Last night was bowling and Nastia had to go to a show at RCC for school. Our bowling team is in next to last place because I am not yet bowling well. Nastia has been in the league for three maybe four years now. She averaged about 66 or so her first year. This year, I believe she is something like 117, almost double from her start. I couldn't be happier. Elena, if she stuck with it and didn't get so angry about doing poor she could be good. She is so like me sometimes it hurts.
Teri bought Elena to therapy around 6:45. Teri said she could hear Elena yelling about something so maybe she is engaging more with her therapist. Afterwards they went to eat and pick up Halloween candy for this rainy Halloween.
Nastia and I went to RCC for the talent show about seven, just after getting some McDonalds. It consisted of interpretive dance, poetry and music. Some of it was good and other parts were not. Afterwards Nastia asked me why she had to go to these things. I told her the truth that if students and their dates or parents were not there there would be not audience. Even with the required attendance there were plenty of good seats open. The show was a little too long for the seats. The show ran two and a half hours. Starting at 7:30 and going to just a little after 10. One of the highlights of the show was one of the stage crew who had to moving the piano. He exaggerated the moving of it and was just generally a light hearted surprise.
Nastia wanted to get candy after the show, but I was tired and asked her to just go home. On the way out of RCC, Nastia reminds me to take the short cut she showed me on the way in. I guess it was a short cut. On New Hempstead Rd you take a right onto Brick Church Rd. going up to the second light and making a left, then straight to RCC. It was a short cut because there was not traffic. Taking Brick Church Rd. bought me back to my time at RCC when I went and investigated the area between classes. I also did a lot of deliveries in the area.
Thursday, October 31, 2019
Monday, October 28, 2019
Nyack Halloween Parade
Well it's that time of year again for the Nyack Halloween parade. And times are changing like they always do. In years past the four of us would drive down to meet Nancy in Nyack and we would all hang out and watch the parade. Some years the girls would dress up. For two years in a row they were lions, for two years they were vampires. We'd hang out over near the old movie theatre and other times we'd hang out at the corner of Main and Franklin. But during all the times all four of us would be there together.
This year Elena had to work. It was alright, I've really had my fill of the people at the parade and wasn't looking forward to any of it. Teri wanted to go, so since we don't do much together these days I went. Nastia was home and went with us.
Earlier in the day I was working on Elena's room (it's mostly insulated, mostly wired, about half sheet rocked) and my feet hurt, so I bought a chair. In past years a felt a little strange bringing a chair to the parade because people would move in front of me after I set up my chair and I wasn't old. Well I've started to embrace being 'older' , but not old yet. I'm started to accept that I might be getting a little grey, just like I might be going a little bald.
We left a little late for the fair, parked on Catherine street and tried to leave room for Karl who was going to go to the parade too. We walked down Catherine, down the street Teri calls lower Catherine all like usual. We join Nancy who has been down at the parade for several hours. She and some friends had set themselves up behind the barricade and had saved us some room. I wasn't going to set up my chair because I'd gone in front of some people and felt it was what I always complained about. Teri and Nancy insisted, so I did and was very glad for it. I was comfortable and had a great view toward South Broadway. Nastia was on my right and Teri stood to her right. We were late so we didn't have to wait long.
The parade was about forty-five minutes long and it was one of the best in the last few years. Maybe it was the comfortable seat or maybe it was the costumes I don't know. Floats were generally absent this year. In the past there were always several excellent ones, not this year. The parade started off with several old cars, then some fire trucks. It then graduated to kid in costumes, they then got a little older and older until the adults. The parade ended with a Santa Claus type person in a motorized wheelchair bringing up the rear. He was not in costume, but it was awful early for him too.
Saturday, October 19, 2019
Dog Fights and something else I don't remember*
* Don't worry, I'll just make something up.
I think it was Tuesday or Wednesday early morning. I'd had some trouble sleeping that night and I was in bed awake about 3:30 when Athena starts to throw up. The way we usually handle it was we push the choking dog off the bed and onto the floor where they throw up, we clean up and no dirty sheets that need to be cleaned. Well this generation of dogs are different from our first. The first generation Mosha and Kodi were friends and companions. Our current group, Athena, Bandi and Mesha aren't.
We got Athena the first summer the girls were with us in 2010. We went to some place in New Jersey about an hour away because Teri had never had a white dog.(When Teri wants something she always uses the 'I never had...) and Teri had never
had a white dog, plus it was a rescue. The four of us head down there and when we get there Athena is going to someone else. So we are looking at another dog who is less white, more brown, still the same mix. I took a picture of the dog figuring we are going to get that one. Looking at the picture, I guess the dog was black. We are walking around because the people who picked Athena are having second thoughts. Finally they decide against adopting her. We swoop in and take Athena. I think that was her name from the adoption agency. I sometimes wonder what happened to that other dog. Well we own Athena and we go out to the car. I am taking pictures of the dog and the girls. We start debating her name. I liked Athena because it reminded me of the song by The Who, Athena. For months every time Athena is called I hear in my head, "She's a bomb." *
Now Bandi was a dog adopted by June, Teri's mom in the last couple of years of her life. He was always a very cranky dog. You couldn't pick him up and he'd only accept attention on his own terms. Now over ten years later when I yell at him or
something happens like he wants to sit next to me on the foot stool and I push him off I get hurt eyes from him like how could I . He's decided that I am his buddy.
Now our last dog Mesha, not Mosha was adopted in 2014 just after I lost my job with Cream-O-Land. I didn't want to adopt her and spend $500.00. But Teri said Elena wanted a German Shefford (her accent made it come out that way or maybe she just did know it was a shepherd, I don't remember.). We debated names around. Since I was home most of the time and she looked like a little teddy bear I began calling her Bear. No one liked the name and Nancy looks up on the internet what Bear was in Russian. We didn't like that either, but in all the Russian fairy tales, bears were called Mesha. We thought Mesha, Mosha, maybe the spirit of Mosha would guide her to follow in her footsteps, didn't happen.
Well we rescue her. She is a cute dog who starts to grow and as she grows she starts to develop an attitude. Bandi never one to be intimidated never lets her dominate him. Even now when she is a hundred pounds and Bandi is about fifteen years old and fifteen pounds she cowers around him. It can be comical. When Mesha gets bigger than Athena she starts to to try to dominate her, Athena is a bit of a wimp so there has been a constant back and forth between them. In other words dog fights. The first one was a bloody affair. I was downstairs in the basement shower and I hear Teri yelling and the sounds of dogs. When I get upstairs there's blood smeared it seems everywhere. Teri's agitated voice saying I don't know who's hurt, but there's blood everywhere. It turns out no one was hurt, Mesha had bitten her own tongue.
I'm not going to talk about every fight, because there have been too many. One I want to talk about is the shock collar fight. After a while we'd gotten tired of the fights and Teri goes out and buys a shock collar. I hated it and refused to use it for a long time. Sometime after I started using it the girls were instructed to use it when the dogs get into a fight. They do and Mesha interrupts the shock as Athena fighting back and when the fight was over Athena was covered in small nicks and scratches. It was the worst fight.
Most of the time I was always the one who seemed to come out the worst. I've had cuts on my arms, my leg and one of my hands. I am always getting in the middle of the fights to grab a collar and pull one dog off the other (Mesha off Athen, Mesha always wins) One time I missed a collar and I saw one of the dogs mouths coming towards my hand (the hand injury). That was an award winning move on my part.
Well back to the fight. It's three-thirty in the morning Teri and I are both trying to push a gagging Athena off the bed. Mesha gets up to see what is going on and we push Athena right into Mesha's face and a fight breaks out. I have learned over the years to use Teri's advise. She said to grab hind legs and pull. So over the last few years I grab Mesha's hind legs and pull or throw her away from the fight. Of course Athena follows and stupid me puts out a leg to stop her (the leg injury) it hasn't stopped me from still doing it In this fight I seperate them and I think they start up again and end up in the hallway. I throw Mesha into the bedroom and Teri slams the door. Things calm down and now it is time for the weird part. Mesha always has to go back over to Athena and check her out. And Athena then proceeds to energetically lick Mesha's face. The longer we keep them apart the more insistent and agitated Mesha become.
The fight is over and now try going back to sleep. Mesha is on the bed with Athena, Teri and I. Finally Mesha leaves and thing calm down and sleep starts to come just as the alarm goes off.
* Athena
I think it was Tuesday or Wednesday early morning. I'd had some trouble sleeping that night and I was in bed awake about 3:30 when Athena starts to throw up. The way we usually handle it was we push the choking dog off the bed and onto the floor where they throw up, we clean up and no dirty sheets that need to be cleaned. Well this generation of dogs are different from our first. The first generation Mosha and Kodi were friends and companions. Our current group, Athena, Bandi and Mesha aren't.
We got Athena the first summer the girls were with us in 2010. We went to some place in New Jersey about an hour away because Teri had never had a white dog.(When Teri wants something she always uses the 'I never had...) and Teri had never
Now Bandi was a dog adopted by June, Teri's mom in the last couple of years of her life. He was always a very cranky dog. You couldn't pick him up and he'd only accept attention on his own terms. Now over ten years later when I yell at him or
Now our last dog Mesha, not Mosha was adopted in 2014 just after I lost my job with Cream-O-Land. I didn't want to adopt her and spend $500.00. But Teri said Elena wanted a German Shefford (her accent made it come out that way or maybe she just did know it was a shepherd, I don't remember.). We debated names around. Since I was home most of the time and she looked like a little teddy bear I began calling her Bear. No one liked the name and Nancy looks up on the internet what Bear was in Russian. We didn't like that either, but in all the Russian fairy tales, bears were called Mesha. We thought Mesha, Mosha, maybe the spirit of Mosha would guide her to follow in her footsteps, didn't happen.
I'm not going to talk about every fight, because there have been too many. One I want to talk about is the shock collar fight. After a while we'd gotten tired of the fights and Teri goes out and buys a shock collar. I hated it and refused to use it for a long time. Sometime after I started using it the girls were instructed to use it when the dogs get into a fight. They do and Mesha interrupts the shock as Athena fighting back and when the fight was over Athena was covered in small nicks and scratches. It was the worst fight.
