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It is better
to suffer wrong than to do it, and happier to be sometimes cheated than not to
trust.
Samuel Johnson
Or, as Will Rogers
said,
I would
rather be the man who bought the Brooklyn Bridge than the one who sold it.
(Yes, I know, I have
used the Rogers quote before... but I like it)
Monday June 17 , 2002
09:00; Got
the call from Allstate confirming that they will assume responsibility for their
client's liability, he wanted to know if we needed a rental car. Cool... that
will take the pressure off getting a new car... We will have the
option of keeping the Buick for salvage. He needed to talk to Christy but she is
teaching...
10:00; I
will pick up Christy after she is through teaching... she wants to look at a
Dodge Caravan it Hunter Dodge.
12:00; We looked at the Dodge, it had a few problems, but the price was doable,
we said we would get the van if they would fix the problems. Luggage rack had
been cannibalized, odometer was not functioning, molding needed to be repaired
on the passenger door, there was small tear in the headliner, and a storage
compartment latch was broken... maybe $75. in parts and ? in labor... the little
sales person said he would talk to the boss, but he didn't see any problem...
the boss said no... we said Bye.
13:00; We went to see the Taurus at another lot, Christy liked it and we said we
needed a little time, we would pay half with cash now and pay the rest when the
settlement check came in for the car. They said no, make payments or pay it off
within 7 days, we have to adhere to DMV guidelines and close the deal within 7
days of you taking possession. We said "Bye" I took Christy home and she said we
could put the car on a credit card and pay it off when the check comes in,
1500; Christy called Allstate and they said they would send her a check for
$1100 (Pain and Suffering) plus pay the $500 deductible and give us a check for
the car too, an undetermined amount...
1600; We went back to the lot with the Taurus and bought it... nice car.
1700; I left the lot with Autumn and bought her another pair of shoes, she goes
through them pretty quick, the way she walks, especially in the walker at
school, she scuffs the toes out of them in less then two months...
it
is now 1900, I haven't seen Christy since I left her at the Used Car Lot... I
think she is just driving around...
Last week "B" said he wanted to get a haircut, I said sure, but later when I
have some spare time... He said OK... he asked again yesterday but the only
barbershop that is open on Sunday is in Palmdale, I said No, maybe Tuesday... he
said OK, Today he said he wanted to go get a haircut at 1830, I said all the
shops are closed and besides, Mom isn't her and I would have to pack up all the
kids, he got mad. I asked why he was mad, he said he wanted a haircut for
graduation... Tomorrow is Graduation... I said ""B", if you had told me you
wanted a haircut for graduation I would have found time to take you but you
didn't tell me." I had no idea it was important to you." Typing this I realize
that I probably should have put two and two together but when my mind is
bombarded with all the other day to day crap that goes on around here it's hard
to pick up on subtleties... When Christy gets home I will take him out to
Wall-Mart.
19:30; I took "B" to Wall-Mart... we got him a nice red white and blue
Hawaiian shirt and some nice pants, he looks pretty sharp... I have to remember
to get a nice picture of him tomorrow
...I just read an article on Larry
McMurtry, He was talking about how he died on the operating table sometime
during his heart surgery, but his body survived. Before his heart attack and
quadruple bypass he was an A-type personality, now he is sort of lazy... here's
the article -
http://www.virtualtexan.com/culture/mcmurtry.htm interesting fella. But the
part that struck me is that I have experienced the same thing... just a general
preference for introspective pursuits... Letting my mind wander on the
internet... I can't seem to concentrate for very long without getting sort of
tired, I used to read books, voraciously, at least one or two a week, I haven't
read more than three books since my bypass surgery... I have suspected that
there have been changes but I couldn't put them in words... I mentioned it to
Christy and she said, "Yes, you've changed a lot, she pointed at the kitchen and
said "No way you would have started this project and not finished it before your
heart attack, you've changed a lot." I will try to find out something about this
phenomenon tomorrow.
After midnight... time to get some sleep...
