We had dinner together Wednesday night. It was planned in advance. I gots some steaks out. Nastia had shrimp, while Teri, Elena and I had steaks . Dinner was going well when out of the blue Teri asks Nastia what the mark on her neck was. I didn't see it and have never seen it. Nastia says it a hickey, Taj gave it to her. The mood at the table quickly darkens. Teri is angry because Nastia just a few days ago was crying a river of tears about the end of her relationship with David, now she is with Taj. I'm angry because Nastia didn't tell me what was going on. I thought we had a very open relationship where we could talk about anything. I've really worked at it by answering any questions she has asked. Even one where I don't come off too well.
Dinner ends and clean up is quiet. Nastia goes upstairs with Elena and Teri and I are left down stairs. Now here is where a difference of opinion comes in. I hear Teri say she is washing her hands of Nastia and doesn't care what she does for now on. Then She has some other choice words about her daughter.
The next day I ruminate* about the previous night's event and come to the conclusion Nastia is just someone who needs to have the attention of a man (boy in Taj's direction) to be happy. So I think I have made peace with something I felt was a betrayal by Nastia. Teri said that sounded too sexual, like a lover is betrayed. I've gone through too many years of therapy to play around with how I feel. So quietly I felt betrayed that she did not let me in on her relationship with Taj.
When Teri gets home I ask her to sit down in the kitchen because I want to talk about Nastia. I tell her I really don't want to have this conversation, but here goes...
I don't remember much of what was said. I do remember that I was yelling at the top of my lungs (Nastia was at work, Elena was upstairs) I felt Teri washing her hands of Nastia after we made such an effort ten years ago to bring them here was extreme, (my interpretation of my yelling, not the actual conversation) That to give up on her even if she doesn't listen is not right. Teri said stuff too and I can't remember what it was. The whole thing last fifteen, maybe twenty minutes and solved nothing. The divisions and hurt were just papered over.
The next day Teri says she has talked to Nastia and she made a joke saying it was a hickey, it wasn't real. It was a bruise she got horsing around. I felt at that point my whole argument defending Nastia was, hey, it didn't happen, nothing to see here, never mind, it's not real. I didn't believe her and I felt even angrier with her then before. I'd just reluctantly fought a very nasty battle with my wife and now I'm being told never mind, it was a joke. I was apocalyptic (another great word) I was so angry with her that I turned the front light off and locked the door so she would have to walk to the front door after work in the dark. ( I always tried to make sure the house looked welcoming and warm by unlocking the door and leaving the light on for the two of them)
At night I'd go into their room and say good night a final time and turn the light off, I stopped that too. In the morning I'd check to make sure they were up at the time they needed to be, I stopped that.
After two days of this Teri tells me Nastia asked her if I was angry with her. Teri reminds me I was the one who was afraid of barriers being put up between parent and child.
So I decide to try and let it all go. In the afternoon she is home brushing her hair after a shower I walk by the open door and give a slightly choked hello, she replies and life starts to return to normal, well not completely. I'm turning the light on for them when they are coming home after work when it is dark, but I haven't been able to go to their room and say good night and turn off the light or wake them up in the morning. Things are different. When Nastia says she is going out with friends or a friend, I want names and where she is going and what time she will be home. Maybe it is nothing, maybe it isn't. I don't know, I just know it's different.
* think deeply about something. (yeah, go figure, Sometimes I just love english)
Saturday, February 8, 2020
Friday, January 31, 2020
And the band played on...
I was always amazed when my heart was broken (my father's death, breaking up with a girlfriend) how the world didn't stop and mourn with me, it just moved on.
It was my birthday on Wednesday and no I am not suggesting the world should stop and morn. I decided that I was just going to go with the flow and have a happy birthday. There is a lot of crap going on at my job as they continue to break up my job. I just let it flow. I did get a little testie around five when Nastia and I were supposed to go bowling in our league and she was a little slow getting ready. This is where the day/night started to change. It's okay that it did, remember the world doesn't stop. During our trip, Nastia is driving, she casually remarks that she is breaking up with David.
They have been apart for most of the last year and they decided to take a break. When I say they, I mean David. So even though they are on a break, for possibly the first time Nastia is saying she is breaking up with him. She goes on to say that she doesn't feel connected to him and long distance relationships are tough. I guess in the twenty-first century, even with facetime and instant communications it's no easier.
At the bowling alley, our team is tied for fifth place after being as low as ninth place and winning the league last year on the last two weeks of play. We had been on a hot streak until last week winning 17 of 20 points. Last week we lost all five points so this week was important. We start the game and when Nastia spends time between bowling on her phone, I don't sit with her. We win the first game. Nastia has recently been bowling pretty good. Five years ago she was a 68 average bowler. Now this year she has been regularly bowling over 120 and her high game is a 168, pretty good.
After bowling, we won three point of five, she tells me she texted David that they should break up. I said that was the cowards way and she needs to talk to him. She tries or texts him, I don't remember and her phone dies, dead battery.
We head to dinner at the Outback. I order a tall Sam Adams, the girls order soda and tea, Teri water. Teri, Elena and I order steaks, Nastia fish. While we wait for dinner we eat a bloomin onion and the girls start to fill up on bread. Teri goes to stop them and I tell her no. Even though it is a pet peeve of mine, I'm back in the live and let live mode. Shortly after Teri and Elena arrive, they are coming from therapy, Teri like all mother's notices something is off with Nastia and asks her what when she gets no answer, she looks at me and before I can start Nastia tells Teri she has broken up with David. Over the next few minutes Teri tells me to hung Nastia after something I said (sorry, sometimes I forget what words can do.) It was something about David, not nasty, but she cries and I didn't realize it. Eventually Teri and Nastia go to the bathroom and Elena and I are left at the table.
The table starts to become a happy place again when Elena starts to make her sister laugh. It reminds
me of when they were younger and this was what they were like. Elena was the entertainment, Nastia the audience. Sounds like a defence mechanism for the two of them. The table stays happy, I drink more beer, we finish dinner and as we leave, Elena wants me to go with her mother, so she can talk to Nastia alone. Teri would rather I went with them to the dark, empty parking lot. So I walk a good couple of dozen paces behind the two of them as Elena whispers in Nastia's ear. After that we walk together to the car. In the car Nastia shows Elena and myself something I promised not to tell anyone about. Call me and I'll whisper to you what it is. Some jokes are passed around as it was too. I then tell them what it really is used for. I don't think they believed me.
At home Nastia is laying in our bed when Elena comes in to say good night. Nastia wants her to give her a hug good night. Elena, adverse to most things like that, except from Teri and I refuses. Teri gets pissed when she refuses again. Nastia starts to cry and Teri goes off to talk to Elena, telling her some not so nice things.
The next day Elena goes out and buys her sister a teddy bear almost as big as her, some candy and flowers. Sometimes that kid can break your heart, both ways.
/
It was my birthday on Wednesday and no I am not suggesting the world should stop and morn. I decided that I was just going to go with the flow and have a happy birthday. There is a lot of crap going on at my job as they continue to break up my job. I just let it flow. I did get a little testie around five when Nastia and I were supposed to go bowling in our league and she was a little slow getting ready. This is where the day/night started to change. It's okay that it did, remember the world doesn't stop. During our trip, Nastia is driving, she casually remarks that she is breaking up with David. They have been apart for most of the last year and they decided to take a break. When I say they, I mean David. So even though they are on a break, for possibly the first time Nastia is saying she is breaking up with him. She goes on to say that she doesn't feel connected to him and long distance relationships are tough. I guess in the twenty-first century, even with facetime and instant communications it's no easier.
At the bowling alley, our team is tied for fifth place after being as low as ninth place and winning the league last year on the last two weeks of play. We had been on a hot streak until last week winning 17 of 20 points. Last week we lost all five points so this week was important. We start the game and when Nastia spends time between bowling on her phone, I don't sit with her. We win the first game. Nastia has recently been bowling pretty good. Five years ago she was a 68 average bowler. Now this year she has been regularly bowling over 120 and her high game is a 168, pretty good.After bowling, we won three point of five, she tells me she texted David that they should break up. I said that was the cowards way and she needs to talk to him. She tries or texts him, I don't remember and her phone dies, dead battery.
We head to dinner at the Outback. I order a tall Sam Adams, the girls order soda and tea, Teri water. Teri, Elena and I order steaks, Nastia fish. While we wait for dinner we eat a bloomin onion and the girls start to fill up on bread. Teri goes to stop them and I tell her no. Even though it is a pet peeve of mine, I'm back in the live and let live mode. Shortly after Teri and Elena arrive, they are coming from therapy, Teri like all mother's notices something is off with Nastia and asks her what when she gets no answer, she looks at me and before I can start Nastia tells Teri she has broken up with David. Over the next few minutes Teri tells me to hung Nastia after something I said (sorry, sometimes I forget what words can do.) It was something about David, not nasty, but she cries and I didn't realize it. Eventually Teri and Nastia go to the bathroom and Elena and I are left at the table.
The table starts to become a happy place again when Elena starts to make her sister laugh. It reminds
At home Nastia is laying in our bed when Elena comes in to say good night. Nastia wants her to give her a hug good night. Elena, adverse to most things like that, except from Teri and I refuses. Teri gets pissed when she refuses again. Nastia starts to cry and Teri goes off to talk to Elena, telling her some not so nice things.
The next day Elena goes out and buys her sister a teddy bear almost as big as her, some candy and flowers. Sometimes that kid can break your heart, both ways.
/
Friday, January 24, 2020
Friday morning and life goes on......beyond the Palisades (using that again are we?)
I am thinking of such witty titles these days.
Nastia started her Spring semester at Rockland Community College yesterday. She has a class at night. She is playing racquetball. I thought they got rid of the racquetball courts. Where they used to be are offices now. I still shake my head when I realize forty years have passed since I was there. Forty years after my dad fought in World War 2, I was going to RCC. I know who cares, but if you think about relativity, not Einsteins law, but Joe's law. Things take on a prospective. When he was sixty-two years old, like I'm now and he looked back forty years, he'd see World War 2. When my great, great grandfather was sixty-two and he looked back forty years, he'd see the Civil War. And the most mind blowing fact was I met his daughter, who was born during the Civil War.
I have no idea what Nastia's schedule is for RCC. Today is Friday and she is up at 7 AM getting ready to pick up Taj, her.....want to be boyfriend?, her friend? her boy toy? a guy who got caught in the friend zone? I don't know and most likely neither does she. Dave is still being David and he saw her and they talked, when he was down recently. I guess they are still on a break when he wants to be on a break. And of course you know long distance relationships and all the difficulty talking to each other. It just sucks so much only face timing. So Nastia goes to school, does her internship how many days a week I don't know or what days. She goes out with Taj after school or in the vernacular, they hang out somewhere. Most likely jailbreaking phones. Another expression I hate jailbreaking. Millennials, where we as annoying as they are?