Most of the time I was always the one who seemed to come out the worst. I've had cuts on my arms, my leg and one of my hands. I am always getting in the middle of the fights to grab a collar and pull one dog off the other (Mesha off Athen, Mesha always wins) One time I missed a collar and I saw one of the dogs mouths coming towards my hand (the hand injury). That was an award winning move on my part.
Well back to the fight. It's three-thirty in the morning Teri and I are both trying to push a gagging Athena off the bed. Mesha gets up to see what is going on and we push Athena right into Mesha's face and a fight breaks out. I have learned over the years to use Teri's advise. She said to grab hind legs and pull. So over the last few years I grab Mesha's hind legs and pull or throw her away from the fight. Of course Athena follows and stupid me puts out a leg to stop her (the leg injury) it hasn't stopped me from still doing it In this fight I seperate them and I think they start up again and end up in the hallway. I throw Mesha into the bedroom and Teri slams the door. Things calm down and now it is time for the weird part. Mesha always has to go back over to Athena and check her out. And Athena then proceeds to energetically lick Mesha's face. The longer we keep them apart the more insistent and agitated Mesha become.
The fight is over and now try going back to sleep. Mesha is on the bed with Athena, Teri and I. Finally Mesha leaves and thing calm down and sleep starts to come just as the alarm goes off.
* Athena
I had no idea how much I need her
In peaceful times I hold her close and I feed her
My heart starts palpitating
When I think my guess was wrong
But I think I'll get alone
She's just a girl
She's a bomb
In peaceful times I hold her close and I feed her
My heart starts palpitating
When I think my guess was wrong
But I think I'll get alone
She's just a girl
She's a bomb
Athena
All I ever want to do is please her
My life has been so settled
And she's the reason
Just one word from her
And my troubles are long gone
But I think I'll get along
She's just a girl
She's a bomb
She's a bomb
Just a girl, just a girl
Just a girl, just a girl
Just a girl, just a girl
She's just a girl
All I ever want to do is please her
My life has been so settled
And she's the reasonJust one word from her
And my troubles are long gone
But I think I'll get along
She's just a girl
She's a bomb
She's a bomb
Just a girl, just a girl
Just a girl, just a girl
Just a girl, just a girl
She's just a girl
Athena
My heart felt like a shattered glass in an acid bath
I felt like one of those flattened ants
You find on a crazy path
I'd have stopped myself to give her time
She didn't need to ask
Was I a suicidal psychopath
She's just a girl
She's a bomb
She's just…
I guess I didn't remember that other thing.
My heart felt like a shattered glass in an acid bath
I felt like one of those flattened ants
You find on a crazy path
I'd have stopped myself to give her time
She didn't need to ask
Was I a suicidal psychopath
She's just a girl
She's a bomb
She's just…
I guess I didn't remember that other thing.
Saturday, October 12, 2019
Nastia and Elena's great adventure*
* yeah, like the movie, Bill and Ted's excellent adventure, well it sorta is.
A few weeks ago Nastia and Elena separately tell Teri and I that they are going to Great Adventure on Yom Kippur.I thought it was an odd way to celebrate the jewish holiday (that's a joke, I'm told you don't celebrate Yom Kippur, you atone for your sins and I can't think of a better way to atone for your sins then to go to the poor man's Disney World. Another joke.). They were going with Jessica and her mom and they were going to try to use passes Jessica's family had for the place. If it didn't work out it would have cost $80.00 per person to get in. Remember this is the poor man's Disney, except they, Great Adventure don't know it and try to charge like you're in Florida. It's October, so fright fest is going on there, except it is a jewish holiday and they weren't having it. I guess all the ghosts and goblins are jewish. I don't remember giving it much thought because it was several weeks away. This suddenly it wasn't. For a brief moment I considered telling them I didn't want them to go. It is still difficult to let them go and do things. Everytime they walk out the door I hope it is not the last time I see them or they don't get into an accident. I just don't know how my parents did it. There were four of us and three of us were in too many car accidents and my sister got divorced from an abusive man. I don't know too much about that. Anyway, it is tough watching your kids go out into the world and know you can't protect them and you really shouldn't try to stop them too much. Keep a good hazy line so when your fright is up you can say, "Well the weather is bad or it's too cold out to go." they have a tough time arguing about it.
At some point I just put it in God's hands (it's funny how easy it is to believe in God at times like this) and give the girls the best advice I have, bring a jacket it is going to rain and get windy, which I did. Teri taught me to say be careful everytime they go out the door. My fears of what will happen out there are all mind from when I was out there and all the stupid things I did out there.
The morning of their trip,they had slept over Jessica's the night before after seeing the movie 'IT part 2' I saw it the night before and it was good. So Teri and I are sending all the texts any parent would send, you know, have a good time, be safe, bring a sweater, don't take any wooden nickels, yeah, that last one doesn't really apply any more, at least since the 1800's. Any how again they head out at some time in the morning. I was going to say early, but these are my daughters.
Sometime around three in the afternoon I ask them to take a picture. I really wanted several, but I didn't want to be a pain about it. So a little while later I got a really great picture.
We don't hear from them again until they step in the door around seven or eight that night. I was a little surprised they were home that early. The park didn't close until eight and it is a two hour drive about to get home. Nastia comes in and sits down, Elena stands at the doorway to the family room. They are asked how was it and we get a it was fun. We push for a little more information and get, it was fun, it rained, we got wet. I ask if they went on that roller coaster that goes up and down like a zipper. They go, "oh, King da kah, no it was closed." While writing this I find out the roller coaster in the background of the picture is the Batman roller coaster. So I guess they had a good time, it rained and they got wet.
ll
A few weeks ago Nastia and Elena separately tell Teri and I that they are going to Great Adventure on Yom Kippur.I thought it was an odd way to celebrate the jewish holiday (that's a joke, I'm told you don't celebrate Yom Kippur, you atone for your sins and I can't think of a better way to atone for your sins then to go to the poor man's Disney World. Another joke.). They were going with Jessica and her mom and they were going to try to use passes Jessica's family had for the place. If it didn't work out it would have cost $80.00 per person to get in. Remember this is the poor man's Disney, except they, Great Adventure don't know it and try to charge like you're in Florida. It's October, so fright fest is going on there, except it is a jewish holiday and they weren't having it. I guess all the ghosts and goblins are jewish. I don't remember giving it much thought because it was several weeks away. This suddenly it wasn't. For a brief moment I considered telling them I didn't want them to go. It is still difficult to let them go and do things. Everytime they walk out the door I hope it is not the last time I see them or they don't get into an accident. I just don't know how my parents did it. There were four of us and three of us were in too many car accidents and my sister got divorced from an abusive man. I don't know too much about that. Anyway, it is tough watching your kids go out into the world and know you can't protect them and you really shouldn't try to stop them too much. Keep a good hazy line so when your fright is up you can say, "Well the weather is bad or it's too cold out to go." they have a tough time arguing about it.
At some point I just put it in God's hands (it's funny how easy it is to believe in God at times like this) and give the girls the best advice I have, bring a jacket it is going to rain and get windy, which I did. Teri taught me to say be careful everytime they go out the door. My fears of what will happen out there are all mind from when I was out there and all the stupid things I did out there.
The morning of their trip,they had slept over Jessica's the night before after seeing the movie 'IT part 2' I saw it the night before and it was good. So Teri and I are sending all the texts any parent would send, you know, have a good time, be safe, bring a sweater, don't take any wooden nickels, yeah, that last one doesn't really apply any more, at least since the 1800's. Any how again they head out at some time in the morning. I was going to say early, but these are my daughters.
Sometime around three in the afternoon I ask them to take a picture. I really wanted several, but I didn't want to be a pain about it. So a little while later I got a really great picture.
We don't hear from them again until they step in the door around seven or eight that night. I was a little surprised they were home that early. The park didn't close until eight and it is a two hour drive about to get home. Nastia comes in and sits down, Elena stands at the doorway to the family room. They are asked how was it and we get a it was fun. We push for a little more information and get, it was fun, it rained, we got wet. I ask if they went on that roller coaster that goes up and down like a zipper. They go, "oh, King da kah, no it was closed." While writing this I find out the roller coaster in the background of the picture is the Batman roller coaster. So I guess they had a good time, it rained and they got wet.ll
Friday, October 11, 2019
Elena's Room pt3
I bet you thought I had forgotten that I was going to add more about Elena's room, well I haven't. I work on it as much as I can. Getting home after 5:30 at night during the week does limit the amount of work I can do during the week. And on the weekends if we go out I can only work on the room for a few hours. With all that said here is where I've gotten to.
In the last post about her bedroom I'd gotten the wall all down and most of the wiring done. I left the wire for the outlet on the wall of the closet hanging. I still had the wiring for the light and the heater to redo.
Elena and I started to do the insulation on the eastern wall where the closet is to go. I felt I should do as much as possible in that area so I could build out the closet before I finished the rest of the
room, Don't ask me why, it just felt like that was the right thing to do, so I did it. The whole eastern wall is insulated, like I said and one Saturday morning I finish all the little odds and ends that are overlooked like areas around the window where the weights used to hang needed insulation. A wire for the outside lights that years ago I ran poorly was rerun. I moved a joist in the ceiling that was around the old chimney to against the eastern wall. I moved it three times because it was crooked or not level with something. Finally I just nailed it to the wall so it was level with the ceiling. It wasn't pretty, most likely not the way it is supposed to go, but when I do the floor above Elena's room with plywood, I'll make it better. Now for the sheetrock.
I put a two by four high up on the wall near the ceiling leaving enough space to slide a piece of sheet rock in, I then get my extension bar. The one I used to use on my truck to stop goods from sliding off the shelves and lastly I measure and cut the piece of sheet rock. I put my pole near me and lift the piece of sheet rock toward the ceiling. The sheetrock is surprisingly light. I pulled two pieces from the garage the other day and carried them in one by one in the front and they didn't seem so light, but this one is. It slides into the gap I created with the scrap piece of two by four. I hold the sheetrock in place with one hand, I'm feeling like I'm young again. I got this all by myself, no problem. I reach for the extension bar to support the sheetrock against the ceiling when it expands and gets caught. I can't get the bar loose, I'm jiggling it, trying all the tricks in the book, but it is not coming loose. The sheetrock is starting to get heavy. Teri walks by and casually asks if I need help. For a moment I think nah, I got this, then I remember I'm not that thirty-five year old kid any more and I invite her in. She grabs the bar from me and unsticks it. I take it back and start to push the sheetrock toward the ceiling. Teri points toward something behind me and on the ceiling, I don't care victory is in sight. I set the bar in place and look where she is pointing. The ceiling fan which I always intended to take down, one of the blades are stuck under the sheetrock. I'm wasn't going to let victory go, so I manage to slide the blade out without any damage. Teri says I should have taken the ceiling light down. I tell her it was on my
list, but it gives off so much light. And yes before any more ceiling is done it is coming down.