Tuesday June 18 ,
2002
 We
went to "B"'s graduation, not the grandest affair I have ever attended but the
kids seemed to enjoy it... They preceded the graduation with an awards ceremony,
all the parents who delayed going to work to attend were appreciative I am
sure... nothing like standing in the sun for 2 hours to lift your spirits. It
was a minimum day for everyone... I got everyone home and we
Wednesday June 19 ,
2002
Mike, Calie, Mokie, Autumn and I
drove out toward Edwards AFB to see the Shuttle land, we got to Lancaster and
pulled off the road, we listened to the radio heard the sonic booms and stared
at the sky, heard the radio announce the touchdown but we saw nothing... not a
damn thing, very disappointing, I took them to get hotdogs and went home.
I told "B" I would get him a haircut... I
need one too.
I got a call from the Sheriffs department,
Deputy Larson wanted to interview Mike about the knife and the drugs.
When Christy got back I took him and "B" into Lancaster, "B" waited in the
waiting room while Mike and I went in for the interview, He said he was going to
evaluate the merits of the case and decide whether to Cite him or not... I think
he was going to cite Mike regardless of the interview... He seemed like a pretty
rational guy, I guess he really had no choice... Mikes Court Date is for August
20th, at 0800... He will most likely get probation again... Why someone would
intentionally do something that will put their lives at the mercy of the
California Judicial System I will never understand...
I dropped Mike off at the Gym and "B" and I
got our haircuts, there was a girl there giving haircuts with so many piercings
in her face I almost puked, three large rings horizontally through her bottom
lip, actually about a half inch below her bottom lip, also over her bottom lip,
over her eyes and her nose, there were so many in her ears you couldn't see
them, her hair was alternating fuchsia (or florescent hot pink) and black.
It's only 2130 but I can't stay awake...
Thursday June 20 ,
2002
Let me see if I can recount what just
transpired...
"B" said something to or about Cindy, Mike
thought that "B" was talking to him, Mike punched "B" in the arm and put
toothpaste on him, "B" being unable to retaliate face to face went into their
room and detuned Mikes guitar, pulled batteries out of Mikes CD Player and
changed all the controls on his radio, Mike got very angry and started swearing
and threatening "B", Christy stepped between them and Mike said something even
more disgusting to "B", Christy said you cant' talk like that in my house and
he said get away from me you f-ing bitch then I got involved. He could not
concede that his actions were the root cause of everything that had transpired
up until that point... It was not his fault it was my fault, it was Mom's fault
it was "B"'s fault.. I started out trying to talk to him and ended up yelling,
it was so exasperating I ended up punching a hole in the wall and walked out.
Mike took a walk. He came back seemingly contrite... I hope so. "B" is
even in further denial. He is mad a Mike so he picked a fight with Mokie, He hit
her in the stomach and Mokie cried, she was not hurt, Christy tried to calm
"B" down and get him to understand what the problem was and he got mad at her,
saying he was the wronged one why didn't she ever protect him and Christy got
mad because not 10 minutes earlier she stepped in front of Mike to protect "B"
and he refused to even acknowledge it...
From The Collins Almanac
Girls Gone Wild
Is it a fact that modest
women are continually being spoken to when they walk alone? And that even
two well-bred, well-dressed, and well-conducted girls together are not safe,
however quiet their demeanour and unalluring their attire? What becomes of
the teachers, art-students, "assistants" of every kind, readers at the
British Museum, and many other instances of unprotected womanhood abounding?
Many cases occur to me as I
write. One is always getting herself into street trouble; but will not
understand that it is because of her flaunting Magenta ribbons with all the
red dye worn into blue streaks, or her frayed scarlet pettticoat, a dozen of
inches or so above her boot, or any of her other miserable attempts at
smartness and fashion.
Another, a married woman, no
longer young, pays the same penalty to her singularly dashing style of dress
and noticably free step. This would not be if her crinoline were half a
yard less in circumference, of she was not fond of scarlet poppies and
gilded corn and steel beads in her bonnet, if she did not wear her shawl
fringes on the ground or her hair turned up in such obtrusive imperialism.
