So Cal Story - Briefs

Hey All -

I decided to send a quick update about a few things that have happened recently and bring everyone up to speed. Here goes:

Weekend Update -

This past weekend was a long one for me. I took Thursday and Friday off because Andrew graduated from the 8th Grade on Thursday. My mom, my middle sister, brother-in-law, niece, nephew and niece-in-law all came to So Cal for the graduation and also so that we (all of them and Allan, Justin, Andrew, me and the dogs) could take a trip together. Early Friday morning we drove to Lake Arrowhead and all of us stayed in the cabin/house that a friend of ours owns. My mom, sister & I went shopping and had a really great time just hangning out. We swam, fished, laughed, ate, shopped some more, and played cards - it was a lot of fun. We got up early Sunday morning and drove home in time to drop my mom off at the airport and get Andrew to his mandatory freshman football meeting. It was a nice break, a nice fathers day (Allan & the kids made me dinner), and nice to spend time with my niece Brittany (whom I haven't seen in quite some time) and also the rest of my family.

I, the Jury -

Back in May I received a summons to appear in court to perform my civic duty, and no, they weren't talking about passing out condoms during Pride. It was jury duty and believe it or not I have never been called to serve before. The date that they assigned me wasn't going to work because it was during my b-day trip to SF, so I called and they rescheduled me. I called in Sunday night and what do you know - they called my group. I have been SO MISERABLE at work lately that I was actually thrilled that my 4-day vacation was being extended. I gleefully called my boss at home and gave him the good news. I got up early Monday morning, got on the Metro train and arrived at 7:00am (early - I know, shocking that I arrived early somewhere) and checked in. Riding the train here in LA is very different than riding it in SF. In SF pretty much EVERYONE rides public transportation - from CEO's to the homeless, but in LA that doesn't happen. People in LA are pretty much defined by the type of car they drive, so to take a train or bus would not be a good reflection of ones self. That, and the system itself isn't nearly as user friendly as SF's. It doesn't go to as many places and since the city itself is so spread out (as opposed to everything in SF being so compact) it just is easier in most cases to drive yourself. I was however reminded of my beloved SF when at the second stop two tranny hookers got on my train. I spent pretty much the entire ride trying to figure out what these two "girls" were doing up at 6:30 in the morning riding the Metro train. Did they have careers? Were they on their way to an important meeting? I created about 100 different scenarios by the time they got off at the stop before mine. They didn't look strung out or anything so I decided that they were probably getting an early start on their day - you go girls! I ended up not being called for anything, but it was the most excellent day. I sat in the same chair all day long, listening to my iPod and reading the most fabulous book ("Magical Thinking" by Augusten Burroughs in case you were wondering). After spending the weekend with my kids and family it was nice to not have to speak to anyone or have anyone asking for anything all day long. I actually finished the last chapter of the book on the train ride home. It was an awesome day and I can't wait to be called next year!

DEAD END -

I tried and tried to come up with a fun and creative title to this portion but couldn't. "Ding Dong the Dick is Dead" crossed my mind, but the words DEAD and END seemed the most appropriate. On Friday while we were at the cabin I got a phone call letting me know that my uncle (the one that molested me and threatened to kill me - see the "Confession(s)" So Cal Stories for the whole story) had died. In my head I had always pictured feeling giddy with delight at this news, but in reality it was more a feeling of indifference. I called my mom and sister into the kitchen and told them - after high-fives between the three of us (he had threatened to kill both of them too), we just went on with what we were doing. He was crazy, and I really do mean crazy. Logically I know that his threat was probably made out of anger, but since he was crazy there wasn't anything he could possibly do that would surprise me. My oldest sister is of the thought that he felt bad about what he did and that he carried his remorse to his death (or something to that effect) - I say he was flippin crazy, had no remorse, didn't think he had done anything wrong, and just hated me for outing him. He died being taken care of by his equally crazy/bitch of a sister (my psychotic Aunt that I truly believe serves no purpose on earth) and I really don't think he will be missed by anyone other than my grandma and possibly his siblings (although word on the street is that most of them think/thought he was a miserable person too). For some reason that fact that he died a miserable lonely man brings me some satisfaction, but I can't describe myself as "happy" about it. I think the better way to describe it is relieved - I never have to see him again and I no longer have to worry that some day he might go over the "deep end" and come looking for me.

His death also makes me feel a sort of panic inside. I think it has to do with the fact that my dad is dealing with cancer as well and since my uncles' decline was rather rapid it makes me wonder how much time my dad has left. While he & I have never been that close, we are both making an effort to spend time with each other and to develop some sort of a relationship. He has been calling me more frequently and we have had some really great conversations. I am trying to plan a trip up to see him with my kids, but it's difficult to do with their football schedules and my work. I wish I lived closer so that seeing him was a bit easier, but the situation is what it is - I will hopefully be able to spend more time with him in the very near future. So my uncle is DEAD and for me that represents the END of a fairly significant chapter of my life which in my own way I am happy about.

Misc. -

Some of you wrote asking what it was that Dean gave me for my 40th b-day. He made me 3 cd's that had a song from each year of my life from the time I was 1 to 40. Some of the songs were significant to our friendship, some were a sign of the times and he decided that he wasn't going to repeat any artists, so it was quite the undertaking. He put a lot of thought into it and as most of you know I am very passionate about music so it was the perfect gift. Thanks again Dean!!

Also, I had mentioned to a few of you that Allan, Justin & I might be doing the AIDS LifeCycle next year. Well, it turns out that Justin's graduation from high school is during the same week of the ride and Justin decided that he really wants to participate in the graduation ceremony. I would hate for him to miss it so we are going to have to wait. We are however going to participate in a all-night walk in July that raises money for cancer - I will be sending out information (and requests for pledges) soon.