In the last post about her bedroom I'd gotten the wall all down and most of the wiring done. I left the wire for the outlet on the wall of the closet hanging. I still had the wiring for the light and the heater to redo.
Elena and I started to do the insulation on the eastern wall where the closet is to go. I felt I should do as much as possible in that area so I could build out the closet before I finished the rest of the
Wednesday, September 25, 2019
Is college good for the girls?
I don't mean in the sense that it gives them more time to grow up and it gives them more independence and eventually a degree, no I mean in the sense of how much closer they have become since the start of the school year. They have two classes together at RCC and they spend time hanging out together at school, I think.
When they came over in 2009 they were best friends. They did everything together. They'd sleep together, sometimes in the same bed, they'd hang out all the time together. At night you'd get that noisy happy chatter from their room and you just knew they were happy spending time together.
Then something changed. I didn't recognise it when it started, I only noticed it when it was pointed out. It was like seeing someone who's got new glasses, but you really don't know what the change is until it is pointed out to you. Then it is the only thing you can look at the rest of the day and wonder how did I miss that.
One morning Elena is sleeping in her bed in her room, she has moved out of the room they share and into her room. She'd been given the room a while ago. She kept her clothes there, but one morning you wake up and you find her sleeping in her room. It didn't seem like a big deal at the time. Eventually she moved back into her sister's room. Then she'd move back out when her aunt Nancy would stay over on Saturdays.
During the back bedroom construction, which is still going on slowly, but going on, full update soon. Elena has been in her sister's room. Just recently I noticed Elena was sleeping in the big bed from the back bedroom with Nastia. And last night I heard the two of them talking and laughing from down stairs. It was like old times. I went to bed late, around midnight and they were still going on. I said good night and they got quiet and went to sleep, again in the same bed. Elena still will be short tempered with Nastia and tell her to shut up, but right now they are acting like best friends again. I know if I ask Teri she'll say they are just being girls and not to worry they will go back to acting like they hate each other real soon.
When they came over in 2009 they were best friends. They did everything together. They'd sleep together, sometimes in the same bed, they'd hang out all the time together. At night you'd get that noisy happy chatter from their room and you just knew they were happy spending time together.
Then something changed. I didn't recognise it when it started, I only noticed it when it was pointed out. It was like seeing someone who's got new glasses, but you really don't know what the change is until it is pointed out to you. Then it is the only thing you can look at the rest of the day and wonder how did I miss that.
One morning Elena is sleeping in her bed in her room, she has moved out of the room they share and into her room. She'd been given the room a while ago. She kept her clothes there, but one morning you wake up and you find her sleeping in her room. It didn't seem like a big deal at the time. Eventually she moved back into her sister's room. Then she'd move back out when her aunt Nancy would stay over on Saturdays.
During the back bedroom construction, which is still going on slowly, but going on, full update soon. Elena has been in her sister's room. Just recently I noticed Elena was sleeping in the big bed from the back bedroom with Nastia. And last night I heard the two of them talking and laughing from down stairs. It was like old times. I went to bed late, around midnight and they were still going on. I said good night and they got quiet and went to sleep, again in the same bed. Elena still will be short tempered with Nastia and tell her to shut up, but right now they are acting like best friends again. I know if I ask Teri she'll say they are just being girls and not to worry they will go back to acting like they hate each other real soon.
Thursday, September 19, 2019
I think I still have two daughters
Well College has been going on for the past few weeks and the girls have adapted to it very well. Elena gets up very early on Monday, Wednesday and Friday about ten to six, dresses and is out of the house before I am out of bed at 6:10. Yes I do go back to bed after I help get the dogs outside, but it counts, I'm up at 6:10.
Nastia on those days is going in early too, sometimes, even though she doesn't have class that early. She hangs out with friends and so far both have kept out of trouble. I haven't been able to remember their schedule except for the days Elena needs to go in early. Their night class on Thursday seems to be working out, I remember it mostly. I suggested to Nastia last semester that she might want to take a night class. Her reaction was, "Go to school at night, I don't think so!" But when her sister and her got into a class with a teacher that had a reputation for being very tough, they switched their class together to Thursday nights. The class is called introduction to multiculturalism. Living in metro New York you should be able to teach a master class in it.
With all this running around for school they still have work. They both work on the weekends and some nights during the week. With both being college students they also feel they should be able to go out during the week. Teri and I have really tried to accommodate them. Elena is working until nine and texts says she wants to hang out after work with Jasmine and will be home before midnight. When I see those texts I quietly chuckle and text her back be home by ten. I know it's unfair, but so is her staying out until sometime before midnight. And I know she is just testing us and flexing her wings preparing to fly on her own. Me texting ten pm is also a negotiating point for her to counter how about eleven? Eleven, that's ok. Nastia says Elena talks about when she is twenty she will tell us when she will be home and not ask. Sometimes I fall for the bait Nastia lays at my feet. I rant a little bit about how it is mine and Teri's house and our house, our rules. Then I calm down and remember I need to wait until it actually happens.
Life is not really boring I guess and it could always be worse. Not that this is bad. It's really rather easy. When I look back on it all after the girls have moved out and I am writing about them from a distance, I'll miss these times. When I get melancholy like this all I have to do is remember that Nastia has said she is in no hurry to go anywhere. So I guess when she marries David she's expecting to move in here. I don't know whether to laugh or be afraid.
I forgot that last week was the tenth anniversary of the girls being adopted by us. We want to take them to a Russian Restaurant, but all of them seem to be in Manhattan or Brooklyn. Maybe not.
/
Nastia on those days is going in early too, sometimes, even though she doesn't have class that early. She hangs out with friends and so far both have kept out of trouble. I haven't been able to remember their schedule except for the days Elena needs to go in early. Their night class on Thursday seems to be working out, I remember it mostly. I suggested to Nastia last semester that she might want to take a night class. Her reaction was, "Go to school at night, I don't think so!" But when her sister and her got into a class with a teacher that had a reputation for being very tough, they switched their class together to Thursday nights. The class is called introduction to multiculturalism. Living in metro New York you should be able to teach a master class in it.
With all this running around for school they still have work. They both work on the weekends and some nights during the week. With both being college students they also feel they should be able to go out during the week. Teri and I have really tried to accommodate them. Elena is working until nine and texts says she wants to hang out after work with Jasmine and will be home before midnight. When I see those texts I quietly chuckle and text her back be home by ten. I know it's unfair, but so is her staying out until sometime before midnight. And I know she is just testing us and flexing her wings preparing to fly on her own. Me texting ten pm is also a negotiating point for her to counter how about eleven? Eleven, that's ok. Nastia says Elena talks about when she is twenty she will tell us when she will be home and not ask. Sometimes I fall for the bait Nastia lays at my feet. I rant a little bit about how it is mine and Teri's house and our house, our rules. Then I calm down and remember I need to wait until it actually happens.
Life is not really boring I guess and it could always be worse. Not that this is bad. It's really rather easy. When I look back on it all after the girls have moved out and I am writing about them from a distance, I'll miss these times. When I get melancholy like this all I have to do is remember that Nastia has said she is in no hurry to go anywhere. So I guess when she marries David she's expecting to move in here. I don't know whether to laugh or be afraid.
I forgot that last week was the tenth anniversary of the girls being adopted by us. We want to take them to a Russian Restaurant, but all of them seem to be in Manhattan or Brooklyn. Maybe not.
/
Monday, September 9, 2019
Hopefully it's still early
Hopefully it is still early. Over the weekend the Yankees won and look to be going to the playoff, On the other hand, the Jets and Giants lost in poor fashion and don't look to be going anywhere in the early going.
My Daughters on the other hand are scaring me. Elena, I am told hates school which has caused me to look closer at her this morning. I hugged her a little too long and a little too tightly when I told her to have a good day. I wasn't inspired by her monotoned reply. I guess Teri and I will be having a sit down with her to see how she is doing in school and if Elena will open up a little, how she is doing in life. If it wasn't for Nastia I'd know nothing about what is going on in Elena's life.
When I was in therapy I was the same way. It's no fun being in therapy and it is even less fun looking in from the outside not knowing what is going on inside.
I know she suffered several severe tramas in the orphanage in Russia. I know that because early on when at a very young age she said she'd had....well let's just say she didn't know the significance of what she had said. She was very young and now that she is older what happened is coming home to eat at her and she needs to talk about it and let it bleed a little. It will cleanse the soul, I know it works. I wish she could read this and believe in it. I saw her after therapy last Wednesday. Her eyes seemed like they had seen tears recently. I asked her if she was all right and of course she said she was fine. She'd never admit to a weakness. God no she must always project strength so no one can hurt her. That is why when I make her cry I feel so bad. Sometimes I forget how delicate like fine china she really is on the inside and how everything that she has constructed to face the world can fall apart so easily if the right person hits it.
I once asked Nastia to go into therapy, I got a heck no! really it was a hell no! either way she said she has buried her trauma from the orphanage, which is the same trauma, I think as Elena's and has decided to live her life happy.
Nastia was at the dinner table with Teri and I last night. The Golden Dragon in Nanuet is closed on Sundays, for family time, so we went to a place on Rt 59 in Central Nyack for our chinese food. I don't remember what we were talking about but Nastia says that when she and David get married David wants to bring his mother over to America. All well and good. I think then someone says and she is going to live with you and David ? Nastia then says, "Well I'll have no choice, it's his mother." What then follows is several minutes of Teri and I yelling at her that she is not a possession and she should rank above his mother in importance and she has got to start valuing herself more and it went on and on for a little too long. Teri and I are scared that Nastia will get herself into a situation where she will have no choice but to stay in because she will be unable to support herself. We keep hitting her over the head with this one fact; you need to be able to support yourself without the help of a man. Whether he leaves you or you leave him or even if he dies you don't want to be staring at a checkbook and a pile of bills wondering how am I going to make this work? To be happier in life you need to feel secure in that one thing, you can take care of yourself. She doesn't care or maybe realize how important that one thing is. Life is not easy and it will throw you few breaks. The opportunity for an education and the ability to earn more money is one of the breaks that shouldn't be overlooked because you hate school and think David will take care of you. God help them both.
