June Week 4

It’s not what you are, it's what you don't become that hurts."

Oscar Levant

Monday June 18, 2001

I went to The Gym for the first time... there was a guy just leaving and only a customer there to watch the place... he was reprimanding a fella for not cleaning the weights off a machine. Being a little petulant about it too... Paul, the Manager, showed up about a half hour later... Paul was Mr. California for three years running... he has other titles too I imagine. Paul seems like a good guy, the Gym appears to be just breaking even. I finally got him to show me how to use some of the machines... I got a lecture on the fact that I had only paid $49.00 for three months, the $49.00 doesn't include his personal attention, i.e.; He won't spend time giving me a personal training, exercise and diet plan. He spent about 10 minutes explaining what he wasn't going to do for me... then he spent about 15 minutes telling me what to do to lose weight... I was in there for about 2 hours all told... on the treadmill most of the time.. because that was the only thing I could figure out how to use... I have a deathly phobia about looking goofy... getting on one of those contraptions backwards and hurting myself would devastating to my ego.

I thought I had just joined a Gym (He calls it a "CLUB"... I didn't know there was a Caste System... I wish I had... I think I will get my $49.00 worth and then say "Adios"... he made it clear he doesn't need me... guess I don't need him either.

I saw one of my neighbors and a lady that works at the school, Walter Hard the retired LAPD Captain (I think) - (I see him 2 or three times a day anyway) and old Fred Fate the retired local Sheriff... isn't Fred Fate a great name for a Sheriff. I wish the folks there were more sociable... there was a fella who was a Good-Ole-Boy Wannabe... he tried to keep up with Paul but came off like Wally Cox doing a Sylvester Stalone imitation.

Christy Taught from 0900 to 12:30, went to an IEP for an acquaintance from 1300 till 1430, we went to Cindy's 6th grade graduation at 1800, Christy went to a meeting at her church at 1930... I got home with the kids at 2015, Mike went to his buddy Scotty's house... been a busy day...  

Cindy's graduation is an interminable affair... It takes hours to read the names of about 150 kids, each one with a personal message from their parents... it's hot, the sun is glaring down... no place to sit...all together the affair is a trial... 

Tuesday June 19, 2001

If the aborigine drafted an IQ test, all of Western civilization would presumably flunk it.

 -Stanley Marion Garn, 

anthropologist (1922- )

Today was the last day of school... bummer... I get to sleep in a few extra minutes though... that's a blessing

Went to the Gym... I had a good work-out (by my standards) Mike came in and worked out for about 15 minutes. I took him home and went to pick up the kids, Mike took his bicycle back down to the Gym and worked out some more... When I got home with the kids the phone rang.  It was Paul from The Gym. I may have to re-evaluate ole Paul... He sort of jerked my chain today... not about me... about Mike... He called me up and did a little ole lady whine about Mike being down there by himself... Yesterday I got the lecture about me being a lowly second class $49.00 customer. Not worth his time... now the "He's is working out much too hard..."and "This isn't a Hang-out" speech  and well golly Paul... I really don't need this shit at all. I asked if he had friends down there... "nooooo" has he ever brought friends in there? "Nooooo" has he ever been in the Gym not working out? ... "Nooooo" ... Sheesh.... Paul could be a hero/mentor to Mike and be a real positive influence on his life... instead he is coming of like a petulant old man who just doesn't want to be bothered... I will try this again next week, if he doesn't treat Mike and I with a modicum of respect I will join a club somewhere else. 

I asked him if he had a WebPage... He said "No" I asked "Do you want one?"... He looked at me like I was just not tuned in, sort of dimwitted and said "I have been making a living for 30 years without a WebPage." He acted like I had asked him to bird whistles at the County Fair. He makes his "money" by working up diet plans and exercise regimens for the folks in town at $300.00 a pop... plus some sort of a $10 - $15 retainer type arrangement for being a trainer... (I think... I haven't really figured that out yet).  

I had a lot of fun playing around on this site tonight... Got to talking about the "B" Movie Westerns I used to watch when I was a kid...

