And in the end, the love you take is equaI to the love you make*

*Thanks again to the Beatles.


Well the year has ended and the girls are off from school. I believe Nastia did well this semester. Her grades were good, maybe not dean's list good, but it is always a struggle for her and she always works hard for her grades. Then after that, the crusher, she is not graduating this summer. She changed her major and will be short credits. In a bit of anger it was said, "Well look who was helping her pick out her classes." A dig at the probable ex-boyfriend, David. I was a little hurt to have never been asked to help her pick out her classes. I did after all go to that school.
        Now Elena, she won't be graduating in a two year time frame either. Her reason is different then Nastia's. Elena couldn't summon the inner strength to go to class and put in a good faith effort. She let her demons have free rein and they stopped her better judgment. Her and I went out to dinner on Thursday night after picking out a new radio for her car and when I asked her about her grades she said she will do better next semester. I have a feeling she failed most if not all of her classes. I told her I wouldn't yell at her and she said she knew because it was her money (loans in her name) she wasted. I believe in her doing a complete turnabout in her grades and how she acted from last semester. I've seen her do it before. When she decides to do something she will. It is inspiring and amazing.
        When she started working at Shoprite in Pearl River they wanted to make her a cashier, She didn't pass the change making part so she became a stock person. Now to become a manager's assistant she has to know how to work as a cash register. In typical Elena fashion I didn't find out until I heard her talking about it. She is such a closed book. She was over a penny after her first day. If she decides to stay at ShopRite, she'll never become rich, but she may become comfortable. It's a good union wage paying job in a time when good paying jobs are only available to people with college degrees, even with unemployment down around three and a half percent. She could do worse.
        Elena and I went to PC Richards on Thursday night to get a stereo for her car. We looked over the

stereos and I pointed out a stereo that had a place to put your phone. It cost $149. She liked it but then she saw one for $129., then one for $99. She chose the cheapest one. Her mother would have been so proud. I on the other hand would have like to listen to the units, but I think if I would have mentioned that to her I would have been speaking a foreign language. Kids nowadays don't have stereos and don't consider sound quality much. They all want to stick ear buds in their ears and block out the world as much as possible. I can't really blame them.
       The stereo was $99. The installation kit was $89. and the labor was $55. I consider that false advertising. When Bruce at sound concepts gave me a price, it was the full installation price. It was more, but there was none of this cheap stereo price, cheap labor price, then oh hey installation kit. Putting the stereo in cost more than the stereo. They will call us when the installation kit is in.
       We then went to Nanuet Restaurant. Well what passes for it these days. I used to call up in advance and order the pizzas. They don't do that now so you have to wait for the pies and in theory you'll drink more beer. In reality it most likely works. I used to go to Nanuet Restaurant, order two pies and some beer and have money left over. Granted the old Nanuet Restaurant was losing money, but their pies, even with their reduced quality are still better than the new owners. I usually go to Nanuet Hotel to get pick up. I don't eat in because their eat in section is very unappealing. The pies are light years ahead of the Restaurant. Now onto prices. Beer prices like pizza prices have gone through the roof. I remember dollar glasses of beer at the West Nyack Inn, yeah it was almost forty years ago, but does forty years justify eight dollars a glass for beer. Pizza forty years ago was six dollars for a large pie. Now for a small pie it's about fourteen dollars. Two small pies, two bottles of some German beer, three bottles of root beer with a nice tip was almost one hundred dollars. It used to be reasonable to go out for pizza and beer. I guess this all means I'm old, I'm not getting old, I'm old, F*@$&!!!!
       When I looked over the beer list, I see a vanilla beer. I asked for a sample and it okay. When no one is looking I let Elena have a sip hoping she'd say it tastes like pee. Then I'd ask her when she's tasted pee. This beer I really thought I'd get tired of after a few sips. Elena said it wasn't bad, not like the stuff I usually drink because it tastes like pee and yes I did ask her when she's tasted pee. Her reply was, "hey dad you know us don't you" I didn't dig into that. I hope letting her taste the different drinks and different beers I drink doesn't come back and bit me. I do worry about her and alcohol. Nastia says I have nothing to worry about her and alcohol. Boys are another problem. I was told by Elena that Nastia is always flirting with boys. One day I hope it doesn't get her in trouble.
         It is ten minutes to midnight on Saturday and after all this talk about pizza and beer I'd like to go out to Nanuet Restaurant of about thirty years ago when the grumpy original owner still ran the place and only knew me when I told him my name even though I was in there once a week. The pies were an hour and a half wait on a Saturday nights and I could go to the bar and drink more then two glasses of beer without feeling like I'd get sick. I'd like to go back to that time just once more to have one of Nanuet Restaurants pies.
            I do thank God for not being able to drink more then two glasses of beer because I could have become another in a line of alcoholics in my family. I hope our girls or their children don't join that line .




















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