It's a few days later. Elena got home from work and I call her into the living room. I'm trying to be upbeat and not reveal what I know and what I want to learn. Teri is on the couch, Nastia is sitting on my lap in the chair. I ask Elena how was her day, a real soft ball question. It's nice and round and easy to hit. She says and I quote, "it's fine" I ask her who was school, again, "it's fine" I ask what did you do, what classes did you have? I'm probing for an opening and not seeing one. Nastia then as if on cue says, "did you change your English class?"
I hadn't known she was changing her english class until Monday night when Nastia and I went out to dinner at The Hard Wok. She told me Elena was changing her English class to another English class that had Jasmine in it. I got very angry and started a short tirade about how I'd don't like Jasmine and how everytime she shows up Elena's mood seems to change for the worse. Rightly or wrongly I blame Jasmine. I guess that is wrong, I don't really even know her, I'm just worried about Elena.
Elena's answer to the question of moving to another English is answered with a turse, "I couldn't, it was filled."
Teri joins in with why is she changing English classes. Elena's response is the teacher has an Irish accent and Elena can't stand it. Teri says how she likes Irish accents and then does one.
I get serious for a moment and ask Elena if she likes school? She says, "No" I then tell her she can quit if she wants, Teri says she'd then need a full time job, I agree. To my surprise, just a bit she says no she is not going to quit. I allows myself a brief moment of hope and joy. Maybe she'll slog her way through school hating every or most moments, or maybe she'll grow to at least tolerate it and then graduate to a decent job somewhere and take care of her sister who will still be looking for someone to do that. That's just a joke Nastia, don't be angry. I'll always be there to do it, you won't have to look. Another joke.
/
My Daughters on the other hand are scaring me. Elena, I am told hates school which has caused me to look closer at her this morning. I hugged her a little too long and a little too tightly when I told her to have a good day. I wasn't inspired by her monotoned reply. I guess Teri and I will be having a sit down with her to see how she is doing in school and if Elena will open up a little, how she is doing in life. If it wasn't for Nastia I'd know nothing about what is going on in Elena's life.
When I was in therapy I was the same way. It's no fun being in therapy and it is even less fun looking in from the outside not knowing what is going on inside.
I know she suffered several severe tramas in the orphanage in Russia. I know that because early on when at a very young age she said she'd had....well let's just say she didn't know the significance of what she had said. She was very young and now that she is older what happened is coming home to eat at her and she needs to talk about it and let it bleed a little. It will cleanse the soul, I know it works. I wish she could read this and believe in it. I saw her after therapy last Wednesday. Her eyes seemed like they had seen tears recently. I asked her if she was all right and of course she said she was fine. She'd never admit to a weakness. God no she must always project strength so no one can hurt her. That is why when I make her cry I feel so bad. Sometimes I forget how delicate like fine china she really is on the inside and how everything that she has constructed to face the world can fall apart so easily if the right person hits it.
I once asked Nastia to go into therapy, I got a heck no! really it was a hell no! either way she said she has buried her trauma from the orphanage, which is the same trauma, I think as Elena's and has decided to live her life happy.
Nastia was at the dinner table with Teri and I last night. The Golden Dragon in Nanuet is closed on Sundays, for family time, so we went to a place on Rt 59 in Central Nyack for our chinese food. I don't remember what we were talking about but Nastia says that when she and David get married David wants to bring his mother over to America. All well and good. I think then someone says and she is going to live with you and David ? Nastia then says, "Well I'll have no choice, it's his mother." What then follows is several minutes of Teri and I yelling at her that she is not a possession and she should rank above his mother in importance and she has got to start valuing herself more and it went on and on for a little too long. Teri and I are scared that Nastia will get herself into a situation where she will have no choice but to stay in because she will be unable to support herself. We keep hitting her over the head with this one fact; you need to be able to support yourself without the help of a man. Whether he leaves you or you leave him or even if he dies you don't want to be staring at a checkbook and a pile of bills wondering how am I going to make this work? To be happier in life you need to feel secure in that one thing, you can take care of yourself. She doesn't care or maybe realize how important that one thing is. Life is not easy and it will throw you few breaks. The opportunity for an education and the ability to earn more money is one of the breaks that shouldn't be overlooked because you hate school and think David will take care of you. God help them both.
It's a few days later. Elena got home from work and I call her into the living room. I'm trying to be upbeat and not reveal what I know and what I want to learn. Teri is on the couch, Nastia is sitting on my lap in the chair. I ask Elena how was her day, a real soft ball question. It's nice and round and easy to hit. She says and I quote, "it's fine" I ask her who was school, again, "it's fine" I ask what did you do, what classes did you have? I'm probing for an opening and not seeing one. Nastia then as if on cue says, "did you change your English class?"
I hadn't known she was changing her english class until Monday night when Nastia and I went out to dinner at The Hard Wok. She told me Elena was changing her English class to another English class that had Jasmine in it. I got very angry and started a short tirade about how I'd don't like Jasmine and how everytime she shows up Elena's mood seems to change for the worse. Rightly or wrongly I blame Jasmine. I guess that is wrong, I don't really even know her, I'm just worried about Elena.
Elena's answer to the question of moving to another English is answered with a turse, "I couldn't, it was filled."
Teri joins in with why is she changing English classes. Elena's response is the teacher has an Irish accent and Elena can't stand it. Teri says how she likes Irish accents and then does one.
I get serious for a moment and ask Elena if she likes school? She says, "No" I then tell her she can quit if she wants, Teri says she'd then need a full time job, I agree. To my surprise, just a bit she says no she is not going to quit. I allows myself a brief moment of hope and joy. Maybe she'll slog her way through school hating every or most moments, or maybe she'll grow to at least tolerate it and then graduate to a decent job somewhere and take care of her sister who will still be looking for someone to do that. That's just a joke Nastia, don't be angry. I'll always be there to do it, you won't have to look. Another joke.
/
Tuesday, September 3, 2019
First Day of School 2019
I'm the first to admit, except to my wife that I don't like change. Starting last night unknown to me I started preparing for today. Last night I kept getting asked if I was angry, I wasn't and I said so. I went to bed last night and it wasn't an awful sleep, but compared to others this summer, it wasn't great.
This morning I'm lying in bed sometime before six. I hurt all over (bad mattress, not old age?) I don't open my eyes because that will make it morning. I don't want it to come. There is a song first sung by Billie Holiday in 1936, then around 1960 by Ella Fitzgerald, I think, it's summertime and the livin is easy. Well I just need summertime to continue a little while longer. It came late this year and didn't get hot enough for a long enough time. Plus I don't want to face another September. Septembers are ok months usually warm , not too hot, but they are followed by all those other months I'm less in love with. And then there is the fact that this September both girls are going off to college together for the first time. I wrote about it a little before, but now it hits me a little harder when I see them both going to one of there cars to drive off to college. We've only had them ten years, they should be ten or so and in fifth grade like the year we got them.
I've heard them talking about moving out. I know it is only talk, but one day it will happen and like being a grandfather, I'm not going to be ready for it. It's all too soon.
I took the traditional first day of school photo. In the Kitchen, I'd almost forgotten to take it. I had to call them back. I jumped to get the camera and to my surprise they come back and tolerated my photo taking. They even look happy, sort of. There smiles are a little and show no teeth. I take the photos in the kitchen. They tolerate me taking several with patients and good humor. In the background the two paper gingerbread figures that have been on the wall almost as long as the banner had been up, ten years have gone by so so quickly. I can't believe it.
This morning I'm lying in bed sometime before six. I hurt all over (bad mattress, not old age?) I don't open my eyes because that will make it morning. I don't want it to come. There is a song first sung by Billie Holiday in 1936, then around 1960 by Ella Fitzgerald, I think, it's summertime and the livin is easy. Well I just need summertime to continue a little while longer. It came late this year and didn't get hot enough for a long enough time. Plus I don't want to face another September. Septembers are ok months usually warm , not too hot, but they are followed by all those other months I'm less in love with. And then there is the fact that this September both girls are going off to college together for the first time. I wrote about it a little before, but now it hits me a little harder when I see them both going to one of there cars to drive off to college. We've only had them ten years, they should be ten or so and in fifth grade like the year we got them.
I've heard them talking about moving out. I know it is only talk, but one day it will happen and like being a grandfather, I'm not going to be ready for it. It's all too soon.
I took the traditional first day of school photo. In the Kitchen, I'd almost forgotten to take it. I had to call them back. I jumped to get the camera and to my surprise they come back and tolerated my photo taking. They even look happy, sort of. There smiles are a little and show no teeth. I take the photos in the kitchen. They tolerate me taking several with patients and good humor. In the background the two paper gingerbread figures that have been on the wall almost as long as the banner had been up, ten years have gone by so so quickly. I can't believe it.
Lyrics
Summertime, and the livin' is easy
Fish are jumpin' and the cotton is high
Oh, your daddy's rich and your ma is good-lookin'
So hush, little baby, don't you cry
Fish are jumpin' and the cotton is high
Oh, your daddy's rich and your ma is good-lookin'
So hush, little baby, don't you cry
One of these mornings you're gonna rise up singing
And you'll spread your wings and you'll take to the sky
But till that morning, there ain't nothin' can harm you
With daddy and mammy standin' by
And you'll spread your wings and you'll take to the sky
But till that morning, there ain't nothin' can harm you
With daddy and mammy standin' by
One of these mornings you're gonna rise up singing
And you'll spread your wings and you'll take to the sky
But till that morning, there ain't nothin' can harm you
With daddy and mammy standin' by
And you'll spread your wings and you'll take to the sky
But till that morning, there ain't nothin' can harm you
With daddy and mammy standin' by
Summertime, and the livin' is easy
Fish are jumpin' and the cotton is high
Oh, your daddy's rich and your ma is good-lookin'
So hush, little baby, don't you cry
Fish are jumpin' and the cotton is high
Oh, your daddy's rich and your ma is good-lookin'
So hush, little baby, don't you cry
Source: LyricFind
Songwriters: Du Bose Heyward / George Gershwin / Ira Gershwin
Summertime lyrics © T-Series
Sunday, September 1, 2019
September 1, 2019 a wandering thought or two
It's the beginning of a new month. But even more than that it is a day and a half before the start of school for the girls. Elena is starting her first year and Nastia is starting her second year of college. We have high hope for the both. We have also tempered our dreams with the reality that anything could happen. Elena could do well if she wants to. Nastia will do good, but will she not want to go on with school after this year. She says she hates school. I have told the both of them not to grow up too quickly because just like the song Toyland* a Christmas song I grew up with once you leave you can never return. Adulthood seems like the ultimate goal of the game. It is not, surviving as you get older becomes the goal . And helping those that are not going to make it without help to survive. I don't know what they see as the goal line, even the near term goal line.
