Apparently he takes 10 days to fully grow and mature into a full fledged reindeer, but he is growing. He has outgrown our small cereal bowl and I just transplanted him into a larger cereal bowl. I'm a nerd, I know, playing with this childish toy; but my curiosity as to how big this thing will grow to be has gotten the best of me.
I think everyone gets those gifts each year that just kind of make you cringe or wonder why. Each year my Aunt M seems to buy that gift. She bought me a digital meat thermometer one year, a terrarium where you grow your own herbs one year, two years ago it was a bathtub volcano that made little eruptions as it floated along in the water... AND this year I can grow Rudolph, play with my Winnie the Pooh yo-yo, and I don't have to go to Mars to play with my very own Mars Mud.
Aunt M is an interesting character. She is very reclusive and doesn't often come to family functions, so when she does it is nice to see her. And did I mention she always brings my favorite blueberry cream pie to family functions?. I last saw her 4 years ago at a funeral for her mother. She is a nice woman, but plain boring to be around. She doesn't carry a conversation well and her voice often trails off in midsentence. It was nice to see her though and see that she was still alive. She just told me how much I've grown and I told her about school.
And of course, it is the thought that counts when it comes to gifts. I am going to go grow Rudolph right now before Christmas has passed. I have something to do in the bathtub tonight!!! So here's to Aunt M for making me feel like a kid tonight... haha
I got a Hollister sweater from my Aunt S that I just love- she is such a distant relation, yet she always buys the most awesome gifts and she knows what I like so well.
And the hit of the party? My dad's cherry cheesecake. Nobody has ever brought cheesecake. My family never brings anything major to the get togethers, though we offer. We usually bring sweet potato balls, but few eat those except for my aunt and uncle, Aunt S, and my family. Well, each year we bring rice krispies or some sort of cookies to compensate and they usually go well. But my dad said yesterday at the store let's do cheesecake. He made it in a lasagna pan and half of it was gone by the time we left. Everyone raved about it.
I was having a rotten night last night. I went to Victoria Gardens TO RETURN something for my mom as a favor to her- my second time over there that day. My sister calls me on the way and harasses me saying "I always spend so much, I'm such a gay guy, etc. etc." It was bad. I hung up on her after a few minutes of her game. I was also shaken up by other events from earlier in the day. I called The Guy because he was the only person I could really call and open up to, so I did. I was so shaken that I had an anxiety attack at Victoria Gardens, composed myself, returned the things, then went back to my car and cried for over an hour. I needed to let it out and hadn't been able to cry at home. I was still just so upset with my sister I couldn't forgive. Had I gone home, I probably would have been very violent toward her. We talked, I calmed down, he tried to pep me up telling me about what I do for everyone, but his usual diatribe didn't suit me and if anything all he did was prevent me from going home and doing something to my sister. I didn't really feel better after talking to him. I really had a knot in my stomach all night and got almost no sleep because I was up either crying and the lump in my stomach wouldn't go away. My anxiety meds weren't helping.
If anything, I learned I need to really stop listening to my sister. What is she to me? My problem yesterday was I was questioning myself because of her? Do I do stuff for people? Yes. Am I there for people? Yes. She just knows all of the buttons to push. Monday night she made a big deal that all I do is spend, spend, spend money. She said I'm always spending my parents money (note- the last thing my parents bought me was the bedroom set as a Christmas gift- all of the clothes I have bought recently are out of my pocket). I have something called a job, which she doesn't. But back to the story- she was pressing on all my buttons rubbing it in my face making me feel bad for buying what I did buy. I don't spend a ton of money on myself, so for her to do this made me feel rotten, and really made me question myself yesterday and feel bad. Then she brought up other people and I think I do so much for others, so this hurt and I was questioning it. Then she brought up how I'm so materialistic because I bought all of this stuff. She brought up how being materialistic shows I only care about myself, how I don't store up my treasures in heaven like I need to, and other random, stupid stuff. Then of course there is the gay thing where she says to my dad, "there's something really wrong here when your son likes fashion more than your daughter." and then harasses me about the gay thing when my parents aren't around- and I'm not even out to her. I just want so badly to make a nice comeback when she says that, but I refrain because it will cause for more hurt feelings- I want to say "well, I care about my looks because I don't want to look like you." My sister has put on probably 20 pounds this year, she only wears jogging suits/shorts and a t-shirt, she looks like a bag, she doesn't wear makeup, she straightens her hair daily, which looks boring, doesn't exercise, and has bad acne. I take care of my body because I don't want to gain a ton of weight like that, so I eat sensibly and exercise. I don't want to be a shorts and t-shirt or pants and t-shirt guy because that's just boring, and fashion can be fun. I care about how I look, and so again, I experiment with clothing, skin, hair, etc. She just knows the buttons she can press to hurt me and does. I let it in. I need to stop that. She is nothing to me. I feel nice and relaxed as I sit here and type this up after I've had the day to get over her. I'm not even getting mad as I type this part.