A third young creature,
obliged to walk alone, has the habit of bending down her pretty golden head,
and looking up from under her brows full into the face of every one she
meets. It is a trick of hers, meaning nothing; but let me ask you, my dear
child, what can you expect but perpetual misunderstandings and most painful
mistakes, if you are so unwisely seductive?
Lounging round all the
shop-windows; scanning Punch or the Illustrated, face against
the glass; looking at picture shops by the half-hour together; laughing at
the acting Punch and Judy, and the fantoccini, and not disdainful of the
street-acrobats -- this girl, with her unappeasable curiousity, goes home
with the most lamentable accounts of how she was spoken to by an impudent
fellow.
Silly girl! Because that
girl is curious, she is therefore unmanageable, and cannot be brought to
believe that her curiosity is wrong, foolish, unlady-like, and
misunderstood; and that eyes were not made to look at shop-windows when
their owners were pretty young maidens trampling conventionality alone in
London streets.
Selected from
Temple Bar
April 1862
* * * *
This site is pretty strange, it has a
compendium of excerpts from antiquated sources. Most of those are hilarious,
plus it has a directory to other strange books one is an Portuguese to English
phrase book written by two guys from Portugal who fortunately for us didn't know
a thing about English, called
English as She is Spoke.
By Jose da Fonseca and Pedro Carolino.
In 1855, Jose da Fonseca and Pedro Carolino sat down to write an English
phrasebook for Portuguese students. There was just one problem: they didn't
know English. Even worse, they didn't own an English-to-Portuguese dictionary.
What they did have, though, was a Portuguese-to-French dictionary and a
French-to-English dictionary. Perhaps the worst foreign phrasebook ever
written, the resulting linguistic train wreck was first published in 1855 and
became a classic of unintentional humor. Armed with Fonseca and Carolino's
guide, a Portuguese traveler could complain about his writing implements ("This
pen are good for notting"), insult a barber ("What news tell me? all hairs
dresser are newsmonger"), complain about the orchestra ("It is a noise which to
cleave the head"), go hunting ("Let aim it! let make fire him!"), and consult a
handy selection of truly mystifying Idiotisms and Proverbs ("Nothing some
money nothing of Swiss.") Mark Twain, prefacing an American edition, marveled
of its "miraculous stupidities" that "Nobody can add to the absurdity of this
book, nobody can imitate it successfully, nobody can hope to produce its fellow;
it is perfect."
A fella I just met online bought a copy of this and he says it's hilarious...
"Bill
Gates is just a monocle and a Persian Cat away from being one of the bad guys in
a James Bond movie."
Dennis Miller
Friday June 21 , 2002
Yesterday I told
the kids that I would take them to the movies if they helped me clean the
house... they didn't so I didn't... today I told them the same thing, I cleaned
Cindy's room and Callie's room (with a little help from them) I took them to the
movies, the girls and "B" went to see Scoobie Doo, gag, Mike and Christian
went to see Lalo and Stitch, I waited in the food court, head a really good
Chinese dinner... Orange Chicken and Pineapple Chicken... tasty. The consensus
was that Lalo and Stitch was really funny, Calie said she thinks she grinned a
little once at Scoobie Doo.
The check cleared
for Christy's new car... damn.
I got a call from
Mike Bunce I get to meet him at the soccer field at Meadowlark there is
apparently quite a bit of work to do around the goals... should be fun, supposed
to be cool tomorrow, I hope so.
The art of
writing is the art of discovering what you believe.
Gustave Flaubert
Saturday June 22 ,
2002
I got the kids who don't go to church
(Mike, "B" and Mokie)... And took them down to Meadowlark School, we worked on
the soccer field a bit this morning, it was even a bit cool, a beautiful
morning.
Christian tried
to duck out but Christy brought him down later.
The meadowlark
field has some bare spots but otherwise it is in pretty good shape, the Acton
School field is a disaster though, the gophers own it, there are mounds of dirt
every three of four feet and huge bare spots... the field needs to be ripped up
and redone.