Elena, what can I say that has not been said about me as a 19 year old. She did awful in her first semester at College. She won't tell me what the grades are. So the counselors let her double up on classes for the spring semester, go figure. Do bad with fifteen credits, so let her do thirty. After a few long talks between us and her and Access VR, a counseling service, I think run by NY state she decided to drop out and go to BOCES to try automotive mechanics. It is also the spring semester and she has to wait until the fall to go, so she is going to take an introduction course to auto repair two nights a week and we are pushing her to get some more hours at Shoprite. We have also told her if she would like to just continue to work at Shoprite, full time she can. I don't know if that is a move she would regret or not. A job like that could disappear in the future. I guess almost any job could.
Teri and I seem to be doing alright. She is still looking for another job. I enjoy my job, it just doesn't pay the bills and it has become very stressful. I really shouldn't stay there.
Time to drop off the home loan papers.
Nastia started her Spring semester at Rockland Community College yesterday. She has a class at night. She is playing racquetball. I thought they got rid of the racquetball courts. Where they used to be are offices now. I still shake my head when I realize forty years have passed since I was there. Forty years after my dad fought in World War 2, I was going to RCC. I know who cares, but if you think about relativity, not Einsteins law, but Joe's law. Things take on a prospective. When he was sixty-two years old, like I'm now and he looked back forty years, he'd see World War 2. When my great, great grandfather was sixty-two and he looked back forty years, he'd see the Civil War. And the most mind blowing fact was I met his daughter, who was born during the Civil War.
I have no idea what Nastia's schedule is for RCC. Today is Friday and she is up at 7 AM getting ready to pick up Taj, her.....want to be boyfriend?, her friend? her boy toy? a guy who got caught in the friend zone? I don't know and most likely neither does she. Dave is still being David and he saw her and they talked, when he was down recently. I guess they are still on a break when he wants to be on a break. And of course you know long distance relationships and all the difficulty talking to each other. It just sucks so much only face timing. So Nastia goes to school, does her internship how many days a week I don't know or what days. She goes out with Taj after school or in the vernacular, they hang out somewhere. Most likely jailbreaking phones. Another expression I hate jailbreaking. Millennials, where we as annoying as they are?
Elena, what can I say that has not been said about me as a 19 year old. She did awful in her first semester at College. She won't tell me what the grades are. So the counselors let her double up on classes for the spring semester, go figure. Do bad with fifteen credits, so let her do thirty. After a few long talks between us and her and Access VR, a counseling service, I think run by NY state she decided to drop out and go to BOCES to try automotive mechanics. It is also the spring semester and she has to wait until the fall to go, so she is going to take an introduction course to auto repair two nights a week and we are pushing her to get some more hours at Shoprite. We have also told her if she would like to just continue to work at Shoprite, full time she can. I don't know if that is a move she would regret or not. A job like that could disappear in the future. I guess almost any job could.
Teri and I seem to be doing alright. She is still looking for another job. I enjoy my job, it just doesn't pay the bills and it has become very stressful. I really shouldn't stay there.
Time to drop off the home loan papers.
It's January 19,2020 and it's a Sunday and I have no title for this entry
I just got back from donating blood at St. Ann's Church in Nyack. I've got a bandage on my finger and a wrap on my arm. I've always had veins that are hard to find and this time the women, who looked like she knew what she was doing took three shots to find the vein. I don't blame her over the years it has happened more often than I like to think about.
Last night we had our long scheduled Taco night. It was a little odd. In years past it would be billed as a celebration of winter birthdays, or something like that. I have pictures to prove it. Last night was different. Teri didn't go and it was more like just a bunch of people gathering to have tacos, maybe it is me. I have minor beefs with some people and I shouldn't. It's dumb things like pictures. I have all the family history and that means I have collected all the pictures I can get my hands on. I stole pictures from Wally, I was given pictures and papers from Uncle Tonnie. John Gorman, after his mom died sent me pictures because he wanted to be sure they were taken care of. In them I found one of the prizes of my collection my great grandfather, Leonhard Muller as a young man with a large flowing mustache on his young face. I love it.
To me the collection of family history is two things. I am collecting and trying to preserve as much of the past and the people who have lived it as possible, so I can pass it on to the next generation. I think the family history started with Cornelia Harden. I think she or maybe her Uncle
Thomas when they or He went back to Sidmouth in the 1850's-60's took pictures. Somewhere hopefully only slightly misplaced in Wally's possession are the two books of tin type photos. I know most of the people in the book will be like the photos I have and will most likely never be know. I have figured out most of the people I have photos of are just friends of Thomas Harden and not relatives.
After Cornelia Harden's interest in the family history, I don't know yet who passed it down to my great aunt Emilie. She preserved what she had and added the Smith information to it. All the items from Charles Walter Smith who served in the Civil War. Over the last one hundred and fifty years many of his possessions have been lost. In the 1950's when New York State passed their first gun laws, his daughters handed his Civil War rifles in to the local Police. I think some grandson of a former police officer has some Civil War guns in his closet of ours.
When my Aunt died and her collections was divided up, sort of. My mother and I got some of Charles Walter Smith's stuff. His letter from his wife with the drawing of two ironclads fighting in a bay in South Carolina and a cardboard card file like item, you know like how they used to keep index card at the library to let you know where a book is (Yeah, I know all of you future people are saying none of those words mean anything to you).
His mess kit, and an ingredient list of his father Richard Madison Smith's elixir of life patent medicine recipe and some other forgotten items went to Wally and he's moved twice so there whereabouts are not know at this time (they're lost) .
What all this is about is I don't want any more to get lost. I want the next generation to see the items I have seen. Not to read a note from a scrap of paper I found talking about a letter received by John Harden about the death of his father Henry back in England. I would treasure that, if I had it. It is long gone and even that scrap of paper I don't know where it has gone to. Wally has two needle points done in the 1850's or so detailing the births and deaths of members of the Harden family. I have pictures of them, but what happens to them after he dies. Neither of his kids have children, what then, a yard sale item later thrown in the trash by people who don't understand the value of them. I don't have to have them all, it would just be nice to know someone has a plan to pass them down to the next generation and they can then pass them down to the following generation. I have a plan to pass all the stuff I have collected down to one or two people who may show an interest in the family history. All the stuff that relates to Nastia and Elena goes to them, if they want it. All of the rest of the stuff goes to someone, I don't want to say because it might piss people off with an interest in genealogy. I really don't care who just as long as it is preserved as well as possible and cared for for the next generation.
/
Last night we had our long scheduled Taco night. It was a little odd. In years past it would be billed as a celebration of winter birthdays, or something like that. I have pictures to prove it. Last night was different. Teri didn't go and it was more like just a bunch of people gathering to have tacos, maybe it is me. I have minor beefs with some people and I shouldn't. It's dumb things like pictures. I have all the family history and that means I have collected all the pictures I can get my hands on. I stole pictures from Wally, I was given pictures and papers from Uncle Tonnie. John Gorman, after his mom died sent me pictures because he wanted to be sure they were taken care of. In them I found one of the prizes of my collection my great grandfather, Leonhard Muller as a young man with a large flowing mustache on his young face. I love it.
To me the collection of family history is two things. I am collecting and trying to preserve as much of the past and the people who have lived it as possible, so I can pass it on to the next generation. I think the family history started with Cornelia Harden. I think she or maybe her Uncle
 |
| Sidmouth Harbour, England abt 1859 |
Thomas when they or He went back to Sidmouth in the 1850's-60's took pictures. Somewhere hopefully only slightly misplaced in Wally's possession are the two books of tin type photos. I know most of the people in the book will be like the photos I have and will most likely never be know. I have figured out most of the people I have photos of are just friends of Thomas Harden and not relatives.
After Cornelia Harden's interest in the family history, I don't know yet who passed it down to my great aunt Emilie. She preserved what she had and added the Smith information to it. All the items from Charles Walter Smith who served in the Civil War. Over the last one hundred and fifty years many of his possessions have been lost. In the 1950's when New York State passed their first gun laws, his daughters handed his Civil War rifles in to the local Police. I think some grandson of a former police officer has some Civil War guns in his closet of ours.
When my Aunt died and her collections was divided up, sort of. My mother and I got some of Charles Walter Smith's stuff. His letter from his wife with the drawing of two ironclads fighting in a bay in South Carolina and a cardboard card file like item, you know like how they used to keep index card at the library to let you know where a book is (Yeah, I know all of you future people are saying none of those words mean anything to you).
His mess kit, and an ingredient list of his father Richard Madison Smith's elixir of life patent medicine recipe and some other forgotten items went to Wally and he's moved twice so there whereabouts are not know at this time (they're lost) .
 |
| Leonhard Muller |
What all this is about is I don't want any more to get lost. I want the next generation to see the items I have seen. Not to read a note from a scrap of paper I found talking about a letter received by John Harden about the death of his father Henry back in England. I would treasure that, if I had it. It is long gone and even that scrap of paper I don't know where it has gone to. Wally has two needle points done in the 1850's or so detailing the births and deaths of members of the Harden family. I have pictures of them, but what happens to them after he dies. Neither of his kids have children, what then, a yard sale item later thrown in the trash by people who don't understand the value of them. I don't have to have them all, it would just be nice to know someone has a plan to pass them down to the next generation and they can then pass them down to the following generation. I have a plan to pass all the stuff I have collected down to one or two people who may show an interest in the family history. All the stuff that relates to Nastia and Elena goes to them, if they want it. All of the rest of the stuff goes to someone, I don't want to say because it might piss people off with an interest in genealogy. I really don't care who just as long as it is preserved as well as possible and cared for for the next generation.
/
Saturday, January 11, 2020
And in the end, the love you take is equaI to the love you make*
*Thanks again to the Beatles.
Well the year has ended and the girls are off from school. I believe Nastia did well this semester. Her grades were good, maybe not dean's list good, but it is always a struggle for her and she always works hard for her grades. Then after that, the crusher, she is not graduating this summer. She changed her major and will be short credits. In a bit of anger it was said, "Well look who was helping her pick out her classes." A dig at the probable ex-boyfriend, David. I was a little hurt to have never been asked to help her pick out her classes. I did after all go to that school.
Now Elena, she won't be graduating in a two year time frame either. Her reason is different then Nastia's. Elena couldn't summon the inner strength to go to class and put in a good faith effort. She let her demons have free rein and they stopped her better judgment. Her and I went out to dinner on Thursday night after picking out a new radio for her car and when I asked her about her grades she said she will do better next semester. I have a feeling she failed most if not all of her classes. I told her I wouldn't yell at her and she said she knew because it was her money (loans in her name) she wasted. I believe in her doing a complete turnabout in her grades and how she acted from last semester. I've seen her do it before. When she decides to do something she will. It is inspiring and amazing.