I was brought up by/with Tex Ritter, William "Hopalong Cassidy" Boyd, Roy Rogers, John Wayne (as Sunset Carson), Hoot Gibson, Don "Red" Barry, Guy "Wild Bill Hickock" Madison, Clayton "The Lone Ranger" Moore, Harry Carey, Bob Steele, Randolph Scott, ... damn... they kissed their horses and rode off into the sunset... they movies were mostly all morality plays teaching chivalry, honesty, and truth ... The Bad Guy gets his just reward in the end... My kids were brought up on Cop Shows... the movies in the Sixty's where the Bad Guy won, reality shows, Anti-heroes... they probably had nothing to do with the way the kids turned out... Viet Nam on the 6:00 news was a sobering shock to the senses... I can't imagine what it would be like to be 7 - 12 years old, trying to preserve your innocence while that sort of barbarism was slapping you in the face every night.... oops... I'm digressing again... sorry...

Sure brought back memories looking at that site... there are Celluloid Cowboys there that I had forgotten about... I watched Tom Mix and a bunch of the others in the early 50's when Saturday morning TV producers were looking for stuff to put on the air... I watched Zorro and Lash LaRue Serials that were filmed in the 30's... they were still exciting.

Wednesday June 20, 2001

Grandma and Grandpa arrived to watch the kids at 0715... Christy and I took off a little before eight to take Autumn in to Children's hospital... We got all the redundant paperwork done by 0930, they gave her some medicine to make her drowsy... tasted like kerosene. She went in to surgery at 10:05 and came out at 14:44 we waited another hour in Recovery... poor little thing looked so betrayed... I felt like Judas... She looked pretty beat up... her lips and one cheek were swollen. She seemed to be awfully glad to see us... there appeared to be no pain... she was hungry and wanted to eat come chicken... 

They removed 6 teeth, 2 in front top were too badly decayed, 2 in front bottom were decayed and loose, 2 molars in back were so badly decayed they were affecting the ones underneath... Lest you thing we are neglectful parents, let it be known that we have been trying to get her teeth fixed for 3 years... Children's Hospital is the only place that would touch her the After two visits to the DMO (Our regular dentist) wasn't equipped top deal with her medical frailties, they referred us to a pediatric dentist, Autumn was too much for her too, we went to Children's, they said they could do it, they set up a date, they called us back and said Kaiser refused to pay for the anesthesiologist, they said they would do the work themselves, we said fine, the dentist they contracted with said she wouldn't need to see Autumn before hand, since she had CP cosmetics didn't matter, she would just pull all her teeth. Christy freaked out all over the Dentist... it would have been a lot funnier if it wasn't Autumn, Kaiser finally agreed to front the anesthesiologist, and then things went a little smoother... all her pain and suffering was unnecessary. Bureaucracies if there is a word that is the antithesis to efficiency, compassion, progress or intelligence it would be Bureaucracy.

Many wealthy people are little more than janitors of their possessions.

  It was a long day for us and for Autumn, Tomorrow we can rest... I think... Christy teaches and she enjoys that. I will wrangle kids till she gets home then I'll go to the gym.

Thursday June 21, 2001

Autumn is fine, she slept through the night, no apparent discomfort... She got a real haul from the Tooth Fairy... good thing she isn't old enough for a car... I probably would have bought her one... poor little kid went through a lot. I took her for a shopping spree at the 99¢ Store (Her favorite place)... she bought mostly food (surprise, surprise). I took the kids to the park they were great until the ride home... at which time they were brats. When Christy got home I went to the Gym for about an hour... I still don't know how to use all the machines... I am working on aerobics and my chest and gut... Paul. the guy that manages the place was in the hospital getting his shoulder reconstructed... he says he dropped 300 pounds on it a few years ago.

