July 2002, Week 3

Monday  July 15 , 2002

Not much going on today, Christy has Board Elections at her church tonight, I won't see her for a while.

I went shopping with Mokie and Calie this afternoon... that's 'bout it... laid back day.

I drove over and checked out the soccer field at Meadowlark, the sprinklers were running, it looked OK from a distance, I need a key to get in and really check it out. It had been vandalized sometime last week, Mike Bunce spent all Saturday morning and into the afternoon fixing the broken sprinkler heads, he spent $150 of his own money to buy new heads... that really galls me, the maintenance people at the school are supposed to be doing that. I am very impressed with the way the maintenance guys manage to get through entire weeks and accomplish nothing... a fella named Maurice seems to run the racket. Mike went over to the 'office' where they hang out and told them about the vandalized sprinklers, he handed Mike 4 heads (he needed 11) the rest are on back order at $55 bucks each he said. Mike found out they could be purchased at a place in Palmdale for $19 a piece. He also happened to make note that the place in Palmdale is about 2 blocks from Maurice's house.

This school district is virtually broke, Mr. Bandaras who heads the school board manages to keep it afloat but it's a joke, the classrooms have no supplies, the place needs to be bulldozed and rebuilt... it's an embarrassment. I almost wish that the LAUSD would take it over.

In the first place, God created idiots. That was for practice. Then he made school boards. -Mark Twain

Tuesday  July 16 , 2002

Christy went to a meeting downtown (LA) she got about half way there and called to speak to the lady she was going to meet and fond out that the meeting had been postponed till next week.

My meeting at Smith Barney has been pushed out to Monday at 1030... I hope I get some reassurance from my advisor, I see Bush is trying to reassure us about everything in general but sorry... he's a Fat Cat and he has no credibility with me... sorry... don't like him... he's a day late and a dollar short as usual and Bill Bohte called, He and Sandy are here in Acton, they are down at Thousand Trails in their Motorpalace... Bill retired a couple years back and so did Sandy, they sold their house, sold all their stuff or put it in storage. They are rambling around the country looking (they say) for a place to settle down. They went up the coast into Oregon, back down here then off to New Mexico for a wedding, then back up to Oregon to get some work done on the Motorpalace, then to Texas for something or rather than it's back to Southern California to winter, then off again... probably to Montana and Wyoming... I am trying not to be envious but damn. I wanted to do a little touring on my motorcycle when I retired, like another friend, John Martin, he maps out a trip and gets on his BMW and goes. seems like he's gone a week or two every couple months... people my age are traveling around the world on cruise ships or... I'm getting depressed...

Christy went to a Church meeting, the kids were pretty good.

Wednesday July 17 , 2002

Sandy watched the kids and Christy and I went down to Don Cuco's and met Bill & Sandy Bohte for lunch, it was neat to sit and talk to grownups... I had decided to take Autumn, that was a mistake... Autie is the love of my life but she is a determined brat in restaurants, she sat still long enough to eat about 2 french fries then she squirmed and wriggled and squealed and laughed and ran around... what a little trouble maker.

I came home and got a copy of FrontPage (The program I use to write this website) and rode down to TT and gave it to Bill... They really have a plush rig... it's about 3 feet longer than the MotorMonstor but seems 5 times that... damn it's nice.

I am fat, I hate it but I'm too lazy to exercise and too self indulgent to diet...  I need to get down to get my blood tested but I don't even have enough self control to fast for 13 hours... pretty pathetic, the Cardiologist is going to wag his finger at me again... <sigh>

Christy went to 'Prayer Meeting' she took Cindy, Christian is at the Palmers, Mike is on the phone so I took the other four down to Jack's...

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Thursday  July 18 , 2002

...Mike showed us some deep scratches on the underside of his arm, he said look what the cat did.

... Mike forgot his medicine, I took it to him in Quartz Hill...

After School I took him in to see Thomas in Palmdale... he took his skate board, when I picked him up had a gash on his Right thumb, he says he fell off the board... looks like he fell on a knife. Christy took him to Kaiser... seven stitches.

Friday  July 19 , 2002

...Oxygen sensor on Christy's car $224.31

Randy Gracia came for "B" monthly visit

Took Mike to visit his friend Thomas, Mike had been pretty good all week, he wanted to spend the night but we said no, I dropped him off and said I would pick him up around 1900 or at about 2200 if I could find a movie to watch, I couldn't. I picked him uo at about 1930, Mike was pissed, apparently this was all a Machiavellian plot, his girlfriend from Canyon Country was there and he wanted to stay till she left at 2130... He wanted me to kick around for two more hours waiting for him like Jeeves the Chauffeur... He took the splint off his thumb and pulled most of the stitches out...I had already taken him to Palmdale and goofed around shopping for toilet paper and stuff for almost three hours just to do something nice for him and he lashed into me like I was being a selfish prick. He lied to me and set me up, then he got upset because I wasn't stupid enough to fall for it, I lectured him all the way home, and Mike ran away. I have been looking for him since 2000, he took Christian's BMX bike and rode to Thomas's 15 miles, I found him at Thomas's house but he wouldn't come with me... I called Chris, she said "Call the Sheriff's" I said "Let me try him one more time" when I got back there he had gone, It is 0230, I just got home, I looked for him till about midnight then I went to the Sheriff's and mad a "Run-away Report"...

The boys said they watched Mike put the scratches on his arm with a razor blade... Mike is a sick puppy... I want to get him some help... but first I want him out of here... he is dangerous to himself and others.

We will be calling the P.E.Team, on Monday...

Saturday  July 20 , 2002

...I took Cindy to Church, Christy was up late with me and she woke with a migraine so she didn't go...

I looked for Mike for a while, dropped off a picture of him at the Sheriff's Station and got some breakfast. Awful breakfast at IHOP...

I picked up Cindy and went home, Mike called about an hour later, I picked him up at the Church. He was asleep on the lawn, he has slept since he got home, either he was up all night or he was stoned... hard to tell. I have decided to leave him be, I am to the point where I think it is best that I just resign myself to the fact he is a lost cause... we could probably control him with drugs, or something but I am not going to let him put me in a grave. It has gotten to the point where I even resent him calling me "Dad" I called my father "Dad", it was a word/term I used with love and respect, coming from him it's a desecration.

Christy is out at another Church Meeting... I am going to bed.

In rivers, the water that you touch is the last of what has passed and the first of that which comes; so with present time.

Sunday  July 21 , 2002

... Went down to the Acton Soccer field at 0700 and helped out Mike Bunce, Mike had called 20 people, we were the only ones there. Mike and Christian came with me, they were a big help. We left at about 1015, I went back down at about 1330 and helped him stripe the field...

Christy took the kids to Riverside to swim at Grandma's... I am alone, going to go to dinner and enjoy my freedom.

I went to The OutBack... Ho humm and then some. Cheerfully indifferent service, mediocre food spartanly presented all for an exorbitant price... Why are they so popular...?

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