When she started working at Shoprite in Pearl River they wanted to make her a cashier, She didn't pass the change making part so she became a stock person. Now to become a manager's assistant she has to know how to work as a cash register. In typical Elena fashion I didn't find out until I heard her talking about it. She is such a closed book. She was over a penny after her first day. If she decides to stay at ShopRite, she'll never become rich, but she may become comfortable. It's a good union wage paying job in a time when good paying jobs are only available to people with college degrees, even with unemployment down around three and a half percent. She could do worse.
Elena and I went to PC Richards on Thursday night to get a stereo for her car. We looked over the
stereos and I pointed out a stereo that had a place to put your phone. It cost $149. She liked it but then she saw one for $129., then one for $99. She chose the cheapest one. Her mother would have been so proud. I on the other hand would have like to listen to the units, but I think if I would have mentioned that to her I would have been speaking a foreign language. Kids nowadays don't have stereos and don't consider sound quality much. They all want to stick ear buds in their ears and block out the world as much as possible. I can't really blame them.
The stereo was $99. The installation kit was $89. and the labor was $55. I consider that false advertising. When Bruce at sound concepts gave me a price, it was the full installation price. It was more, but there was none of this cheap stereo price, cheap labor price, then oh hey installation kit. Putting the stereo in cost more than the stereo. They will call us when the installation kit is in.
We then went to Nanuet Restaurant. Well what passes for it these days. I used to call up in advance and order the pizzas. They don't do that now so you have to wait for the pies and in theory you'll drink more beer. In reality it most likely works. I used to go to Nanuet Restaurant, order two pies and some beer and have money left over. Granted the old Nanuet Restaurant was losing money, but their pies, even with their reduced quality are still better than the new owners. I usually go to Nanuet Hotel to get pick up. I don't eat in because their eat in section is very unappealing. The pies are light years ahead of the Restaurant. Now onto prices. Beer prices like pizza prices have gone through the roof. I remember dollar glasses of beer at the West Nyack Inn, yeah it was almost forty years ago, but does forty years justify eight dollars a glass for beer. Pizza forty years ago was six dollars for a large pie. Now for a small pie it's about fourteen dollars. Two small pies, two bottles of some German beer, three bottles of root beer with a nice tip was almost one hundred dollars. It used to be reasonable to go out for pizza and beer. I guess this all means I'm old, I'm not getting old, I'm old, F*@$&!!!!
When I looked over the beer list, I see a vanilla beer. I asked for a sample and it okay. When no one is looking I let Elena have a sip hoping she'd say it tastes like pee. Then I'd ask her when she's tasted pee. This beer I really thought I'd get tired of after a few sips. Elena said it wasn't bad, not like the stuff I usually drink because it tastes like pee and yes I did ask her when she's tasted pee. Her reply was, "hey dad you know us don't you" I didn't dig into that. I hope letting her taste the different drinks and different beers I drink doesn't come back and bit me. I do worry about her and alcohol. Nastia says I have nothing to worry about her and alcohol. Boys are another problem. I was told by Elena that Nastia is always flirting with boys. One day I hope it doesn't get her in trouble.
It is ten minutes to midnight on Saturday and after all this talk about pizza and beer I'd like to go out to Nanuet Restaurant of about thirty years ago when the grumpy original owner still ran the place and only knew me when I told him my name even though I was in there once a week. The pies were an hour and a half wait on a Saturday nights and I could go to the bar and drink more then two glasses of beer without feeling like I'd get sick. I'd like to go back to that time just once more to have one of Nanuet Restaurants pies.
I do thank God for not being able to drink more then two glasses of beer because I could have become another in a line of alcoholics in my family. I hope our girls or their children don't join that line .
/
Well the year has ended and the girls are off from school. I believe Nastia did well this semester. Her grades were good, maybe not dean's list good, but it is always a struggle for her and she always works hard for her grades. Then after that, the crusher, she is not graduating this summer. She changed her major and will be short credits. In a bit of anger it was said, "Well look who was helping her pick out her classes." A dig at the probable ex-boyfriend, David. I was a little hurt to have never been asked to help her pick out her classes. I did after all go to that school.
Now Elena, she won't be graduating in a two year time frame either. Her reason is different then Nastia's. Elena couldn't summon the inner strength to go to class and put in a good faith effort. She let her demons have free rein and they stopped her better judgment. Her and I went out to dinner on Thursday night after picking out a new radio for her car and when I asked her about her grades she said she will do better next semester. I have a feeling she failed most if not all of her classes. I told her I wouldn't yell at her and she said she knew because it was her money (loans in her name) she wasted. I believe in her doing a complete turnabout in her grades and how she acted from last semester. I've seen her do it before. When she decides to do something she will. It is inspiring and amazing.
When she started working at Shoprite in Pearl River they wanted to make her a cashier, She didn't pass the change making part so she became a stock person. Now to become a manager's assistant she has to know how to work as a cash register. In typical Elena fashion I didn't find out until I heard her talking about it. She is such a closed book. She was over a penny after her first day. If she decides to stay at ShopRite, she'll never become rich, but she may become comfortable. It's a good union wage paying job in a time when good paying jobs are only available to people with college degrees, even with unemployment down around three and a half percent. She could do worse.
Elena and I went to PC Richards on Thursday night to get a stereo for her car. We looked over the
The stereo was $99. The installation kit was $89. and the labor was $55. I consider that false advertising. When Bruce at sound concepts gave me a price, it was the full installation price. It was more, but there was none of this cheap stereo price, cheap labor price, then oh hey installation kit. Putting the stereo in cost more than the stereo. They will call us when the installation kit is in.
We then went to Nanuet Restaurant. Well what passes for it these days. I used to call up in advance and order the pizzas. They don't do that now so you have to wait for the pies and in theory you'll drink more beer. In reality it most likely works. I used to go to Nanuet Restaurant, order two pies and some beer and have money left over. Granted the old Nanuet Restaurant was losing money, but their pies, even with their reduced quality are still better than the new owners. I usually go to Nanuet Hotel to get pick up. I don't eat in because their eat in section is very unappealing. The pies are light years ahead of the Restaurant. Now onto prices. Beer prices like pizza prices have gone through the roof. I remember dollar glasses of beer at the West Nyack Inn, yeah it was almost forty years ago, but does forty years justify eight dollars a glass for beer. Pizza forty years ago was six dollars for a large pie. Now for a small pie it's about fourteen dollars. Two small pies, two bottles of some German beer, three bottles of root beer with a nice tip was almost one hundred dollars. It used to be reasonable to go out for pizza and beer. I guess this all means I'm old, I'm not getting old, I'm old, F*@$&!!!!
When I looked over the beer list, I see a vanilla beer. I asked for a sample and it okay. When no one is looking I let Elena have a sip hoping she'd say it tastes like pee. Then I'd ask her when she's tasted pee. This beer I really thought I'd get tired of after a few sips. Elena said it wasn't bad, not like the stuff I usually drink because it tastes like pee and yes I did ask her when she's tasted pee. Her reply was, "hey dad you know us don't you" I didn't dig into that. I hope letting her taste the different drinks and different beers I drink doesn't come back and bit me. I do worry about her and alcohol. Nastia says I have nothing to worry about her and alcohol. Boys are another problem. I was told by Elena that Nastia is always flirting with boys. One day I hope it doesn't get her in trouble.
It is ten minutes to midnight on Saturday and after all this talk about pizza and beer I'd like to go out to Nanuet Restaurant of about thirty years ago when the grumpy original owner still ran the place and only knew me when I told him my name even though I was in there once a week. The pies were an hour and a half wait on a Saturday nights and I could go to the bar and drink more then two glasses of beer without feeling like I'd get sick. I'd like to go back to that time just once more to have one of Nanuet Restaurants pies.
I do thank God for not being able to drink more then two glasses of beer because I could have become another in a line of alcoholics in my family. I hope our girls or their children don't join that line .
/
Wednesday, January 1, 2020
New Years eve and we meet the boyfriend
Well I worked today and Teri and the girls took care of a few things.
Last night Monday the 29th of December 2019 we lost Leo the cat. He was all of about two years old. He was a very friendly cat. Everytime I'd go up stairs he'd run to the top of the stairs and wait to be petted. If you didn't he'd smack you with his paw. He was a very sweet cat and everyone misses him so. He left us about twelve years or so too soon.
Elena was very sad and we invited her to sleep with us. She declined until about 12:30 when she joined us. The bed gets very crowded with three people and Athena in it. The room gets hot with three dogs and three people in it. I turned on the over head fan around two and it helped.
So New Years eve Teri and the girls arranged for Leo to be cremated. The quoted fee was $300. When they saw him they lowered their price to under a hundred. Afterwards they went to IHOP for breakfast. I got home at five and took a nap. Elena asked to invite her new boyfriend. Teri and I had talked about it so it was ok for him to come if he had a ride there and back. Elena was not allowed to drive on New Years morning with the possibility of there being extra drunks on the road.
Elena went to work at four and asked to leave a little earlier than nine. She was allowed to leave at eight.
When I leave work I read a group of texts from Elena and Teri. It seems Elena locked her car keys in the car. I offer to bring a second set. I pick up keys at home and head to Pearl River. When I get there, I find the car and park next to it. I get out and I can swear I hear the low hum of her car. Yes the car is still running. I then to to the driver's door and insert the key. The door lock doesn't move. I then notice the door is open. I open it and turn off the car. I imagine that Elena left the car running, locked the door for the inside and shut it then thinking she had locked the keys in the car called for help, not trying the door. I can understand. I got a laugh and when I told her about it she at first didn't believe the car was running and the door was unlocked.
Teri, Nastia, Nancy and I get to Eric and Lynn's a little after eight. Elena show up at eight thirty or
so and announces her boyfriend, whose name is Keene, not Cool (see what I mean about the possibility of it being a hippie name) shows up about nine. He is a bit of a surprise and Elena's attitude brightens.
Around the same time former not to serious ex-boyfriend (he is about two years younger then Elena), Alex shows up. So all evening she is flanked by Alex on one side and Keene on the other. Nastia in the unfamiliar position of not being the center of attention. (She doesn't handle it well.Probably not even aware of it either. She takes her hair out of it's ponytail and tries to get more attention) The Twilight Zone marathon is on the TV. People are talking and I start to get tired. Nastia has some starch, then a little more and finishes later in the night eating Doritos. Later she get tire, (some relationship between the starch and getting tired?) She crawls into her mother's lap and tries to sleep. Later she goes and lies down
on the hearth of the fireplace, jumping up every time someone puts a log on the fire. New Years comes everyone kisses and wishes for a better New Year. Last year I didn't and I thought it would be best if I did this year, maybe it would be better. We stay until about 1:15, then head home. Elena sleeps with Teri and I go to sleep in Elena's bed. I'm up at 7:15 for some reason and Teri follows soon after. It's now 9:45 and I don't expect to see the girls until closer to noon.
