June Week 2

Monday June 4, 2001

Today was a blur, I went to the Lancaster Humane Society to pay for the license's for my dogs. I hate that place... I had gotten a notice that Dot (5 months old) needed a license... I was told that we could wait until she was 6 months old... I was told wrong, it's 4 months... and they have to be spayed or neutered or it's an extra 35 bucks... 

Now, the people who work at the Pound kill animals for a living, basically speaking. For every animal they unite with a human they kill a hundred... probably more. Virtually everyone who comes to the counter lies to them about one thing or another, They are demanding (extorting) money in a surly condescending tone of voice to allow you to keep your pet... if you don't pay they take you to court or (theoretically) impound your pet and hold it hostage until you pay them the ransom, sorry, pay for the license. I handed her the forms I received in the mail for Spot, Blackie and Cocoa and the "Please don't take my dog and kill it" money. There were four pages of forms in the little packet and she went and got a fifth one...I asked her why she had to fill out a fifth form... she said "It's required" I asked innocently; "If I mailed it to you would you still have to fill out the form? She said "If you mailed it it would go to LA and no form would be needed." "So why don't you just send them to LA?, or pull them up on your computer (They have nice PC's) and mark them paid?" I asked naively. "She said "That's the way it's done, that's the way it's always been done, we can't change it." I had obviously overstepped my bounds and made her testy... she can keep that job... it sucks.

I hate dealing with those people,  they smile and are super polite, insultingly polite... "I have you firmly by the balls Mister Daggett, I am going to demean you here in front of all these people Mister Daggett, I am going to write you a ticket that will take $114.00 away from you and your family for violating an arbitrary law designed to extort money so that we can continue to harass and intimidate you. Like traffic cops... how do they sleep at night? They pick up your dogs, take them to the pound and gas them if you don't pay the ransom... wht a racket... wonder who thought of it

Tuesday June 5, 2001

 Christy is teaching every morning till Friday, she is teaching at least one night course too... We have an IEP set up for Cindy and for Autumn... I am not looking forward to it... I am feeling a little persecuted  by the schools and it seems that every visit gets a little more confrontational... I am not at my best in confrontational situations... the only way to survive that sort of situation is to be agressive at the onset... and be prepared to escalate. 

Cindy's IEP has been canceled... They deemed that participation by a representative of the school she is transitioning to to be unnecessary... At her last IEP it was agreed to by everyone at the meeting that they would be there, it is written into the IEP that they would be there... State Law demands that IEP's must be complied with...Christy is lodging a formal complaint with Sacramento... here we go again...   

Wednesday June 6, 2001

Minimum Day... Acton School and Meadowlark... Autumn has therapy... Christian was a pinhead this morning, wouldn't get up... he slept in the truck while I was in with Autumn... he was up till midnight last night. It is an aspect of AD/HD I really don't like...   

I have four first cousins I haven’t seen in over 40 years… Martha Susan Vatalaro knows two of them… After WWII the Daggett family slowly pulled apart… Physically not emotionally… an Aunt in Maine, another in Louisiana, Uncles in New Hampshire and Iowa… and Connecticut … it became logistically very difficult to get together… So I am looking for the children of my Aunts Dorothy (Martha and Jack Johnson) and Aunt Ruth (Jimmy and Christopher (Kippy) Fuller)… I have other cousins that I am in touch with but haven’t seen in an equally long time… one that I e-mail to but have never met… I have one other down in Florida but he won’t talk to me… not sure why… some history I am unaware of I presume. I just remembered that there are two other cousins, they were from my uncle Bob's first marriage...Debbie and Daniel... I have no idea where to look for them.

Thursday June 7, 2001

I took Dot in to get her infected eye fixed... poor thing is in agony... the vet couldn't find anything in it bit it is all puffed up an yucky... she got her puppy shots and we scheduled her to get degenderfied at next Wednesday at 0805 (Not 0804 or 0806)  poor thing... The vet employees are a bit bureaucratic too... I like the Vet... he is a good guy, he ordered my kids around like they were soldiers...AND THEY OBEYED!!! wish I could do that ...I have to get her fixed up before the Animal Control Nazi's come and take her off to be gassed... what a nasty job... 

Friday June 8, 2001

 I was just sitting here trying to get my day organized, the big girls were in school, Autumn was in the tub, Christian was still asleep... the phone rang, it was Mikes School (High Desert)... I knew by the tone of voice that my day was irreparably disrupted. Mike had not taken his medication... he neglected to go to "After school detention" yesterday, he smarted off to the detention room lady, refused to stay in the detention room (Opportunity Room), refused to shut up... made a general idiot out of himself. He got suspended for a day... that's right, teach the kid a lesson... send him home... The if you want to punish a kid send him home to his parents and make wreck their day.

He is over at his friends house, they are taking him to Magic Mountain tomorrow... I'm sure teaching him a lesson aren't I... it was a case of letting him go or putting up with his attitude all night... I couldn't deal with his petulance all night... so sue me.

Saturday June 9, 2001

 Mike is at Ryan's house,  Shon is over here, he spent the night and it looks like he will be spending the night again tonight... Christian and Shon have been no problem. They have been busy since about 0800, they played video games for about a half hour then they hiking, building a club house, 

 Cindy got a call about noon to spend the night over at is at Kaylee's house she is absolutely thrilled... she was so excited she was jumping up and down, This is the first time she has been invited to spend the night except at a friend of Christy's house with all the other girls... I hope this friendship lasts, she needs a friend. Cindy's problem is that she tends to smother her friendships... She tries so hard to be a good friend... too hard....she comes off as being too needy... I have been unable to cure her of this tendency, it really hurts me to see her being rejected but it's just another thing in my life I have no control over.

Mike just called, he is spending the night again... he will be going to their church again (Baptist) I asked what he would be doing he said "Learning about God and working on the building." I will probably never know what is really going on...

Christy has gone to a meeting at her church... I have Calie, Christian and his buddy, Monica and Autumn... Shon's mom is going to bring over some medicine...t the house looks like six kids had made a concerted effort to destroy it... Calie built a tent in the living-room consisting of blankets thrown over the dining room chairs... can't even walk in there... there are lots of people living more chaotic lives than I am but... damn. 

Autumn is here beside me, raiding my potato chips... she is being sneaky... like she is doing something wrong... she keeps shooting glances at me and grinning... she so 

Sunday June 10, 2001  

It was a long day, I felt a little sick... a persistent chest pain... It scared me enough to take a couple 'Nitro's' the pain did eventually go away... It was probably just indigestion but I will make an appointment to go in and see the Cardiologist anyway... 

My exercise plan has not worked out... I am just too lazy... My friend Jerry has lost 45 pounds... he is single... he lives alone... he rides bicycles and works out on his treadmill and walks... he is doing all the things I should be doing. 

We smelled smoke tonight... I drove around but I couldn't find anything... I am getting jumpy...