Mike called, he said he was going to go down to Valencia with Scottie's neighbors and he would be spending the night at Scotties again tonight... then his phone (conveniently) went dead... I called Scotties... no answer, I drove down to talk to him and he had already left... He is a challenge, he is only 13 and he acting like a 17 year old... his independence and  arrogance is pretty hard to deal with... Trying to corral him is really a difficult proposition, he still has a lot of residual garbage from when he was an infant to deal with... not to mention the other disabilities he has to contend with.

Friday June 22, 2001  

Every man in the world is better than someone, and not as good as someone else. 

-William Saroyan-

writer (1908-1981)

Autumn has Summer School with Mrs. Raineri her regular Kindergarten teacher. Jean Wadsworth is her Aide... that is cool. I had to buzz down to the Acton Market to get Autumn a "Lunchable".  I will buy her some lunches when I figure out how much to write the check for. 

Christian, Calie, Cindy, DaMoke and took I Dot to the Vet. Christian asked me to let him stay with Dot... I promised him I would ask the Vet... The Vet got a kick out of it...he smiled Said all over-nighters have to stay in cages... we don't have a cage big enough for you."  When we got there I looked at Cindy, she looked like she had slept in the City Dump, Calie was clean and wearing clean cloths but Christian and Da Moke didn't look much better than Cindy. Cindy was wearing the shirt she wore yesterday, it was stained with food and grubby. She seems to be totally unaware of herself physically she is pretty tuned in to how she feels but not at all concerned about how she appears to others. I feel bad for her but I have to admit to getting upset and embarrassed by her. I have enough residual paranoia to feel I am being judged too, "What sort of parent would allow his children to be seen in public like that." And they are right... up to a point. (Walk a mile in my shoes). I don't know how we are going to instill a sense of personal pride in her. 

I was preoccupied with getting Autumn to Summer School and was derelict in my duties, none of the kids had any medicine this morning and they were bonkers at the Vet.

Christy is at a conference that was supposed to last from 0900 till 12:30. but she got home at 12:10. I took off to get "B" at Devereux as soon as she got back. Cindy and Christian came with me... it is a long drive. "B" was ready when I got there and we left a few minutes later. 

"B" is very glad to be home... the house seems full when he's here... 

Saturday June 23, 2001 (I am a year older)

"Don't let what you cannot do interfere with what you can do." 

John Wooden

(Thanks Jeri)

I like this quote... I forget to think of it sometimes. Lots of folks get hung up on their weaknesses... and think of their weaknesses as just that...  

Well Hippo-Bird Day two me... Got a mess of Cyber cards today, (three) a singing voice mail from my sister, and an acttual Snail-Mail birthday card from Diane, my Financial Manager... I packed up and went to RIverside with 5 of the kids, Christy took three (One extra kid because Calie had a friend over).  We had steak and corn... lots of food... packed back on all the pounds I have spent the week losing... too bad... 

I'm Tired...

Sunday June 24, 2001  

Kindness in words creates confidence.

Kindness in thinking creates profoundness.

Kindness in giving creates love.

philosopher (6th century B.C.)

Uck... today was really Uck... I felt Uck... Drove "B" to Golita at 21:30... Mike got his butt stranded at the Palmdale Mall... I dropped him off and he promised he would be home by 1830... He called at 18:00 and said he was going to a movie with his friend Brian, the movie would end at 19:40... he called Christy at 23:15... and Christy had to wake all the kids to go get him at the Mall only to find him with two older kids who were too afraid to call their parents and needed to driven to Agua Dulce... I am glad I am not Mike... Christy will have him for lunch... "B" was pretty good... he neglected to take his meds and was a little obstinate and not thinking things through very good... We got him caught up on his medications and he did OK... We are used to telling the kids to get their medicine and having them do it... "B" is used to being handed his Medications and being supervised... we blew it... Oh well ... it was interesting to compere the Medicated "B" to the un-medicated "B"... The un-medicated "B" is not a real clear thinker... it is the same with all of the kids pretty much. The medication seems to give them the ability to weigh the consequences against their actions and the things they say... a chemically induced conscience so to speak. 

I had some stuff in my mind to write about tonight but it's 01:20 Monday and I B Tuckered... I will write tomorrow... Maybe...