Last night Nastia gets a text saying her final project for make up class was never handed in. Having junked all of her school papers she texts back reminding the teacher she saw the almost finished project and telling her she's thrown everything away. Well see where it goes.
Last night Monday the 29th of December 2019 we lost Leo the cat. He was all of about two years old. He was a very friendly cat. Everytime I'd go up stairs he'd run to the top of the stairs and wait to be petted. If you didn't he'd smack you with his paw. He was a very sweet cat and everyone misses him so. He left us about twelve years or so too soon.
Elena was very sad and we invited her to sleep with us. She declined until about 12:30 when she joined us. The bed gets very crowded with three people and Athena in it. The room gets hot with three dogs and three people in it. I turned on the over head fan around two and it helped.
So New Years eve Teri and the girls arranged for Leo to be cremated. The quoted fee was $300. When they saw him they lowered their price to under a hundred. Afterwards they went to IHOP for breakfast. I got home at five and took a nap. Elena asked to invite her new boyfriend. Teri and I had talked about it so it was ok for him to come if he had a ride there and back. Elena was not allowed to drive on New Years morning with the possibility of there being extra drunks on the road.
Elena went to work at four and asked to leave a little earlier than nine. She was allowed to leave at eight.
When I leave work I read a group of texts from Elena and Teri. It seems Elena locked her car keys in the car. I offer to bring a second set. I pick up keys at home and head to Pearl River. When I get there, I find the car and park next to it. I get out and I can swear I hear the low hum of her car. Yes the car is still running. I then to to the driver's door and insert the key. The door lock doesn't move. I then notice the door is open. I open it and turn off the car. I imagine that Elena left the car running, locked the door for the inside and shut it then thinking she had locked the keys in the car called for help, not trying the door. I can understand. I got a laugh and when I told her about it she at first didn't believe the car was running and the door was unlocked.
Teri, Nastia, Nancy and I get to Eric and Lynn's a little after eight. Elena show up at eight thirty or
Around the same time former not to serious ex-boyfriend (he is about two years younger then Elena), Alex shows up. So all evening she is flanked by Alex on one side and Keene on the other. Nastia in the unfamiliar position of not being the center of attention. (She doesn't handle it well.Probably not even aware of it either. She takes her hair out of it's ponytail and tries to get more attention) The Twilight Zone marathon is on the TV. People are talking and I start to get tired. Nastia has some starch, then a little more and finishes later in the night eating Doritos. Later she get tire, (some relationship between the starch and getting tired?) She crawls into her mother's lap and tries to sleep. Later she goes and lies down
Last night Nastia gets a text saying her final project for make up class was never handed in. Having junked all of her school papers she texts back reminding the teacher she saw the almost finished project and telling her she's thrown everything away. Well see where it goes.
Friday, December 27, 2019
So this Christmas and what have you done...*
So this is Christmas. I remember when John Lennon was murdered. I was in my bedroom with my girlfriend, it was 1980 just before Christmas and I turn on the radio. The newscaster reported John Lennon had been shot and killed by Mark David Chapman. It was so unreal I couldn't believe it. I had to hear the report several time. Now all these years later it has passed without a note. It's become a part of history just like Pearl Harbor on December 7th. Few talk about either any more. I remember working the milk route with my dad and he'd buy the Daily News. The Daily New in the 70's would put pictures in the centerfold of the paper when big events happened, or to commemorate events. On December 7th in the early 70's the centerfold of the paper was filled with pictures of ships bombed in 1941. I'd looked at them the same way people now look at pictures of John Lennon on the night he was murdered. Wow an interesting historical event.
Well it is Christmas eve 2019. Our bank accounts are emptied and most of what we wanted to buy has been bought. Teri again has been a champ. She will say things about how there is not a lot , but when you look at the mess of gifts and who they are for it is overwhelming. I always feel like I never giver her enough. She is always so very generous. And she is always so tough to buy for too. Years ago I ran out of jewelry to give her. Wrist, ears, I think I missed her neck and nose, damn it.
Speaking of noses,Nastia and Elena got piercings. That is all that needs to be said.
Let the pictures say the rest. And yes I think they are unnecessary.
It is now Christmas morning. in a home with older children. I remember when it first happened to me. I was like sixteen or so and Eric comes into my room and says it's Christmas in a slightly desperate tone, get up. He was twelve, still of that age. It seems the girls both left that special age too quickly. One year I'd go up to their room and say 'Good morning,it Christmas and I'd get a great video of them racing down stairs. Then one year completely out of left field they wanted to sleep more. That is the day the magic of Christmas started to disappear. It's seven-thirty Christmas morning, I'm stuck in my bedroom with Mesha because she'd physically tear Nevel Nancy's dog who is down stairs apart if she could. Nevel is getting a little freedom with Teri and Nancy as the girls sleep away. Nastia might get up around
nine,but if left to her own Elena would sleep until two in the afternoon.
We are having a small gathering at our house this year of anywhere from five to eight. Donald, Amanda's father is working for Rockland Bakery and there is a chance of overtime and with Christmas on a Wednesday, he has to get up early tomorrow. Also the same with Amanda and Tony. They are working or at least one is and they both might not make it and have to get up tomorrow, so who knows.
We are having a Rib roast for a two o'clock dinner. If you want melt in your mouth beef, this is
your baby. It costly, but has supplanted turkey as the Christmas dinner of choice.
It is now the day after Christmas. All the presents are opened and the wrapping paper has been hauled away by the trash men and spirits of sugar plums no long dance in our wee little children's heads. Elena went out with her new boyfriend tonight, Spectacular or is it Cool. I know it is a name a hippie would give to their child, I honestly don't remember it. I know you're thinking, 'Is he a nice boy?' (say it like a jewish mother) I don't know, haven't met him. I do know Elena came home tonight with a rash on her neck, I hope she isn't coming down with something. If it was summer, I'd thought she'd gone fishing for ... let's all say it together, 'Sucker Fish!' and when she reads this years later she gonna hid my false teeth.
I hope she is happy. I'm told s-e-x (I'm spelling it out incase small children are reading this) is not in the cards any time soon, She has told her mother she is not ready.
Now Nastia on the other hand is having David issues. He is acting distant and he has really pissed Nastia off to the point that she is/was considering dumping the love of her life. Is/was because they went to the movies tonight and were together yesterday for a while after he ignored her for, I don't know a week or so? And everytime I think of that I remember the dumb ass thing he said when he first started going out with her. "I don't break up with girls, they break up with me." Why doesn't he finally grow the fuck up!! I've gone into all of his shortcomings before and how he has no great roll models except for his grandparents and even though I am tempted to rehash his faults again, I will resist. He is not a bad kid. He's kind and funny and my daughter loves him, but he has all these demons running around in his head causing all this dumbass behavior to come out. I'm real tired of damaged people. I got into therapy years ago, one of my daughter's is in therapy, the other should be and all the two of them ever do is bring home people who are more damaged than themselves. Their mother has pushed them to do better, to get jobs, pay their own bills and car costs. To earn pocket money and get an education. They have been given the opportunities America can give and their future is theirs. They just don't have coat tails that lessers can hold onto as they try to soar. David will most likely fly high. He is focused on a possibly bright future, but he needs to make a little room for my daughter if he doesn't want to lose her.
*Lyrics
Well it is Christmas eve 2019. Our bank accounts are emptied and most of what we wanted to buy has been bought. Teri again has been a champ. She will say things about how there is not a lot , but when you look at the mess of gifts and who they are for it is overwhelming. I always feel like I never giver her enough. She is always so very generous. And she is always so tough to buy for too. Years ago I ran out of jewelry to give her. Wrist, ears, I think I missed her neck and nose, damn it.
Speaking of noses,Nastia and Elena got piercings. That is all that needs to be said.
Let the pictures say the rest. And yes I think they are unnecessary.
It is now Christmas morning. in a home with older children. I remember when it first happened to me. I was like sixteen or so and Eric comes into my room and says it's Christmas in a slightly desperate tone, get up. He was twelve, still of that age. It seems the girls both left that special age too quickly. One year I'd go up to their room and say 'Good morning,it Christmas and I'd get a great video of them racing down stairs. Then one year completely out of left field they wanted to sleep more. That is the day the magic of Christmas started to disappear. It's seven-thirty Christmas morning, I'm stuck in my bedroom with Mesha because she'd physically tear Nevel Nancy's dog who is down stairs apart if she could. Nevel is getting a little freedom with Teri and Nancy as the girls sleep away. Nastia might get up around  |
| No sugar plums dancing here |
We are having a small gathering at our house this year of anywhere from five to eight. Donald, Amanda's father is working for Rockland Bakery and there is a chance of overtime and with Christmas on a Wednesday, he has to get up early tomorrow. Also the same with Amanda and Tony. They are working or at least one is and they both might not make it and have to get up tomorrow, so who knows.
We are having a Rib roast for a two o'clock dinner. If you want melt in your mouth beef, this is
your baby. It costly, but has supplanted turkey as the Christmas dinner of choice.
It is now the day after Christmas. All the presents are opened and the wrapping paper has been hauled away by the trash men and spirits of sugar plums no long dance in our wee little children's heads. Elena went out with her new boyfriend tonight, Spectacular or is it Cool. I know it is a name a hippie would give to their child, I honestly don't remember it. I know you're thinking, 'Is he a nice boy?' (say it like a jewish mother) I don't know, haven't met him. I do know Elena came home tonight with a rash on her neck, I hope she isn't coming down with something. If it was summer, I'd thought she'd gone fishing for ... let's all say it together, 'Sucker Fish!' and when she reads this years later she gonna hid my false teeth.
I hope she is happy. I'm told s-e-x (I'm spelling it out incase small children are reading this) is not in the cards any time soon, She has told her mother she is not ready.
