, It was a good story, had nothing to do with HG Wells but it was a good movie. I think they could have done a little more character development when the hero reaches the future but it was still pretty good.

I shall be telling this with a sigh

Somewhere ages and ages hence:

Two roads diverged in a wood, and I --

I took the one less traveled by,

And that has made all the difference.

Robert Frost, poet (1874-1963)

Saturday March 9, 2002

Blaine brought Karen and Grandma and dropped them off at the church, then he came up so I could do their taxes. Not a fun job.

We went down to Don Cuco's for lunch with Mokie and the boys... they behaved pretty good, Christian got a little weird. Christy, Karen, Grandma and the girls. got back about 16:30

The whole aim of practical politics is to keep the populace in a continual state of alarm (and hence clamorous to be led to safety) by menacing them with an endless series of hobgoblins, all of them imaginary.

H. L. Mencken

Sunday March 10, 2002

I read another article about something that snuck by my consciousness a while back. The government, George W., appointed a Madison Avenue Ad-Pro to head the office of Undersecretary of State for Public Diplomacy and Public Affairs, Charlotte Beers, I had no idea... but I should have... we don't need to change the perception of America abroad, we need to live up the the standards we are trying to project. Here's the article, (Brand USA)

Christian slimed his hair so it would look "cool" he is on his way to Santiago Square to do some bike jumping...

Mike and Pat have moved from their apartment in Lebanon, PA... to another place (Same zip-code) they moved last December... I mention this because I just found out about it today... nobody thought I would be interested I guess... Reading this sounds like whining but it really is annoying that anything that happens in Christy's family is kept from me. I don't think that it's done maliciously it's just that they don't put me in the equation, like I'm an outsider... it really is irritating. It's been like that for 26 years, I don't guess things are going to change.

As most of you know, I live up a dirt road... most of the entertainment up here comes from watching the "flatlanders" make fools out of themselves... Kids from Palmdale and the San Fernando Valley come up here occasionally and try to do all the stuff they see stunt drivers in the movies do. They aren't smart enough to realize the amount of practice and skill it takes, not to mention the specialized equipment and modified vehicles, to perform the stunts they see. The 17 year old kid from Valencia who was driving this truck thought he was Vin Diesel I guess. He came off the dirt road at about 50 - 60 miles per hour and hit the pavement sideways. It still had paper plates, his daddy's signature hadn't even dried on the contract. Everyone got out OK but he had two young neighbor kids in the truck with him, 10 and 12 years old. When the father of the two kids came to them up he had to be restrained from beating the driver of the truck to an unrecognizable pulp. According to the fella who owns the house behind the fence in this picture, there were two trucks, one big Dodge and this one. Driving back up the road to my house I could see where they had been sliding their trucks around and going off-road... they trash about 2 hours of tractor work in a split second... I don't want to see anyone hurt but when they trash their brand new $20,000 pickup trucks and roll their daddies $50,000 SUV's I just shake my head and smile... pay back is a bitch. Some twit thought his daddies SUV could climb the hill past the Edison Power Station... He actually got about a quarter of the way up He tried to back it back down with the brakes on and rolled it about 20 times when the rear wheel hit a rut, it looked like it had been sledge hammered for about three days by the offensive line of the Green Bay Packers. I felt bad for the dad, I've been in his shoes, and will probably be again...but the kid deserved what ever he got.

So much for this weeks the big excitement in Acton...

Mike starts at his new school tomorrow and we have an IEP for Cindy, we need to determine some new strategies for educating and socializing her