They start school, RCC together for the first time. The danger girls are taking two classes together. When they first came to America having them together was a recipe for them both getting thrown out., summer camp, Gymnastic camp, Russian school. You've read the stories, you know how it plays out. They are taking two classes together. I think self defence and a night class. Self defence, anything could happen. The night class will they be good or will the late hour, the freedom and being out later in the evening thinking they are mature and grown up go to their heads. Will see.
Life is different now then when we first got them. It will be ten years ago (September 8th?) we went to Russia to get them soon. Those two skinny forty pound kids have grown up into two amazing almost adults. I say almost because sometimes they are so good and responsible and then there are those other times. I guess we all go through it. Well here's to an new month, the start of new adventures and let's hope a new job for Teri and maybe one for me. I'd like to keep working until I can't, but not because I have too, you know what I mean.Teri would like to stop and do something she likes instead of doing what she has to. Let's hope all our dreams come true.
You're too!
Written by Victor Herbert and Glen MacDonough, this whimsical song about a magical land filled with toys for girls and boys debuted in the 1903 operetta Babes In Toyland, a popular Christmas-themed extravaganza with a cast of Mother Goose characters.
They start school, RCC together for the first time. The danger girls are taking two classes together. When they first came to America having them together was a recipe for them both getting thrown out., summer camp, Gymnastic camp, Russian school. You've read the stories, you know how it plays out. They are taking two classes together. I think self defence and a night class. Self defence, anything could happen. The night class will they be good or will the late hour, the freedom and being out later in the evening thinking they are mature and grown up go to their heads. Will see.
Life is different now then when we first got them. It will be ten years ago (September 8th?) we went to Russia to get them soon. Those two skinny forty pound kids have grown up into two amazing almost adults. I say almost because sometimes they are so good and responsible and then there are those other times. I guess we all go through it. Well here's to an new month, the start of new adventures and let's hope a new job for Teri and maybe one for me. I'd like to keep working until I can't, but not because I have too, you know what I mean.Teri would like to stop and do something she likes instead of doing what she has to. Let's hope all our dreams come true.
You're too!
*Lyrics
Toyland, toyland
Li-ittle girl and boy land
While you dwell within it
You are ever happy there
Li-ittle girl and boy land
While you dwell within it
You are ever happy there
Childhood's joyland
Mi-istic merry toy land
Once you pass its borders
You can ne'er return again
Mi-istic merry toy land
Once you pass its borders
You can ne'er return again
When you've grown up my dears
And are as old as I
You'll laugh and ponder on the years
That roll so swiftly by my dears
That roll so swi-iftly by-why
And are as old as I
You'll laugh and ponder on the years
That roll so swiftly by my dears
That roll so swi-iftly by-why
Childhood's joyland
Mi-istic merry toy land
Once you pass its borders
You can ne'er return again
Mi-istic merry toy land
Once you pass its borders
You can ne'er return again
Source: LyricFind
Songwriters: David A. King / . Traditional
Toyland lyrics © Walt Disney Music Company
Saturday, August 31, 2019
Elena's new car part 2
Elena got her car today. Like everything about this car and the accident and her Toyota it wasn't simple. Allstate released the money finally about a week ago. I collected it from the bank and left it on the table for the girls to go over and pay for it. That just left the Toyota to deal with. Chris from Shamrock towing has had the car for two months. He said he would not charge me storage but it had been there two months. I call Chris's business phone and get a guy who can't really help me. A few moments later I slightly shrill woman calls me up and tells me we owe over $600.00. I tell her Chris said he wasn't going to charge me. She says something about checking it out and hangs up.
The next day I figure it would be better to get the car off his lot. I call and get the same women. She is not any nicer. I tell her I want to get the car off the lot and if she could get it towed from the lot to Tony's house in Nyack. She says she hasn't any drivers and as soon as she gets one she'll have him call to arrange it. I felt from the tone of her voice I shouldn't hold my breath. I reluctantly call Chris and ask him about getting the car from the lot. He says Allstate has taken care of the bill and the car is driveable. So I arrange to pick it up with him on Saturday morning. I also ask him to let Fran the women know Allstate took care of his bill.
Saturday morning Teri drives me over to Chris's lot in Central Nyack off a side road near the Fire department. I met a guy named Adam. He shows me the car and it won't start. A quick jump from a charger and the car is going I'm a little apprehensive about driving it and the crunching and rubbing sound from the left front wheel doesn't make me feel any safer. Over a little bridge and off the lot I go. I stop once to pull the shroud inside the wheel well off the tire and it drives better. The wheel doesn't sit straight when the car goes down the road so I know there is an issue with the front end. It doesn't pull so I think that is a plus. The short trip to Tony's house is quick and uneventful. I switch plates on the Toyota to old plates Tony had. Elena's plates I take with me to put on the new car. Around one in the afternoon we go over to pick the car up. Teri talks with the very nice couple while I put the plates on the car. After about fifteen minutes we leave. I drive the car to Pearl River and leave it for Elena. I go inside the store and give Elena the keys to her new car.
Just a little while ago Elena texts she wants to hang out with Jasmine. I don't know when it happened but I don't like this girl any more. She is like a disease that disappears for a few months and comes back when you least expect it. She seems like a user. And anyone who doesn't like movies..... yeah she is that girl. Elena always texts Jasmine wants to if I can hang out with her tonight. Tonight it was Elena saying can I hang out with Jasmine tonight? It's different, I wonder if there is any significance to that. Well they are hanging out until 10:30 tonight. She tried for 11 pulling out all the stops, it's the weekend, I haven't hung out with her in a while. Teri is going back and forth with her so I think it is a good idea if I step in and tell her to come home right after work. She then says 10:30 is good. Inside I'm laughing a little because I thought that would happen and I'm glad it did. I just have a bad feeling about this girl, I don't really know why. I don't really know her. I also don't like the way she treats Elena. For a while it seemed Elena spent a lot of money when she was with Jasmine. She always said she wasn't treating Jasmine. I don't know.
/
The next day I figure it would be better to get the car off his lot. I call and get the same women. She is not any nicer. I tell her I want to get the car off the lot and if she could get it towed from the lot to Tony's house in Nyack. She says she hasn't any drivers and as soon as she gets one she'll have him call to arrange it. I felt from the tone of her voice I shouldn't hold my breath. I reluctantly call Chris and ask him about getting the car from the lot. He says Allstate has taken care of the bill and the car is driveable. So I arrange to pick it up with him on Saturday morning. I also ask him to let Fran the women know Allstate took care of his bill.
Saturday morning Teri drives me over to Chris's lot in Central Nyack off a side road near the Fire department. I met a guy named Adam. He shows me the car and it won't start. A quick jump from a charger and the car is going I'm a little apprehensive about driving it and the crunching and rubbing sound from the left front wheel doesn't make me feel any safer. Over a little bridge and off the lot I go. I stop once to pull the shroud inside the wheel well off the tire and it drives better. The wheel doesn't sit straight when the car goes down the road so I know there is an issue with the front end. It doesn't pull so I think that is a plus. The short trip to Tony's house is quick and uneventful. I switch plates on the Toyota to old plates Tony had. Elena's plates I take with me to put on the new car. Around one in the afternoon we go over to pick the car up. Teri talks with the very nice couple while I put the plates on the car. After about fifteen minutes we leave. I drive the car to Pearl River and leave it for Elena. I go inside the store and give Elena the keys to her new car.
Just a little while ago Elena texts she wants to hang out with Jasmine. I don't know when it happened but I don't like this girl any more. She is like a disease that disappears for a few months and comes back when you least expect it. She seems like a user. And anyone who doesn't like movies..... yeah she is that girl. Elena always texts Jasmine wants to if I can hang out with her tonight. Tonight it was Elena saying can I hang out with Jasmine tonight? It's different, I wonder if there is any significance to that. Well they are hanging out until 10:30 tonight. She tried for 11 pulling out all the stops, it's the weekend, I haven't hung out with her in a while. Teri is going back and forth with her so I think it is a good idea if I step in and tell her to come home right after work. She then says 10:30 is good. Inside I'm laughing a little because I thought that would happen and I'm glad it did. I just have a bad feeling about this girl, I don't really know why. I don't really know her. I also don't like the way she treats Elena. For a while it seemed Elena spent a lot of money when she was with Jasmine. She always said she wasn't treating Jasmine. I don't know.
/
The Beach, for the last time this year.
Too much is going on right now. School is right around the corner, Elena still needs to get her car on the road and we went to the beach.
Several weeks ago, the girls wanted to go down to the beach again. Nancy was going to take the day off and ask if Michele could go again. I wasn't anxious for them to go again. So I decide to go with them. Then I find out Michele couldn't.
August is the start of riptides and a few days before we go a hurricane forms in the southern Atlantic. I start to have second thoughts on going. Bad things happen to other people until they happen to you. A second hurricane forms in the Atlantic. The first goes toward Florida. The second heads up the coast way out to sea with no chance of hitting land. That is the one causing the riptides.
The day before we are to leave I'm leaning towards not going. Teri says just go, if they can't
going in the water, they can't. The weather forecast is for late rain., the sky in Rockland is overcast.