Now Nastia on the other hand is having David issues. He is acting distant and he has really pissed Nastia off to the point that she is/was considering dumping the love of her life. Is/was because they went to the movies tonight and were together yesterday for a while after he ignored her for, I don't know a week or so? And everytime I think of that I remember the dumb ass thing he said when he first started going out with her. "I don't break up with girls, they break up with me." Why doesn't he finally grow the fuck up!! I've gone into all of his shortcomings before and how he has no great roll models except for his grandparents and even though I am tempted to rehash his faults again, I will resist. He is not a bad kid. He's kind and funny and my daughter loves him, but he has all these demons running around in his head causing all this dumbass behavior to come out. I'm real tired of damaged people. I got into therapy years ago, one of my daughter's is in therapy, the other should be and all the two of them ever do is bring home people who are more damaged than themselves. Their mother has pushed them to do better, to get jobs, pay their own bills and car costs. To earn pocket money and get an education. They have been given the opportunities America can give and their future is theirs. They just don't have coat tails that lessers can hold onto as they try to soar. David will most likely fly high. He is focused on a possibly bright future, but he needs to make a little room for my daughter if he doesn't want to lose her. |
| Like Santa Claus I too do exist. |
So this is Christmas
And what have you done
Another year over
And a new one just begun
And so this is Christmas
I hope you have fun
The near and the dear one
The old and the young
And what have you done
Another year over
And a new one just begun
And so this is Christmas
I hope you have fun
The near and the dear one
The old and the young
A very Merry Christmas
And a happy new year
Let's hope it's a good one
Without any fear
And a happy new year
Let's hope it's a good one
Without any fear
And so this is Christmas
For weak and for strong
For rich and the poor ones
The world is so wrong
And so happy Christmas
For black and for white
For yellow and red one
Let's stop all the fight
For weak and for strong
For rich and the poor ones
The world is so wrong
And so happy Christmas
For black and for white
For yellow and red one
Let's stop all the fight
A very Merry Christmas
And a happy new year
Let's hope it's a good one
Without any fear
And a happy new year
Let's hope it's a good one
Without any fear
And so this is Christmas
And what have we done
Another year over
A new one just begun
And so happy Christmas
We hope you have fun
The near and the dear one
The old and the young
And what have we done
Another year over
A new one just begun
And so happy Christmas
We hope you have fun
The near and the dear one
The old and the young
A very Merry Christmas
And a happy new year
Let's hope it's a good one
Without any fear
War is over, if you want it
War is over now
And a happy new year
Let's hope it's a good one
Without any fear
War is over, if you want it
War is over now
la, la, ah, ah
Happy Christmas
Happy Christmas (happy Christmas)
Happy Christmas (happy Christmas)
Happy Christmas
Happy Christmas (happy Christmas)
Happy Christmas (happy Christmas)
Source: LyricFind
Songwriters: John Winston Lennon /
Saturday, December 21, 2019
Well it's Christmas, almost.*
* God it still feels like it should be a week before Halloween!!
It is the twentieth of December. Right smack dab in the middle of the holiday season. Promised myself I would be very much in the holiday spirit this year. The Christmas season is also the shortest it can be this year. The time between Thanksgiving and Christmas is just about a month. I am working and don't get home until six, then I make diner and suddenly it is today. Thank God for Teri. Again like all the years in the past she is the one who shops for the presents for the girls. If it was up to me they would be getting stuff from the local convenience store run by the Indians and is open on Christmas day. So much for the Christmas spirit. I used to be real big into Christmas. I'd put lights up on the house. I'd go out Christmas shopping and maybe not enjoy it, but at least I'd do it in a timely manner so I could enjoy some of the month. For the past few years the only people I have had to buy for are Teri and my mother. Sorry for all the same gifts mom.
The plan this year was for us to get a real tree. I was going to go out and get one one night. Back in 2012 we (the girls and I) went to Pearl River to get a tree. That was the last time. I wanted this Christmas to be like Christmas of old. A real tree with all the old ornament on it. The ones in the distant past with once new Hallmark ornaments on it, the cheap plastic ornaments my mom purchased when I was a kid, to be put low on the tree so that if the dogs hit them and broke them no big deal and now are treasured bits of my history and finally the old fashioned screw in lights with the bubble lights. Then outside the huge old style lights. I was going to make it just like old times. Well one day I woke up and Teri says it's ten days before Christmas ans we need to get a tree. The weather says it will rain tonight, then switch to freezing rain and be awful for the next week. I need to go now or never. Teri says after I debate it for a while let's go to the movies and get it after. Okay, not a bad idea. After the movie, the family 'Christmas Vacation' (Well maybe not exactly like it) family going to get their real Christmas tree has devolved into 'You go get the tree and I'll take Nancy home.' Maybe I should have said something, it just gets discouraging when no one is on the same wavelength. I knew a family adventure like from a Christmas Story (Ralphie, you'll shoot your eye out.) would never happen. (If you don't know what I'm talking about with all theses movies, your education is sorely lacking) No one goes out like in A Christmas Story any more to get a tree. Heck, my parents maybe did it occasionally when I was about five or so. In later years my dad would just bring the tree home in his truck and it would either be in the 60's up against the fence in the old driveway or on the deck in the 70's. I even got a real tree when I had my first apartment in the 90's and that was why I started collecting Hallmark ornaments.
When the girls first came over they were easy to buy for. When asked to make out a Christmas list it consisted of things like, gum, beef jerky and the like. It was sweet and made you want to cry a little. Their wishes were small and easy to fulfill. We'd go out and buy them these wonderful gifts and they would be happy and excited on Christmas morning. Later they would eat the beef jerky and gum. The other expensive gifts would end up sometimes not being used. Things haven't changed much in ten years, except now it is difficult to find them gifts. I can hear you, you're thinking so loud. If Teri does all the Christmas shopping how do I know these things. Well I do occasionally listen to her when she talks and she does love to talk about the girls. This year the girls are impossible to buy for. They both have jobs and they have started to buy clothes for themselves. So if you see them and wonder who the hell dressed them, it wasn't us. There wants are still simple and since they are older they don't make out Christmas lists like in the past. If they did I'm sure gum and beef jerky would head the list.
Nastia's new 'friend' Taj and I went into other possible titles for him in my last post, is very much in some respects just like Nastia's other friend Veronica. I got a flat tire the other day when it was raining and turning to freezing ice. I'm at the age that if it isn't around 70, with low humidity and it's not a crisis, I'm not going to change a tire. So I asked Nastia to borrow her car for the day. She and Elena would drive together to RCC. I get in her car and it is a mess. There are open cheerios on the floor and the car is covered in trash, just like when Vanessa used to drive with her. It really ticks me off that these kids with no car and maybe no license are such pigs in her car. It shows what kind of person they really are. If you can't treat it like you own it....wait maybe that is the problem. They are treating it like they own it and they are disrespectful pigs.
I remember when my friend Mike got his first car, a 1964 Oldsmobile Dynamic 88. It was a tank and I helped Mike clean it up and together we got the car ready to be repainted (We ruined it). The one thing I don't remember doing it throwing crap around the car so it was a mess.
Okay, now Elena, it seems she has a boyfriend again, not that anyone has told me, wait, Nastia did tell me Elena had a boyfriend. His name is Cain. She met him at work and last night for the first time they went, in a group to a party. She was told to be home at 11 and she was home at ten minutes to 11.
On Thursday, she and Nastia had their final class together for Multi-cultural something or other and it was the last night to present your project. Elena hadn't as far as Nastia knew. Nastia was home at the usual time. Elena was home almost 45 minutes late. When asked why, she said she took her time going home. I hope she stayed after class and did her presentation to an empty class with just the teacher there. I remember being as shy as Elena and how God awful it was to present to the class. Elena and I are alot alike.
/
It is the twentieth of December. Right smack dab in the middle of the holiday season. Promised myself I would be very much in the holiday spirit this year. The Christmas season is also the shortest it can be this year. The time between Thanksgiving and Christmas is just about a month. I am working and don't get home until six, then I make diner and suddenly it is today. Thank God for Teri. Again like all the years in the past she is the one who shops for the presents for the girls. If it was up to me they would be getting stuff from the local convenience store run by the Indians and is open on Christmas day. So much for the Christmas spirit. I used to be real big into Christmas. I'd put lights up on the house. I'd go out Christmas shopping and maybe not enjoy it, but at least I'd do it in a timely manner so I could enjoy some of the month. For the past few years the only people I have had to buy for are Teri and my mother. Sorry for all the same gifts mom.
The plan this year was for us to get a real tree. I was going to go out and get one one night. Back in 2012 we (the girls and I) went to Pearl River to get a tree. That was the last time. I wanted this Christmas to be like Christmas of old. A real tree with all the old ornament on it. The ones in the distant past with once new Hallmark ornaments on it, the cheap plastic ornaments my mom purchased when I was a kid, to be put low on the tree so that if the dogs hit them and broke them no big deal and now are treasured bits of my history and finally the old fashioned screw in lights with the bubble lights. Then outside the huge old style lights. I was going to make it just like old times. Well one day I woke up and Teri says it's ten days before Christmas ans we need to get a tree. The weather says it will rain tonight, then switch to freezing rain and be awful for the next week. I need to go now or never. Teri says after I debate it for a while let's go to the movies and get it after. Okay, not a bad idea. After the movie, the family 'Christmas Vacation' (Well maybe not exactly like it) family going to get their real Christmas tree has devolved into 'You go get the tree and I'll take Nancy home.' Maybe I should have said something, it just gets discouraging when no one is on the same wavelength. I knew a family adventure like from a Christmas Story (Ralphie, you'll shoot your eye out.) would never happen. (If you don't know what I'm talking about with all theses movies, your education is sorely lacking) No one goes out like in A Christmas Story any more to get a tree. Heck, my parents maybe did it occasionally when I was about five or so. In later years my dad would just bring the tree home in his truck and it would either be in the 60's up against the fence in the old driveway or on the deck in the 70's. I even got a real tree when I had my first apartment in the 90's and that was why I started collecting Hallmark ornaments.
When the girls first came over they were easy to buy for. When asked to make out a Christmas list it consisted of things like, gum, beef jerky and the like. It was sweet and made you want to cry a little. Their wishes were small and easy to fulfill. We'd go out and buy them these wonderful gifts and they would be happy and excited on Christmas morning. Later they would eat the beef jerky and gum. The other expensive gifts would end up sometimes not being used. Things haven't changed much in ten years, except now it is difficult to find them gifts. I can hear you, you're thinking so loud. If Teri does all the Christmas shopping how do I know these things. Well I do occasionally listen to her when she talks and she does love to talk about the girls. This year the girls are impossible to buy for. They both have jobs and they have started to buy clothes for themselves. So if you see them and wonder who the hell dressed them, it wasn't us. There wants are still simple and since they are older they don't make out Christmas lists like in the past. If they did I'm sure gum and beef jerky would head the list.
Nastia's new 'friend' Taj and I went into other possible titles for him in my last post, is very much in some respects just like Nastia's other friend Veronica. I got a flat tire the other day when it was raining and turning to freezing ice. I'm at the age that if it isn't around 70, with low humidity and it's not a crisis, I'm not going to change a tire. So I asked Nastia to borrow her car for the day. She and Elena would drive together to RCC. I get in her car and it is a mess. There are open cheerios on the floor and the car is covered in trash, just like when Vanessa used to drive with her. It really ticks me off that these kids with no car and maybe no license are such pigs in her car. It shows what kind of person they really are. If you can't treat it like you own it....wait maybe that is the problem. They are treating it like they own it and they are disrespectful pigs.
I remember when my friend Mike got his first car, a 1964 Oldsmobile Dynamic 88. It was a tank and I helped Mike clean it up and together we got the car ready to be repainted (We ruined it). The one thing I don't remember doing it throwing crap around the car so it was a mess.