The school maintenance people are not
interested in keeping up the grounds. it's sad, the field at Meadowlark was
beautiful when the contractors turned it over to us four years ago... it's a
wreck now by comparison
Midlife is when you go to
the doctor and you realize you are now so old, you have to pay someone to look
at you naked.
Sunday June 23 , 2002
Happy birthday to me...
We drove to Riverside to be with the folks... Just Grandma and Grandpa...
Grandpa and I were born 20 years apart to the day... we probably could have
given him a happier birthday if we had just sent a card. Kids were fine but they
are tiring, usually the folks meet us here or at Karen's house but Karen and
Blaine went to Vegas... we were at his house so there was no place for him to go
to escape. Toward the end he was really dragging and he had a frozen smile on
his face... perhaps it's the realization that it would be over soon and we had
to take them home with us... all they had to do was clean up...
My hands are starting to really bother me, arthritis I think, I have pills to
take but they seem to be ineffectual. I really felt it on the way home, my right
ha.... aw who cares... it bores me to tears.
The fire in the Cajon Pass was huge, it was
out of course but the aftermath is pretty impressive. Nothing green on the east
side of the
road fo miles.
I am listening to some Celtic Music on
FM, a female singer. If crystal could sing it would sound like her. I have no
idea who she is, ahhh it's the Rankin Family...
I sent this to my Maniac
Friend:
Sally
Think you ought to whip this up for Keith
Pete
A Dish To Set Before a
King
*
City of
London Pie.
Take eight marrow bones,
eighteen sparrows, one pound of potatoes, a quarter of a pound of eringoes, two
ounces of lettuce stalks, forty chestnuts, half a pound of dates, a peck of
oysters, a quarter of a pound of preserved citron, three artichokes, twelve
eggs, two sliced lemons, a handful of pickled barberries, a quarter of an ounce
of whole pepper, half an ounce of sliced nutmeg, half an ounce of whole
cinnamon, a quarter of an ounce of whole cloves, half an ounce of mace, and a
quarter of a pound of currants. Liquor when it is baked, with white wine,
butter, and sugar.
Selected from
Archimagirus Anglo-Gallicus; or, Excellent &
approved receipts and experiments in cookery.
Together with The best way of preserving.
And also, rare formes of sugar-works: according to the French mode, and English
manner.
by Sir Theodore Turquet de Mayerne (1658)
* *
* *
Hi Pete,
Keith
said thanks but no thanks, those sparrow bones keep getting caught in his teeth.
Sally
to which I replied:
Sally
I
had quite a few problems with this recipe actually… Seems like the author is
making an awful lot of assumptions about the preparation of the ingredients, as
though he was assured that the readers intending to make use of these blunt
instructions already knew what to do with the eight marrow bones, how to prepare
the sparrows. Incidentally, 18 sparrows hardly seems like enough. Doesn’t it
seem that it would probably take a bushel or two of Sparrows to slake the
appetite of the average adult. I have never de-boned a sparrow, (And don’t plan
to) but common sense says that once you remove the bones, feathers and
miscellaneous innards from a bird the only weighs a few ounces to begin with you
would probably not fill a level tablespoon. Also, once you have added a dozen
eggs, the eight marrowbones and a pound of potatoes and all that other stuff the
18 sparrows would seem to be superfluous.
He also has obviously presumed that
the average cook apparently already knew what the hell eryngoes were and what to
do with them, but I would even have trouble with some of the simpler
ingredients, how would you go about working four artichokes into a pie, seems
like there ought to be several preparatory steps made before introducing the
artichoke to the mixture. Had it occurred to me to think about it, I would have
eventually rationalized that Nutmeg in it’s natural state probably doesn’t
resemble the powder I shake into the palm of my hand when I make pumpkin pie, I
wouldn’t know a nutmeg from a pineapple let alone where I would go to get one… Also,
doesn’t it seem to you that once you have added the Lemon, Cinnamon, Nutmeg,
Mace, Clove and Pepper you could base this recipe on a cow-pie and no one would
be the wiser.
The older I grow, the more I distrust the familiar doctrine that age brings
Wisdom.
H.L. Mencken.
The Clock
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