We head over to Nancy's a little before 9. We pick her up and with Elena driving, Nastia as co-pilot (the death seat), Nancy behind the driver and I'm behind Nastia we head off for the beach. Up the Thruway, onto the Garden State all goes well. Somewhere around the Raritan Bay Bridge the sun even comes out and it is looking like we are driving out of it. I think that was mile marker 130 or so. By the time we reach the split in the Garden State it is overcast and Elena pulls into the rest stop. We rest and I take over driving. The Sky has gotten dark ,but it still shows no sign of rain. That is until we reach mile marker 115. It starts has a harmless sprinkle that would stop at any moment and does, until it starts up again. It's still light and the wipers on the slowest setting are over matching it. Then suddenly I need to turn them up and then up again, and again until they are going at a regular speed. It's not looking good, but we are still a ways away. It doesn't improve as we approach exit 82, but we are going to Perkins to eat breakfast so it will blow over by the time we are done.
I haven't gone to Perkins in about twenty years. I remember the last time we went. It was a
Sunday, the Mustang was new and it was a bright sun shining day. I put the top down and we took a long drive to Parsippany New Jersey to the Perkins on Route 46. The drive was fabulous just like the weather. I had the best pancakes I ever had or maybe it was just the great feeling of taking a morning to do something wasteful and have the money to do it without thinking about it twice. Even Teri didn't say no, it's wasteful, it was but we had a great time. When I asked her to do it a second time that was when Teri's distaste of wastefulness kicked in. So one day when I was in the area working for Consolidated Dairies, I stopped in to have pancakes. They were good, but not as good as the first time. A year or so later the Perkins closes. So now almost twenty years later here I am inside a
Perkins looking forward to pancakes. I hadn't noticed they took the word pancakes out of the name. I open the monu and I see a few breakfast items and a couple of pages of lunch and dinner items. I don't even remember seeing pancakes on the menu. I settle on french toast. Nastia has a bacon salad. Elena has caesar salad. Nancy has a sandwich. So much for breakfast. The food was good, just not like I remember it. Of course the rain doesn't let up, it even gets heavier. I call my mom, she says it's partly sunny and dry in Rockland, of course.
I confront our intrepid party with the facts. It's rain, it's cold and it doesn't look as if it will stop. I want to go home. The three of them say let's hang out a little longer and see what the beach and boardwalk are like, so we go.
Parking is cheap, five dollars, Nancy pays. We run across the street to Lucky Leo's in a cold rain. We enter a an air conditioned game parlor. Nastia and I are cold. We walk to the other side to the boardwalk. Rain is coming down dripping off the canopy on to us. We decide to walk along under the overhangs getting occasionally wet, other times getting accosted by game owners telling us free throw, free throw!
Nastia gets so cold she asks to go back to the car and change out of her bathing suit to jeans and a real shirt. I go with her and when we return we can't find Nancy and Elena. I head to the men's room and when I'm back they have shown up. They had been on the beach and they said it was fun. Nastia wants to go, I'm still cold not having bought a jacket. I'm in a tee shirt and jeans, wet and cold. I have Nancy's umbrella to divert the wind. We get ice cream and I am so cold I pass having some. Nastia and Elena get cones and Nancy gets a dish. We then stop for Lemonade before we go. Walking down the boardwalk, the rain slacking off to a light drizzle I am asked if we could go on the beach for just a little while to say goodbye to the beach until next year. We go I take pictures of the girls and Nancy collecting
sea shells. We hang out about forty minutes. The wind kicks up, then slacks off. Mercifully the rain has stopped. Nastia asks to go in the water, I ask her if she has clothes to change into, she says no. I tell her it is up to her. She goes in up to her knees. A few waves splash her and get her wet almost head to toe. She doesn't care she is having fun. Elena continues to collect shells.
With full pockets (Nancy's pocket, they handed all the shells to her) we leave the beach until next year. At the car towels are put up over some windows and Nastia changes out of her jeans and wet shirt putting on her bathing suit cover. She seems comfortable. Elena, who still has her street clothes changes into their dryness. All is good.
The ride home is wet and rainy. Traffic for a Wednesday in late August is heavy, but moving. I drive because it has been raining. No one complains. Elena does offer to drive and I consider it, but we are south of the oranges and I want to drive through them during rush hour. Afterward we don't stop so she doesn't get to drive. We arrive home safely sometime around seven at night. It was a weird day at the beach.
c
Several weeks ago, the girls wanted to go down to the beach again. Nancy was going to take the day off and ask if Michele could go again. I wasn't anxious for them to go again. So I decide to go with them. Then I find out Michele couldn't.
August is the start of riptides and a few days before we go a hurricane forms in the southern Atlantic. I start to have second thoughts on going. Bad things happen to other people until they happen to you. A second hurricane forms in the Atlantic. The first goes toward Florida. The second heads up the coast way out to sea with no chance of hitting land. That is the one causing the riptides.
The day before we are to leave I'm leaning towards not going. Teri says just go, if they can't
going in the water, they can't. The weather forecast is for late rain., the sky in Rockland is overcast.
I haven't gone to Perkins in about twenty years. I remember the last time we went. It was a
Perkins looking forward to pancakes. I hadn't noticed they took the word pancakes out of the name. I open the monu and I see a few breakfast items and a couple of pages of lunch and dinner items. I don't even remember seeing pancakes on the menu. I settle on french toast. Nastia has a bacon salad. Elena has caesar salad. Nancy has a sandwich. So much for breakfast. The food was good, just not like I remember it. Of course the rain doesn't let up, it even gets heavier. I call my mom, she says it's partly sunny and dry in Rockland, of course.I confront our intrepid party with the facts. It's rain, it's cold and it doesn't look as if it will stop. I want to go home. The three of them say let's hang out a little longer and see what the beach and boardwalk are like, so we go.
Parking is cheap, five dollars, Nancy pays. We run across the street to Lucky Leo's in a cold rain. We enter a an air conditioned game parlor. Nastia and I are cold. We walk to the other side to the boardwalk. Rain is coming down dripping off the canopy on to us. We decide to walk along under the overhangs getting occasionally wet, other times getting accosted by game owners telling us free throw, free throw!
sea shells. We hang out about forty minutes. The wind kicks up, then slacks off. Mercifully the rain has stopped. Nastia asks to go in the water, I ask her if she has clothes to change into, she says no. I tell her it is up to her. She goes in up to her knees. A few waves splash her and get her wet almost head to toe. She doesn't care she is having fun. Elena continues to collect shells.With full pockets (Nancy's pocket, they handed all the shells to her) we leave the beach until next year. At the car towels are put up over some windows and Nastia changes out of her jeans and wet shirt putting on her bathing suit cover. She seems comfortable. Elena, who still has her street clothes changes into their dryness. All is good.
The ride home is wet and rainy. Traffic for a Wednesday in late August is heavy, but moving. I drive because it has been raining. No one complains. Elena does offer to drive and I consider it, but we are south of the oranges and I want to drive through them during rush hour. Afterward we don't stop so she doesn't get to drive. We arrive home safely sometime around seven at night. It was a weird day at the beach.
c
Monday, August 26, 2019
Dutchess County Fair 2019
We finally learn after all these years the best way to go, the way the GPS tells us to go, up the Thruway cross at the Kingston Beacon bridge and come in from the north.
It's a beautiful day, warm, not hot, sunny with a few bright white clouds fronting a beautiful blue sky. It couldn't be a more perfect day. We get in the car a half hour late (930AM) and go to pick up Nancy and then Teri puts in the Fair address and the GPS has us going across the Tappan Zee bridge. We ignore it and go up the Thruway. Traffic is a
We walk into the fair with our pre purchased entrance tickets. I didn't pre-purchase any ride tickets because the girls were unsure the danger girls would show up this weekend. Their getting older now and danger is no longer their middle
We wander along the midway the girls finding interesting things to distract them as they wander. No one purchases anything. it's too early to carry it all day long. After the long trip everyone is hungry. When we stopped at the rest stop I bought a soda and was aiming to buy some cookies at the farmer's market until they ran out. I am tired of buying a soda in a refillable cup for $6.00 and getting refills for $4.00. It's not a bargain.
Nastia gets some shrimp and spaghetti, Elena gets a bean burrito. It looks so good I decide to get one, except I get beef and bean. Her's is $8.00, MINE IS $9.00. not too bad. It's the first decent food I've overpaid for in a long time. That includes the shore earlier this month and the fair for the last three years.It was filling and good. Teri doesn't find anything interesting to eat.
After eating we do do the same old thing,we go visit the life stock barns. We start with the cows, we see the sheep, lambs and pigs. We end with the chicken. We don't see the horses.
With no ride tickets the girls want to do games. Ever since I was a kid I've looked at these games, played a few and as I've grow up I realized how fixed these games are. The basketball shot game, the bean bag throw to knock down the bottles. All have/ had a gimmick. And when you do win, you get a fifty cent prize. The girls want to play. Nastia starts with the game with the balloons. It's three for $5.00, or seven for $10.00. Nastia slips the guy a ten without me knowing then wants me to ask him for her money back. I say no. She chickens and wins a small prize. They had over to other parts of the midway. Elena tries the machine gun game. Her first attempt she shoots high and does poorly. Her second attempt about ten minutes later she does much better, but still doesn't win. They go over to another balloon game. This one has bean bags. Elena goes three for three. Nastia goes two for two missing on her last shot. Elena wins a two foot or so Pikachu. Nastia is jealous. It's time to go. We walk out past the booths were some wanted to buy thing, but they have forgotten. Maybe the purchases were not really important.
Just before we leave we walk past the Skinny German juggling man or something like that. Every year we stop to see him. Originally he was in the center of the fair, For the last two years he's been at the entrance to the fair. He juggles and jokes around it's a great act, but the last two years we've encountered him just as we are leaving. Like last year we stop and watch him. Some of his jokes are the same, but he tells them in such a way to make them seem unrehearsed and fresh. We were all tired, but we stayed to watch. Near the show end Teri drifts away. I go and sit down on a flower bed wall. The girls sit up front until its over. Elena hussles to the bathroom and the rest of us wait or drift out to the car. We head down Route 9 with the intent of eating at the Olive Garden. I think they have forgotten my comment about head on my beer from last year or the year before. We eat a good dinner and end up at home about 9:30 at night. A long good day.
/
Elena's new car
Well it finally happened. Elena has an other car. In a sense it is new, new to her. It's a 2003 Ford Taurus. It has 91,000 miles on it about. I drove it and it is quiet and a very nice car. With the money she got for them totaling the Toyota, $1,846.83 and $553,17 from her savings she will be the proud owner of this car.