Okay, now Elena, it seems she has a boyfriend again, not that anyone has told me, wait, Nastia did tell me Elena had a boyfriend. His name is Cain. She met him at work and last night for the first time they went, in a group to a party. She was told to be home at 11 and she was home at ten minutes to 11.
On Thursday, she and Nastia had their final class together for Multi-cultural something or other and it was the last night to present your project. Elena hadn't as far as Nastia knew. Nastia was home at the usual time. Elena was home almost 45 minutes late. When asked why, she said she took her time going home. I hope she stayed after class and did her presentation to an empty class with just the teacher there. I remember being as shy as Elena and how God awful it was to present to the class. Elena and I are alot alike.
/
Friday, December 20, 2019
Another talent show
Last year and through most of this semester Nasti has had to go to plays and talent shows. Last year David went to some in the fall. In the spring and so far this semester I have been Nastia's date. Some of the events have been fun, like the play August Osage County. It was enjoyable for the first hour or two. But by 11 PM, I just wanted to go home. I got my wish about 11:15.
For the latest show Nastia's latest flame (?) interest of the month, flavor of the week, (as far as I know) non sexual replacement, fill in boyfriend Taj was going to go to this month's show with her. When she told me she thought I might be sad about not going, I wasn't. I immensely enjoy our time together, but after working all day and then going to the show, I was OK missing it. She did say I could go with them. I said no, thank you.
Later that day Taj backed out. So yet again it was Nastia and I going to the show. The show is a talent show. Hopeful artists were going to premier their original works. I was not looking forward to it. I appreciate all the work that goes into creating something from nothing. I myself am a frustrated writer. They were successful that night, they got up before an audience, some for the first time and performed a song they had labored over for who knows how long. I just didn't want to be there. The program was short on this night, maybe as a way of saying hey August Osage County was a little on the long side, so to even things out this will be only an hour and a half.
We leave without eating intending to eat after the show at the Airmont Diner. The food there is head and shoulders above any other diner I've been to lately. And it doesn't seem so expensive. We get there a little early. We go in and sit down in the back instead of the front like usual. As soon as I sit down I am reminded of another reason I don't like going to this theatre. The seating is made for someone who is most likely about 5 foot five and one hundred twenty pounds and who also has good knees. I am not a huge person. I am six foot 220 these days, a little on the pudgy side, but usually I'm fine. These seats make airline seats look spacious. I sit down and my knees bump against the seats in front. My left knee tells me it is not happy and needs to stretch out. I am getting comfortable when the house lights go down. And as if on cue a family sits in the seats directly in front. I didn't care I was only going to pay attention a little. I did find it very funny that they bought a toddler with them. I started taking mental bets how long it would be before one of the parents had to leave because the baby was crying. They got through one and a half songs before. I think the father got up and left with the baby. He came back and the baby remained quit for half a song before he got up again. I was impressed the father got up both times. The family gave up less then half way through the show and left. Maybe they saw who they came to see. On the way out after the show, Nastia said she could smell a dirty diaper. Maybe they ran out of supplies. The show ended around eight-thirty and Nastia and I headed out to the Airmont Diner. I went down College Road and didn't take the right turn to bring me up by the Thruway entrance. I went straight and made a left onto Route 59 thinking we were west of the diner. I didn't realize my mistake until we were in Spring Valley. We ended up at the diner in Nanuet. The food is very slow coming out. Nastia orders fish. It comes with two sides and she gets home fries and at my urging vegetables. She eats the home fries, some of the fish. Grabs a stalk of broccoli to taste. Sniffs the fish cake that comes with her meal. She tries it and decides it's not to her liking. She will wrap the fish, the fish cake, but not the vegetables. Saying she will eat it for dinner tomorrow. The starch girl finishes the home fries. If everything were potatoes Nastia would be one hundred and ninety pounds instead of ninety-five pounds. I had breakfast for dinner. It is almost a tradition with me. If I'm going to a diner at night, I'm ordering a spinach and feta cheese omelet, with french fries, sausages and an english muffin. I was tempted to order French Toast. The prices at this diner are very expensive and the food is only ok.We got home at almost eleven. It was an interesting night and I guess sometime in February or March will be the next one.
/
For the latest show Nastia's latest flame (?) interest of the month, flavor of the week, (as far as I know) non sexual replacement, fill in boyfriend Taj was going to go to this month's show with her. When she told me she thought I might be sad about not going, I wasn't. I immensely enjoy our time together, but after working all day and then going to the show, I was OK missing it. She did say I could go with them. I said no, thank you.
Later that day Taj backed out. So yet again it was Nastia and I going to the show. The show is a talent show. Hopeful artists were going to premier their original works. I was not looking forward to it. I appreciate all the work that goes into creating something from nothing. I myself am a frustrated writer. They were successful that night, they got up before an audience, some for the first time and performed a song they had labored over for who knows how long. I just didn't want to be there. The program was short on this night, maybe as a way of saying hey August Osage County was a little on the long side, so to even things out this will be only an hour and a half.
We leave without eating intending to eat after the show at the Airmont Diner. The food there is head and shoulders above any other diner I've been to lately. And it doesn't seem so expensive. We get there a little early. We go in and sit down in the back instead of the front like usual. As soon as I sit down I am reminded of another reason I don't like going to this theatre. The seating is made for someone who is most likely about 5 foot five and one hundred twenty pounds and who also has good knees. I am not a huge person. I am six foot 220 these days, a little on the pudgy side, but usually I'm fine. These seats make airline seats look spacious. I sit down and my knees bump against the seats in front. My left knee tells me it is not happy and needs to stretch out. I am getting comfortable when the house lights go down. And as if on cue a family sits in the seats directly in front. I didn't care I was only going to pay attention a little. I did find it very funny that they bought a toddler with them. I started taking mental bets how long it would be before one of the parents had to leave because the baby was crying. They got through one and a half songs before. I think the father got up and left with the baby. He came back and the baby remained quit for half a song before he got up again. I was impressed the father got up both times. The family gave up less then half way through the show and left. Maybe they saw who they came to see. On the way out after the show, Nastia said she could smell a dirty diaper. Maybe they ran out of supplies. The show ended around eight-thirty and Nastia and I headed out to the Airmont Diner. I went down College Road and didn't take the right turn to bring me up by the Thruway entrance. I went straight and made a left onto Route 59 thinking we were west of the diner. I didn't realize my mistake until we were in Spring Valley. We ended up at the diner in Nanuet. The food is very slow coming out. Nastia orders fish. It comes with two sides and she gets home fries and at my urging vegetables. She eats the home fries, some of the fish. Grabs a stalk of broccoli to taste. Sniffs the fish cake that comes with her meal. She tries it and decides it's not to her liking. She will wrap the fish, the fish cake, but not the vegetables. Saying she will eat it for dinner tomorrow. The starch girl finishes the home fries. If everything were potatoes Nastia would be one hundred and ninety pounds instead of ninety-five pounds. I had breakfast for dinner. It is almost a tradition with me. If I'm going to a diner at night, I'm ordering a spinach and feta cheese omelet, with french fries, sausages and an english muffin. I was tempted to order French Toast. The prices at this diner are very expensive and the food is only ok.We got home at almost eleven. It was an interesting night and I guess sometime in February or March will be the next one.
/
Sunday, December 8, 2019
Nastia's birthday. Can she really be twenty-one already??!!
Nastia slept in our bed last night so she could wake up on her birthday with us. To someone on the outside it must seem strange for a girl of twenty years and 364 days to be sleeping with her parents. I didn't mind even though she took up more room then Athena in the bed. And it was sweet to hear her say she wanted to wake up with us on her birthday. It wasn't like in Ferris Bueller's day off when he acts like a little kid to get something he wants ( you better have seen it. It's one of the best movies from the 80's *) She genuinely wanted to be with us. She told me back in the dark days (my words) in Russia, after some bad things happened which I really don't know what they are and can only guess, she decided to be happy, Elena didn't. I wouldn't have either.
I wake up around seven, kissed Nastia and wish her a 'happy twenty-first birthday.' Teri echos it. I go off to work after cleaning the fresh snow fall of about five inches off Elena's and my cars.Elena goes off to school leaving Nastia and Teri to spend the day together. They get her nails done and have a nice time together. The plan is for us all to meet up at home around six to have dinner at Mt. Fuji. Mt Fuji is a japanese steak and hibachi restaurant. It is a very successful restaurant and there are others that have popped up and tried to match it. Cho Cho San in Nanuet at the old Triangle Steak Pub location is one I have gone to and enjoyed. It was pricey, but it was for Elena's birthday. The other time we went it might have been Nastia's birthday.
So on December 3, 2019 we all gather at the house. It is just going to be the four of us. Money is a little tight and Nastia was only allowed to invite David. But David has school in Albany and there was that snow storm that dropped six inches on us and dropped 22 on him. Plus David can be a little odd sometimes, I don't know him well enough to decide what is going on with him. Sometimes he ignores Nastia, is it because he is laser focused on school or he doesn't know how to be in a relationship with someone who obviously adores him. From what I've seen and heard and some of it might be wrong he doesn't have many good role models in his life. I won't go into to them now.
We drive up the Thruway north toward Suffern, Teri is driving. We get off at exit 15A and swing around onto Route 17. About a mile or so up on the left is the entrance to Mt. Fuji. The huge red
entrance can't be missed. Like I've said I've never been there and I didn't expect the long drive up the mountain. Well it used to be the Motel on the Mountain all those years ago. The drive up the mountain is tense because Teri is petrified of anything that might be ice. If there is an ice cube in the road it feels like she is afraid that if she hits it the car will go careening off the road and crash down the side of the mountain. After a few minute drive up the intensely curvy road Mt. Fuji appears at the top. It is cold and there is only valet parking. Once inside we walk to the desk and announce that Muller party of four is here. We wait in the bar Nastia and Elena engage in some intense conversation. After watching them some I too want to look at my phone.
We are seated near a window. Out of habit I try to take a seat that will be good for a left handed person. I hostess motions me over to the exact opposite side near the windows and all night long I try to not elbow Nastia as she unaware occasionally elbows me. We order drinks after getting an eye opening look at the prices of the food. Cho Cho San had Sam Adams, Mt. Fuji doesn't. If you are starting to get a vibe here you're not wrong. I order a Corona, Nastia wants a Pina Colada, Elena gets a virgin, Teri water. Nastia sips her drink and goes, "oh, this is nice you don't even taste the alcohol." wait it's coming. I
drink mr beer, Elena, who I am concerned about turning twenty-one sneaks a sip of Nastia's drink along with Teri. Nastia then takes another sip and realizes the alcohol hadn't mixed completely and now she is tasting it. I take a sip, the drink has a pleasant taste with a slight bit to it, an excellent drink. Nastia gives the drink to Teri to finish, so ends Nastia's night drinking. The Chef arrives and the usual enjoyable entertainment and good food. The night ends around 10 pm. We settle up for about what I thought the bill would be.
We head out to get our car. Now this is the part I hate the most about valet parking. It seems that every time we go to a place with valet parking it is like minus seven degrees. Tonight was no exception. The cold air on top of the mountain hits us as we pass through the door to the snow covered walkway. The restaurant was empty, so I thought the valet would be, but no everyone who was in the restaurant decided to leave five minutes before we did. It didn't take to long to get our car, the valets did work hard to bring the cars up, but the time we spent there made me think of the Donner party. (They got stuck in the mountains on their way to California in the 1800's and had to eat dead members of their party to survive, lucky we'd just eaten)After what seemed like forever, it was just five, six minutes our car arrives and we take the treacherous trip down the mountain. Teri fearing that every dark spot on the road was ice. I was driving because of that. We survive the trip down the
mountain and make it back to Congers.
/
I wake up around seven, kissed Nastia and wish her a 'happy twenty-first birthday.' Teri echos it. I go off to work after cleaning the fresh snow fall of about five inches off Elena's and my cars.Elena goes off to school leaving Nastia and Teri to spend the day together. They get her nails done and have a nice time together. The plan is for us all to meet up at home around six to have dinner at Mt. Fuji. Mt Fuji is a japanese steak and hibachi restaurant. It is a very successful restaurant and there are others that have popped up and tried to match it. Cho Cho San in Nanuet at the old Triangle Steak Pub location is one I have gone to and enjoyed. It was pricey, but it was for Elena's birthday. The other time we went it might have been Nastia's birthday.
So on December 3, 2019 we all gather at the house. It is just going to be the four of us. Money is a little tight and Nastia was only allowed to invite David. But David has school in Albany and there was that snow storm that dropped six inches on us and dropped 22 on him. Plus David can be a little odd sometimes, I don't know him well enough to decide what is going on with him. Sometimes he ignores Nastia, is it because he is laser focused on school or he doesn't know how to be in a relationship with someone who obviously adores him. From what I've seen and heard and some of it might be wrong he doesn't have many good role models in his life. I won't go into to them now.
We drive up the Thruway north toward Suffern, Teri is driving. We get off at exit 15A and swing around onto Route 17. About a mile or so up on the left is the entrance to Mt. Fuji. The huge red
entrance can't be missed. Like I've said I've never been there and I didn't expect the long drive up the mountain. Well it used to be the Motel on the Mountain all those years ago. The drive up the mountain is tense because Teri is petrified of anything that might be ice. If there is an ice cube in the road it feels like she is afraid that if she hits it the car will go careening off the road and crash down the side of the mountain. After a few minute drive up the intensely curvy road Mt. Fuji appears at the top. It is cold and there is only valet parking. Once inside we walk to the desk and announce that Muller party of four is here. We wait in the bar Nastia and Elena engage in some intense conversation. After watching them some I too want to look at my phone.
We are seated near a window. Out of habit I try to take a seat that will be good for a left handed person. I hostess motions me over to the exact opposite side near the windows and all night long I try to not elbow Nastia as she unaware occasionally elbows me. We order drinks after getting an eye opening look at the prices of the food. Cho Cho San had Sam Adams, Mt. Fuji doesn't. If you are starting to get a vibe here you're not wrong. I order a Corona, Nastia wants a Pina Colada, Elena gets a virgin, Teri water. Nastia sips her drink and goes, "oh, this is nice you don't even taste the alcohol." wait it's coming. I 
mountain and make it back to Congers.
Ferris Bueller's Day Off is a 1986 American teen comedy film written, co-produced, and directed by John Hughes, and co-produced by Tom Jacobson. The film stars Matthew Broderick as Ferris Bueller, a high-school slacker who spends a day off from school in Chicago, with Mia Sara and Alan Ruck.
Produced by: John Hughes; Tom Jacobson
Box office: $70.1 million
Music by: Ira Newborn
Edited by: Paul Hirsch
/
Tuesday, December 3, 2019
Thanksgiving 2019
 |
| Start of Teri's family stuffing |
wanted to have a holiday at our house.
Over the last few years the separate Thanksgivings have gotten smaller. People have left us but we still kept them separate. That was until Karen, Lynn's sister unexpectedly died last spring. She was only in her fifties and it was very unexpected. Lynn kept up a strong front over the last months, but when it came time for Thanksgiving and we got the usual do you want to come over for Thanksgiving, this year it
 |
| Butter, sausage, onions and celery cooking away |
 |
| Nastia and Elena help on Thanksgiving |
I wanted to bring a dessert. I thought about a black bottom pie, but that was as far as I got with it. At the last moment I decided to make pumpkin cake. I like pumpkin and we had a can of pumpkin in the cellar. It was of course 16 months out of date. Does 16 months or a year and 4 months sound longer? I was going to use it. I remember before all this sell by date crap things in your freezer and things in cans were good for just about ever. I got the can out and I checked to see if it was bulging, it wasn't. Nastia with all of her soon to be twenty-one years was saying I don't know if you should use it, it's out of date! Around her offering her knowledge of canned pumpkin she did help me make the pumpkin cake.
Now I don't really like cake and I don't really like cupcakes and each for a different reason. I don't like boxed cake even though they are usually very tasty. I feel it is a cheat. I like doing things from scratch, getting in over my head and then stopping doing the project. Wait how did I get on projects I'm doing around the house. I don't like cupcakes because of their bland flavor, overly sweet icing and this is coming from a guy who complained that cakes in Russia weren't sweet enough. And lastly I despise cupcake wrappers and I really don't know why. Maybe it has to do with overly sweet icing over the bland cake. Well all this is leading up to I decided to make pumpkin cupcakes. It was a major pain. I started with the regular sized muffins remembering in the past I cooked some cake, maybe Sour Cream Coffee Cake (should have done that) in cupcake form and it went over big. But these cupcakes need to have a pan that was buttered and floured. I start with the regular dozen size cupcakes, I had one tray. I then use the four trays of minis I have spraying oil and tapping flour into each one. Oh and making a big mess. When the cupcakes come out they are too hot to remove from the pan and I say I'm going to take them in the tins. Well lets just say the next day when Amanda comes over to dinner she is given a bag of pumpkin cupcakes. The few I had were good, but too much work.
At Lynn and Eric's we are a group of about ten. Eric and Lynn's group fluctuated. Timmy came late, Billy was without his girlfriend, then she is there. Denis wasn't there then he was. It was a good time. Only once did Lynn let her armour slip, in the kitchen with a tear in her eye she thanked Teri for coming over while they were both cleaning up. I was glad we went.
/
Monday, December 2, 2019
Wednesday night, post mortem on the car and whatever else
Wednesday night is therapy for Elena. A couple of weeks ago afterwards I saw her and thought it must have been a rough one. Her eyes seemed ... tired I guess is the best way to describe them. Tonight she was on a bit of a high and in a real great mood. It was a lot like this past weekend after the movie. She was bouncing around being silly and having a great time. Tonight she was fake punching everyone and her sister was fake punching her back. Life seemed to be good for once. It may have been just a moment and Teri was telling Elena to stop, but really it was a time when everybody seemed to be happy, or at least content. Teri was happy once Elena stopped fake punching because Elena could put someone's eye out you know ( hey Christmas is coming and so is Christmas Story). Nancy joined us and we had a late dinner at Harry's Burritos. It was good.
Afterwards I drove Nastia and Elena over to Alexander Brother to pick up her car, yes that car. The cost of repairs on the car could have topped three grand, if things had gone wrong. We did luck out on the cost of the repairs. It was a little over 18 hundred and as I went down the list there seemed to be nothing else left that could go bad.
I'm now writing this on Saturday night and Elena came in after driving her car home from work saying it smelled weird. I went out and looked in the engine. There is a large fan belt that drives several things. Something at the bottom is only occasionally turning. It might be the alternator and that is going to be 300 dollars. Of course I'm pulling that number out of thin air. I see on Monday what it will cost.
Since I'm writing this on Saturday night I have to tell you about the play Nastia and I went to. Thursday was a long day at work for me and I didn't want to go out afterwards but Nastia reminded me I had said I'd go with her to the RCC events she must attend. She stayed at school and I bought her some dinner. We walk into the theater and it turns out the play they are putting on is August Osage County. Several years ago Teri and I took the girls to see the movie of it. It was R rated for language and the language was very colorful. Julia Roberts had the lead and she swore a blue streak up and down. The girls couldn't get over the cursing. Now all these years later when I tell Nastia she's seen the play as a movie, she doesn't remember. She doesn't remember until the lead goes on stage and starts swearing. The play is over three hours and it doesn't start until 8pm. We get home and into bed after midnight. It was an interesting play that dragged at some points and as it approached 10 pm I just wanted it to end.
a
Afterwards I drove Nastia and Elena over to Alexander Brother to pick up her car, yes that car. The cost of repairs on the car could have topped three grand, if things had gone wrong. We did luck out on the cost of the repairs. It was a little over 18 hundred and as I went down the list there seemed to be nothing else left that could go bad.
I'm now writing this on Saturday night and Elena came in after driving her car home from work saying it smelled weird. I went out and looked in the engine. There is a large fan belt that drives several things. Something at the bottom is only occasionally turning. It might be the alternator and that is going to be 300 dollars. Of course I'm pulling that number out of thin air. I see on Monday what it will cost.
Since I'm writing this on Saturday night I have to tell you about the play Nastia and I went to. Thursday was a long day at work for me and I didn't want to go out afterwards but Nastia reminded me I had said I'd go with her to the RCC events she must attend. She stayed at school and I bought her some dinner. We walk into the theater and it turns out the play they are putting on is August Osage County. Several years ago Teri and I took the girls to see the movie of it. It was R rated for language and the language was very colorful. Julia Roberts had the lead and she swore a blue streak up and down. The girls couldn't get over the cursing. Now all these years later when I tell Nastia she's seen the play as a movie, she doesn't remember. She doesn't remember until the lead goes on stage and starts swearing. The play is over three hours and it doesn't start until 8pm. We get home and into bed after midnight. It was an interesting play that dragged at some points and as it approached 10 pm I just wanted it to end.
a
Sunday, November 17, 2019
That damn car, what have we done?
A few weeks ago, I may have written about it, I got into Elena's car and heard a thunking sound. I told her she could not drive it to school, it needed to be looked at. One thousand three hundred dollars later the car is all better. The sound was a strap in the rear of the car, I don't remember exactly. While they were back there they did rear brakes. I told Elena I was sorry, but it happens on old cars. Her Taurus is a sixteen year old 2003. I thought it was all over for the time being. I mean the car was well cared for at least that is the way it looks, it's in beautiful condition. |
| My TR 6, I loved this car. |
I race up New Hempstead road. I know they noticed the steam coming from the car at a stop light. So I have a good idea where they'll be. I'm pushing my car and I know they are not danger, but I need to get there as soon as possible. And don't you know it grandma moses and her whole family pull out in front of me. One of them is even driving a smelly old dump truck up New Hempstead hill.