It's been a bit of a long and winding road to get here and if it wasn't for Teri's dogged determination we would still be looking for cars on the internet and at gas stations.
This all started back on June 16th, I think. I'm at work and I get a call from Elena she's been in an accident. She is ok, but suddenly the distance I work from home is very great. It takes me half an hour to get to where the accident happened. When I got there both cars were in the parking lot of a dentist office on Rt 304. Her car had a crumbled front fender and two flat tires. It didn't seem bad. Chris Kelly towes the car away and so begins the long drawn out process of solving this car problem. Teri calls Franchino's Allstate office at some point and they tell her the money will be put in our account in a short while, I'm amazed at the speed. That person also didn't know what they were talking about. That phone call makes me think it's done and I ignore the calls from Allstate. When I do answer them a week later I'm told no such payment is on the way and Elena and the other driver have to make statements. Elena and I call one day and she answers questions, I clarify them when necessary. The other driver, a sixteen year old driving with only a permit and no licensed driver ignores all requests to be interviewed. It's mid-August by now and we are starting to get anxious about what Elena will drive. Nastia has been a trooper about sharing her car. When they both work and I get home after they have left there is no problem, they have worked out a driving schedule and who has the car picks up the other one. They've been true sisters during this, never a fight over it.
About a week ago Allstate says the other side never responded to requests to be interviewed and because of that they are accepting 100% responsibility for the accident. We start looking for a car. Cheap cars, but a little more then her first budget. I get a little gutsey and bring up a subject that caused a nasty fight between us several weeks ago. I say why doesn't she take out a small loan. Teri doesn't think it is a good idea still. I still disagree, but resist going further.
A day or two later Teri says she has found a car. It a 2003 Buick Alero in Pearl River. It was made during GMC's bad period in the early 21st century six years before they declared bankruptcy. The guy wants 3 grand for it. We look at it and it is nice. I don't take any pictures of it. The interior is clean and the car looks very well cared for. The radio looks a little beat. Dan, the owner gives his speech about his little old lady grandmother driving it and they wanted to use it, but they have one child and his wife is expecting twins in a little while and it is too small for his new family. Elena and I take it out for a drive. In retrospect that was a mistake. I should have driven. She drives around the block and when she is going slow I hear a clunking sound. I've heard that sound often on cars and it is never a good sound or cheap fix. After losing cars because we've waited I've gotten a little quick to pull the trigger. I negotiate a price of $2,400.00 A good price if there is no problem with the front end. Teri is not happy. Nastia calls David who will be in town the next day and he agrees to go see the car. When We get home I call Eric and he tells me it could be a CV joint or something like that. Parts would cost about $400.00 then labor.
So the next day David goes with Elena and Nastia to see the car. They get there and it pours, so they don't see much and don't drive it. I call later that evening and tell Dan we are backing out of the sale.
A few days later Teri sees another car online. Her and I go to see it. It's a Ford Taurus just like my mothers car. It's blue and very clean. I drive it around the block and I listen for any odd sounds. The car is very quiet and I hear nothing. It is a very quiet car for having 92,000 miles. This time with Teri's permission I ask the couple, whose daughter owns the car what is their best. They say $2,500. I hold out my hand to shake theirs and say $2,400.00 They wait a moment and say yes. So Elena owns what looks like a nice car.
/
It's been a bit of a long and winding road to get here and if it wasn't for Teri's dogged determination we would still be looking for cars on the internet and at gas stations.
This all started back on June 16th, I think. I'm at work and I get a call from Elena she's been in an accident. She is ok, but suddenly the distance I work from home is very great. It takes me half an hour to get to where the accident happened. When I got there both cars were in the parking lot of a dentist office on Rt 304. Her car had a crumbled front fender and two flat tires. It didn't seem bad. Chris Kelly towes the car away and so begins the long drawn out process of solving this car problem. Teri calls Franchino's Allstate office at some point and they tell her the money will be put in our account in a short while, I'm amazed at the speed. That person also didn't know what they were talking about. That phone call makes me think it's done and I ignore the calls from Allstate. When I do answer them a week later I'm told no such payment is on the way and Elena and the other driver have to make statements. Elena and I call one day and she answers questions, I clarify them when necessary. The other driver, a sixteen year old driving with only a permit and no licensed driver ignores all requests to be interviewed. It's mid-August by now and we are starting to get anxious about what Elena will drive. Nastia has been a trooper about sharing her car. When they both work and I get home after they have left there is no problem, they have worked out a driving schedule and who has the car picks up the other one. They've been true sisters during this, never a fight over it.
About a week ago Allstate says the other side never responded to requests to be interviewed and because of that they are accepting 100% responsibility for the accident. We start looking for a car. Cheap cars, but a little more then her first budget. I get a little gutsey and bring up a subject that caused a nasty fight between us several weeks ago. I say why doesn't she take out a small loan. Teri doesn't think it is a good idea still. I still disagree, but resist going further.
A day or two later Teri says she has found a car. It a 2003 Buick Alero in Pearl River. It was made during GMC's bad period in the early 21st century six years before they declared bankruptcy. The guy wants 3 grand for it. We look at it and it is nice. I don't take any pictures of it. The interior is clean and the car looks very well cared for. The radio looks a little beat. Dan, the owner gives his speech about his little old lady grandmother driving it and they wanted to use it, but they have one child and his wife is expecting twins in a little while and it is too small for his new family. Elena and I take it out for a drive. In retrospect that was a mistake. I should have driven. She drives around the block and when she is going slow I hear a clunking sound. I've heard that sound often on cars and it is never a good sound or cheap fix. After losing cars because we've waited I've gotten a little quick to pull the trigger. I negotiate a price of $2,400.00 A good price if there is no problem with the front end. Teri is not happy. Nastia calls David who will be in town the next day and he agrees to go see the car. When We get home I call Eric and he tells me it could be a CV joint or something like that. Parts would cost about $400.00 then labor.
So the next day David goes with Elena and Nastia to see the car. They get there and it pours, so they don't see much and don't drive it. I call later that evening and tell Dan we are backing out of the sale.A few days later Teri sees another car online. Her and I go to see it. It's a Ford Taurus just like my mothers car. It's blue and very clean. I drive it around the block and I listen for any odd sounds. The car is very quiet and I hear nothing. It is a very quiet car for having 92,000 miles. This time with Teri's permission I ask the couple, whose daughter owns the car what is their best. They say $2,500. I hold out my hand to shake theirs and say $2,400.00 They wait a moment and say yes. So Elena owns what looks like a nice car.
/
Thursday, August 22, 2019
The Great Phone Exchange*
* Like the title to the Great Train Robbery with Sean Connery- don't tell me you future people don't know who he is?
I often wonder how this blog will read in the future. My daughters and wife exchanged their phones that were once really great phones and upgraded to IPhone 8s. The 8 is not as good as the X (10) I guess but not liking Apple products I really don't know. Why you may ask? I was never a fan of Steve Jobs. Then I read a book about him. He was an amazing person, but he was arrogant and a pig. That arrogance rubbed off on his company. Little things like not being able to access the interior of the phone to replace a battery. The huge pair the company has to charge $1000.00 for a phone. The single button mouse that no one will remember is my favorite. This is not to say he didn't have some brilliant ideas.
Well enough of that, about three weeks ago my phone wouldn't charge. So I went out and bought a battery. It still wouldn't charge so I bought it to a kiosk in the mall. (Kiosk is a russian word we stole from Russia in the 90's when the Soviet Union fell) He said I needed a new plug, but if He put one in I'd need a new screen because if he removed the screen it would crumble apart. The gorilla glass was the only thing holding it together. It would cost $180.00. When I balked, he lowered it to $160. So I reluctantly agreed. I spent about $210.00 to refurbish the phone. It works great. FYI a new LG phone is three and change.
Now about a week ago I'm with Nastia and I ask her to call the house. She does and gets angry. She show me her phone. It flashing bright then black, on and off. She has been complaining about this for months and I ignored her. When I saw it I guessed it was time for a change.
We used to all go to the Sprint store, look at the phones we wanted and get them there and since we had a great and expensive plan we got discounted phones.
Once a few months, maybe a year ago I looked into what was available. Sprite had ended the discounted phones and gone to leases. I didn't want that so I waited, thinking we could go to another carrier when all three phone lines were free of their contracts. That time had long passed.
About a week ago I'm sitting out on the deck of the pool with Nastia. I'm drinking a beer and relaxing, it might have even been Friday. I get the big idea it's time to call Sprint. I get out my phone and call. The first person I speak to tells me I have to pay my back balance. I tell her it is going out the next day, which it was. She insists I need to take care of it before anything else can happen. So I pay it over the phone in full. She then transfers me to purchasing. Everyone I spoke to that day had an Indian accent. That is OK, except some of them spoke english a bit too accented and it was difficult to understand them.
The second person I speak to tells me I can get Iphone 8's or 10's. I tell her I am a long time customer and I used to get discounted phones and I understand you don't do that anymore so what can you do for me? She transfers me to her supervisor. I ask him the same question. He tells me he can give me ten dollars off on each lease plan and he waves the fees on activation and another fee, then he changes his mind and says oh, I can't wave the activation fee. I know I have him on the fees because I'm still willing to walk away from the three phones. So I tell him to go talk to his supervisor and tell him to wave the fee or this whole deal will explode. He say, like he didn't hear me that he will let me talk to the connection specialist or something like that. I say I don't want to talk to him, I want you to talk to him and tell him this whole deal will explode over these fees if they are not waved. He finally relents. At this point I'm glad I got my phone a new battery, I've been on the phone for over an hour. Things are finally settled and the phones get shipped out.
They arrive and sit on the table for a few days until Teri and the girls can all go and get them activated. Nastia has a date with David for yesterday, Wednesday and Elena has therapy. It's not optimal to do the phone upgrades and I've been through it so I don't want to go. Teri says I negotiated this deal, I need to be there. Then as an aside she says I should at least bring Nastia up early to get her phone started. I hear Teri say this, but it comes across as, I don't know, maybe like static, I hear it, but with everything else going on yesterday morning it is not something that makes an deep impression on me. It didn't seem important and that was how I treated it.