I get to the girls, they are pulled off into the grassy area of the entrance ramp to the southbound lanes of the Palisades Parkway. I pull over and they get out. I'm wearing a jacket and a vest, it is after all the middle of November. Elena, the snow queen is in a short sleeve T shirt. I ask her if she is cold as I go to get a sweater from my car.I throw it at her, the big dummy. She says she thought she had a jacket in the car. I don't take the bait because we all know she knew she didn't have a jacket in the car. She for some reason wants to freeze to death this winter.
I pop the hook and look for the radiator hoses. It's not 1975, so I can't find them. I check the
overflow tank and it is not low. We decide to drive the car back home, I'm following her because I still think it is 1975 and the car will overheat. The car smokes the whole way home. She pulls it up on the grass on the north side of the house where we will sometime in the future build a driveway. They both get out and start Nastia's car and off they go.
Later that night Teri and I drive the car over to Alexander Brother's Auto Repair. The next morning I get a call from them. It seems that the leak is coming from the timing chain cover. And if you're going to fix it you might as well do the timing chain. To do that you need to drop the oil pan and to do that you need to remove the exhaust. Anything can go wrong when your removing a sixteen year old exhaust system. The repairs could run anywhere from thirteen hundred to over three thousand. Teri and I feel so bad that we are going to take care of it. Hopefully we'll get lucky. The people who sold it to us are not to blame for all of this, it's just an old car. Alexander Brother's will have the car from last Thursday to at least until Wednesday. It takes time to get the parts and you're dealing with Ford so it the parts will be expensive I'm told. oh, boy!
/
I pop the hook and look for the radiator hoses. It's not 1975, so I can't find them. I check the
Later that night Teri and I drive the car over to Alexander Brother's Auto Repair. The next morning I get a call from them. It seems that the leak is coming from the timing chain cover. And if you're going to fix it you might as well do the timing chain. To do that you need to drop the oil pan and to do that you need to remove the exhaust. Anything can go wrong when your removing a sixteen year old exhaust system. The repairs could run anywhere from thirteen hundred to over three thousand. Teri and I feel so bad that we are going to take care of it. Hopefully we'll get lucky. The people who sold it to us are not to blame for all of this, it's just an old car. Alexander Brother's will have the car from last Thursday to at least until Wednesday. It takes time to get the parts and you're dealing with Ford so it the parts will be expensive I'm told. oh, boy!
/
Tuesday, November 5, 2019
A snapshot of what's happening*
* And again not like that TV show, but I guess since we are doing it again we do have a rerun in it.
I like doing these because I like to re read the posts and these give me a feeling of how things were back in the deep dark past. Recently I reread a post about the time early on when I looked out the window and saw Elena swinging a big stick and I didn't stop her. A little while later Nastia comes in with a big cut on her head. I was very hard on myself. Now I'd give that person a little break, but still think he should have done something because what could have happened did.
It's sort of like what my younger brother and sister did with croquet mallets back in the late 60's early 70's. I think, if I recall this correctly and I will ask Ruth and Eric later, Eric was swinging a croquet mallet and hit Ruth in the head. But no worry, kids were made stronger and less breakable back then, at least that's the way it seemed.
Elena is still working like a fool She recently got promoted to be her manager's assistant. And as we all know titles are cheap. She gets to work all over the store and before her manager went on vacation, she was working in the bakery and liked it. She works every day except when she is going to therapy it seems. I asked her how things were going and let's say this all together, she said "fine" and how is school going, again all together, "Fine". She is such a closed book that other closed books are jealous. She surprisingly announced a few weeks ago that she was dating a kid named Andrew. Teri and I didn't like him, we also didn't know much about him. I met him once when he joined Nastia at the bowling alley. He had tinted his hair green and just looked dopy. Later Nastia tells that he is getting money from the government for some reason or another. He has issues, I guess. I always hoped that the girls would associate with, and you must excuse me, people above them in the world. People whose parents had made something of themselves so that they would be exposed to it and maybe strive for more. But like exposing China to the democratic west was supposed to make it more democratic as opposed to making the US (it's the Trump years) less democratic, the girls continually bring home friends who are mostly more damaged than them.
One day when I was saying how I didn't like Andrew and Elena had enough problems without adding someone with more Nastia says that we should just leave them alone. Elena doesn't like to be bossed around and he is doing that so she will break up with him. Recently I heard Nastia talking on the phone to someone and he was complaining about breaking up with someone, I think it was Andrew talking about Elena. And if true in typical Elena fashion we heard nothing about it. He just quit being talked about or she has quit saying she is going to hang out with him.
I asked Nastia how Elena was doing in school. Unlike when I went they don't test like they used to. Now there are papers projects and the like. Stuff that you prepare on Google Docs and submit online. It's a new world and every so often I feel irrelevant. Nastia says she doesn't know.
Nastia and David are still together. There was a time earlier in the year when they hit a rocky patch. Most nights I can hear them talking and in the morning I see a 'Hello Babe' or 'Good Morning Babe' text. Ah, to be young and in love. I miss it. David is supposed to come down from Albany for Thanksgiving and Nastia wants to spend part of Thanksgiving with him at his grandparents. This is the first Thanksgiving without Karen and we were planning on having the whole family together, so I don't know.
Now Teri and I are doing OK. We don't see each other much. We wake up together in the morning. I distract Mesha so Athena can go out and pee. After that Teri gives the dogs treats and I go back to bed and get up at 7:30 which still gives me time to write in the morning. Teri showers, has breakfast sort of and leaves at eight to go to work.
Lately I have been getting home from work around six. I work to hard and care too much about a job that is paying me peanuts compared to what I used to make. But when a new client say god bless you for sending them food and someone who starts off really cranky on a phone call and at the end is calling you sweetie. I know I'm making a difference and it is tough to quit. I just wish my owner cared about me as much as I care about his business.
Teri is still in Mahwah. And yes I really don't know the name of the company she works for. It's something like Jamatech. She doesn't like it still, but has resigned herself to bare her burden until she can change it. I wish something would come around for her to make her happy. She gets home around seven or so. If it is their busy time it is later. Her and I eat in the kitchen if the girls are at work, which is often these days. We move into the living room and start to watch TV where Teri will fall asleep. Around ten she goes up. I follow around eleven or so.
Life isn't perfect, but many times you'll look back on a time, like I have been lately thinking about the nineties when we were first married and think that time was special, good and I miss it. Maybe in the future I'll read this and marvel at what a special time it was or maybe I'll remember it as it is.
m.
I like doing these because I like to re read the posts and these give me a feeling of how things were back in the deep dark past. Recently I reread a post about the time early on when I looked out the window and saw Elena swinging a big stick and I didn't stop her. A little while later Nastia comes in with a big cut on her head. I was very hard on myself. Now I'd give that person a little break, but still think he should have done something because what could have happened did.
It's sort of like what my younger brother and sister did with croquet mallets back in the late 60's early 70's. I think, if I recall this correctly and I will ask Ruth and Eric later, Eric was swinging a croquet mallet and hit Ruth in the head. But no worry, kids were made stronger and less breakable back then, at least that's the way it seemed.
Elena is still working like a fool She recently got promoted to be her manager's assistant. And as we all know titles are cheap. She gets to work all over the store and before her manager went on vacation, she was working in the bakery and liked it. She works every day except when she is going to therapy it seems. I asked her how things were going and let's say this all together, she said "fine" and how is school going, again all together, "Fine". She is such a closed book that other closed books are jealous. She surprisingly announced a few weeks ago that she was dating a kid named Andrew. Teri and I didn't like him, we also didn't know much about him. I met him once when he joined Nastia at the bowling alley. He had tinted his hair green and just looked dopy. Later Nastia tells that he is getting money from the government for some reason or another. He has issues, I guess. I always hoped that the girls would associate with, and you must excuse me, people above them in the world. People whose parents had made something of themselves so that they would be exposed to it and maybe strive for more. But like exposing China to the democratic west was supposed to make it more democratic as opposed to making the US (it's the Trump years) less democratic, the girls continually bring home friends who are mostly more damaged than them.
One day when I was saying how I didn't like Andrew and Elena had enough problems without adding someone with more Nastia says that we should just leave them alone. Elena doesn't like to be bossed around and he is doing that so she will break up with him. Recently I heard Nastia talking on the phone to someone and he was complaining about breaking up with someone, I think it was Andrew talking about Elena. And if true in typical Elena fashion we heard nothing about it. He just quit being talked about or she has quit saying she is going to hang out with him.
I asked Nastia how Elena was doing in school. Unlike when I went they don't test like they used to. Now there are papers projects and the like. Stuff that you prepare on Google Docs and submit online. It's a new world and every so often I feel irrelevant. Nastia says she doesn't know.
Nastia and David are still together. There was a time earlier in the year when they hit a rocky patch. Most nights I can hear them talking and in the morning I see a 'Hello Babe' or 'Good Morning Babe' text. Ah, to be young and in love. I miss it. David is supposed to come down from Albany for Thanksgiving and Nastia wants to spend part of Thanksgiving with him at his grandparents. This is the first Thanksgiving without Karen and we were planning on having the whole family together, so I don't know.
Now Teri and I are doing OK. We don't see each other much. We wake up together in the morning. I distract Mesha so Athena can go out and pee. After that Teri gives the dogs treats and I go back to bed and get up at 7:30 which still gives me time to write in the morning. Teri showers, has breakfast sort of and leaves at eight to go to work.
Lately I have been getting home from work around six. I work to hard and care too much about a job that is paying me peanuts compared to what I used to make. But when a new client say god bless you for sending them food and someone who starts off really cranky on a phone call and at the end is calling you sweetie. I know I'm making a difference and it is tough to quit. I just wish my owner cared about me as much as I care about his business.
Teri is still in Mahwah. And yes I really don't know the name of the company she works for. It's something like Jamatech. She doesn't like it still, but has resigned herself to bare her burden until she can change it. I wish something would come around for her to make her happy. She gets home around seven or so. If it is their busy time it is later. Her and I eat in the kitchen if the girls are at work, which is often these days. We move into the living room and start to watch TV where Teri will fall asleep. Around ten she goes up. I follow around eleven or so.
Life isn't perfect, but many times you'll look back on a time, like I have been lately thinking about the nineties when we were first married and think that time was special, good and I miss it. Maybe in the future I'll read this and marvel at what a special time it was or maybe I'll remember it as it is.
m.
Thursday, October 31, 2019
Another year of RCC talent shows
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.
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.
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.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