About 6:30 Teri pick the girls up and goes to drop Elena off at therapy. After it is over around 7:45 I get a call. They are heading to the mall. I race over there and things have already progressed. I'm not needed and I'm wondering why I'm there. I get to hold the empty box the phones came in, so I guess I was needed. I also notice Teri isa little nasty to me. At one point I call her away from the counter with the idea to ask her if she is angry with me, instead I pivot and make a suggestion about something that was being discussed. I put my arm around her and it is shrugged away. I say my piece and she goes back to the counter.
The Sprint guy tells us it will be an hour, so we leave. David arrives and he and Nastia are told to return around 9:30. Around this time I find out, yes Teri is angry at me because I could have gotten Nastia up to the mall earlier. Yes I did get home around six, but I had the time. I barely remember her saying anything about going early. So all that is accomplished is now I'm angry too. We eat and head back. The phones are ready and the girls love them. $81.00 are spent on protective covers for the phones ( 18 months @ $15.00 plus $180. to own even if broken) Everyone leaves happy, even Teri and I who are over our anger, well at least I am.
/
I often wonder how this blog will read in the future. My daughters and wife exchanged their phones that were once really great phones and upgraded to IPhone 8s. The 8 is not as good as the X (10) I guess but not liking Apple products I really don't know. Why you may ask? I was never a fan of Steve Jobs. Then I read a book about him. He was an amazing person, but he was arrogant and a pig. That arrogance rubbed off on his company. Little things like not being able to access the interior of the phone to replace a battery. The huge pair the company has to charge $1000.00 for a phone. The single button mouse that no one will remember is my favorite. This is not to say he didn't have some brilliant ideas.
Well enough of that, about three weeks ago my phone wouldn't charge. So I went out and bought a battery. It still wouldn't charge so I bought it to a kiosk in the mall. (Kiosk is a russian word we stole from Russia in the 90's when the Soviet Union fell) He said I needed a new plug, but if He put one in I'd need a new screen because if he removed the screen it would crumble apart. The gorilla glass was the only thing holding it together. It would cost $180.00. When I balked, he lowered it to $160. So I reluctantly agreed. I spent about $210.00 to refurbish the phone. It works great. FYI a new LG phone is three and change.
Now about a week ago I'm with Nastia and I ask her to call the house. She does and gets angry. She show me her phone. It flashing bright then black, on and off. She has been complaining about this for months and I ignored her. When I saw it I guessed it was time for a change.
We used to all go to the Sprint store, look at the phones we wanted and get them there and since we had a great and expensive plan we got discounted phones.
Once a few months, maybe a year ago I looked into what was available. Sprite had ended the discounted phones and gone to leases. I didn't want that so I waited, thinking we could go to another carrier when all three phone lines were free of their contracts. That time had long passed.
About a week ago I'm sitting out on the deck of the pool with Nastia. I'm drinking a beer and relaxing, it might have even been Friday. I get the big idea it's time to call Sprint. I get out my phone and call. The first person I speak to tells me I have to pay my back balance. I tell her it is going out the next day, which it was. She insists I need to take care of it before anything else can happen. So I pay it over the phone in full. She then transfers me to purchasing. Everyone I spoke to that day had an Indian accent. That is OK, except some of them spoke english a bit too accented and it was difficult to understand them.
The second person I speak to tells me I can get Iphone 8's or 10's. I tell her I am a long time customer and I used to get discounted phones and I understand you don't do that anymore so what can you do for me? She transfers me to her supervisor. I ask him the same question. He tells me he can give me ten dollars off on each lease plan and he waves the fees on activation and another fee, then he changes his mind and says oh, I can't wave the activation fee. I know I have him on the fees because I'm still willing to walk away from the three phones. So I tell him to go talk to his supervisor and tell him to wave the fee or this whole deal will explode. He say, like he didn't hear me that he will let me talk to the connection specialist or something like that. I say I don't want to talk to him, I want you to talk to him and tell him this whole deal will explode over these fees if they are not waved. He finally relents. At this point I'm glad I got my phone a new battery, I've been on the phone for over an hour. Things are finally settled and the phones get shipped out.
They arrive and sit on the table for a few days until Teri and the girls can all go and get them activated. Nastia has a date with David for yesterday, Wednesday and Elena has therapy. It's not optimal to do the phone upgrades and I've been through it so I don't want to go. Teri says I negotiated this deal, I need to be there. Then as an aside she says I should at least bring Nastia up early to get her phone started. I hear Teri say this, but it comes across as, I don't know, maybe like static, I hear it, but with everything else going on yesterday morning it is not something that makes an deep impression on me. It didn't seem important and that was how I treated it.
About 6:30 Teri pick the girls up and goes to drop Elena off at therapy. After it is over around 7:45 I get a call. They are heading to the mall. I race over there and things have already progressed. I'm not needed and I'm wondering why I'm there. I get to hold the empty box the phones came in, so I guess I was needed. I also notice Teri isa little nasty to me. At one point I call her away from the counter with the idea to ask her if she is angry with me, instead I pivot and make a suggestion about something that was being discussed. I put my arm around her and it is shrugged away. I say my piece and she goes back to the counter.
The Sprint guy tells us it will be an hour, so we leave. David arrives and he and Nastia are told to return around 9:30. Around this time I find out, yes Teri is angry at me because I could have gotten Nastia up to the mall earlier. Yes I did get home around six, but I had the time. I barely remember her saying anything about going early. So all that is accomplished is now I'm angry too. We eat and head back. The phones are ready and the girls love them. $81.00 are spent on protective covers for the phones ( 18 months @ $15.00 plus $180. to own even if broken) Everyone leaves happy, even Teri and I who are over our anger, well at least I am.
/
Wednesday, August 21, 2019
I made my daughter cry
I tend to forget the tough outer shell Elena puts up is just a shell and is really very thin when it comes to Teri and I. So making her cry is not hard, but it is still upsetting.
Yesterday morning I go to the girls bedroom and wake Nastia up and tell her to make sure her sister signs some papers for RCC and gets them in the mail. She rightly tells me to wake her sister up and tell her. Elena is already awake and tells me she is OK and will do it. I get down close to her face speaking right against her cheek and tell her it again. There are two envelopes on the table next to my computer. open them up. sign them and put them in the mail. She says ok, without opening an eye.
I come rolling in about quarter to six that night. I didn't feel in a bad mood. Elena is at the table, I think sitting near the doorway to the family room. Across from her are both of the envelopes and they are not opened. I pick them up, look at them for a moment and toss them over to her and tell her in a slightly angry voice "You were supposed to take care of these this morning." She picks them up and begins to open them. After a moment I hear a sniff and I put a hand on her shoulder and ask her if everything is OK. She stands up, teary eyed and angry. I'm a little at a loss. I didn't really yell at her. Elena goes on about how it was just a mistake and everyone makes mistakes, even I do. I take her into my arms half expecting her to push me away. I slide my arms around her back also half expecting her to not respond, but then I feel her arms around me, I feel accepted by her and I hug her a little tighter. I tell her I'm sorry (tear are rolling down my face as I write this, well really just one, I'm a guy after all) and I shouldn't have yelled at her. (I really didn't think I did) She says its not fair for me to come home in a bad mood and yell at her for something so little. (that is true, I've done that before. Today I didn't feel in a bad mood, I think) She calms down and she proceeds with shaky hands to go through the papers. Nastia joins in to help her as I look at the contents of the second envelope trying to be helpful. She signs the papers and I put them in the mail.
Later that night we go look at a car for her and get sandwiches from a place called B Balls. She puts a mountain dew up on the counter and later when her mother asks why she has that, I say with all honesty, "I made her cry so I couldn't say no."
Yesterday morning I go to the girls bedroom and wake Nastia up and tell her to make sure her sister signs some papers for RCC and gets them in the mail. She rightly tells me to wake her sister up and tell her. Elena is already awake and tells me she is OK and will do it. I get down close to her face speaking right against her cheek and tell her it again. There are two envelopes on the table next to my computer. open them up. sign them and put them in the mail. She says ok, without opening an eye.
I come rolling in about quarter to six that night. I didn't feel in a bad mood. Elena is at the table, I think sitting near the doorway to the family room. Across from her are both of the envelopes and they are not opened. I pick them up, look at them for a moment and toss them over to her and tell her in a slightly angry voice "You were supposed to take care of these this morning." She picks them up and begins to open them. After a moment I hear a sniff and I put a hand on her shoulder and ask her if everything is OK. She stands up, teary eyed and angry. I'm a little at a loss. I didn't really yell at her. Elena goes on about how it was just a mistake and everyone makes mistakes, even I do. I take her into my arms half expecting her to push me away. I slide my arms around her back also half expecting her to not respond, but then I feel her arms around me, I feel accepted by her and I hug her a little tighter. I tell her I'm sorry (tear are rolling down my face as I write this, well really just one, I'm a guy after all) and I shouldn't have yelled at her. (I really didn't think I did) She says its not fair for me to come home in a bad mood and yell at her for something so little. (that is true, I've done that before. Today I didn't feel in a bad mood, I think) She calms down and she proceeds with shaky hands to go through the papers. Nastia joins in to help her as I look at the contents of the second envelope trying to be helpful. She signs the papers and I put them in the mail.
Later that night we go look at a car for her and get sandwiches from a place called B Balls. She puts a mountain dew up on the counter and later when her mother asks why she has that, I say with all honesty, "I made her cry so I couldn't say no."
Thursday, August 15, 2019
Elena's new bedroom part 2 of.....
Or look who's sleeping in your bed.
When Elena was given the back bedroom, Nastia asked for the big bed. When Elena and I started on the room the big bed was moved into Nastia's room and one bed in there was taken down. So this five foot now one hundred pound girls has this huge bed.
Nastia decided to sleep over Jessica's house last night. Elena was invited, but decided she rather stay home. Elena has never expressed an interest in the bed so to my surprise this morning I found her sleeping in Nastia's bed.
Kind of reminds me of Goldilocks and the three bears. Would Elena be baby bear and was the bed just right?
Progress has been made on Elena's room. I've taken down wall of plaster and lathe before, the dining room for example, but I just don't remember there being so much plaster, lathe and dust. Elena took down the walls, I spent an afternoon taking down the ceiling and with most of the lathe down we have these huge piles. Most of it is out front for junk day. About 2/3rds of the ceiling is still up in the room with a huge pile of lathe. I'm anxious to move on and these piles have to go before we can.
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