I called The Guy just after 9a.m. I thought he'd be awake by then because he usually is. He wasn't. I woke him up with my phone call. I told him how I was up all night and felt so rotten. He told me that he wanted me to get out of the house and come over. I went.
When I got to his place, he opened up the door, and then retreated to the couch where he played WOW. He played for 4-5 hours and finally hit level 71. We talked occasionally about what was going on with my sister and the other event. I had a couple breakdowns and he just asked "Mike, what the heck is going on here?" I'd tremble, then eventually tell him. He kept asking me if I were feeling better, but really I wasn't and I kept acknowledging I wasn't. I had the knot in my stomach/chest that I feel when I have anxiety, but it wasn't going away. We watch Charmed, the new Meg Ryan movie where she has cancer that came out last year.
The Guy asks me if I want him to wrap my Christmas gift and I said it was up to him. He said ok, just don't look over in the kitchen. We sit and watch TV some more. The Guy gets up to do laundry and then comes over with a smile, his tongue out between his lips, and brings the Apple TV over to me- my Christmas gift. I thank him and tell him how much it was what I wanted. I had mentioned several times before I'd like one, so that was cool. It really made me feel good because it made me feel better after my sister's shit. I told him to let me go get his gift, but he didn't. He told me to sit down and get it later.
He showers, does laundry, and then we decide we'll go get food. He cleans up and does this dishes, then I go out to get his gift. I bought him 2 Aqua VI t-shirts from Buckle ($35-60 a piece). I also bought him an iPhone car charger for his car because he is often on the phone in the car and complains his phone is not charged. This one charges your phone as you talk on it. He shook the boxes, then ripped open the paper. He asked afterward if I minded. Of course I didn't- it was WRAPPING PAPER- you don't save it! He opened up the gray Aqua VI shirt I bought him first and he said how much he liked it. He tried it on and said it was wild, he loved it, but it was a v-neck, which made him sensitive because he felt like he had boobs. He opens up the other shirt and I tell him how I liked this for the color because I remember his red pullover he has and how great it looks. He said it was definitely wild, tried it on, walked into the bedroom, and preened in front of the mirror in his bedroom. He looked great. Seeing him happy and appreciative really made me feel good and the anxiety/pains subsided.
We go out to the car, get our jackets, and go to CVS. He is looking for insulin needles for his testosterone injections. He still has months to go and ran out of needles. You apparently have to have a prescription. He said he'd call his doctor for that to get more. We go to Trader Joes. I'm finally able to talk to him where I have his undivided attention and tell him about what is going on. I was also able to laugh by this time. The knots had dissipated. He told me how much he liked the shirts, but how he found other stuff he liked at Buckle- some buttondown shirts and asked if I'd mind if he returned 1 of the shirts to get that. I said not at all. I knew he was hard to shop for, buying anything like that was a risk, so that's why I gave him the gift receipt. No big deal. In Trader Joes we get ravioli, egg white salad, and bananas. We go back and make the ravioli, then eat it. He left his phone at home and Josh had texted him twice while we were gone. He talked about how good that made him feel and how Josh really did miss him. The Guy called his brother to basically cuss him out because they had pictures of themselves taken for his mom for Christmas, but The Guy was disappointed by the photos and wanted to touch them up on his own or select the ones their mom got. He didn't get to, so asked his brother to e-mail them, then he'd touchup later.
The Guy is going to his parents tomorrow night to spend the night and Christmas Day with them, then Christmas Night with Josh.
I'm going to bake sugar cookies tomorrow, clean my car out, go to the gym, then we'll open up presents tomorrow night. We open up gifts on Christmas Eve at my house, then there are a few presents/stockings on Christmas Day "from Santa" which means the things my mom bought nobody knows about. Christmas Day will be spent at my aunt's house with the family.
We thanked each other for our gifts, the day, and then I took off at about 6:45 because The Guy was changing to go to the gym with Josh. Then they were going back to The Guy's.
I heard this song coming home and I changed the words to "Mike's sister" instead of Mr. Grinch and I think that the song does a great job at describing her.
If I don't blog before then, MERRY CHRISTMAS!!!!
EDIT: I did not buy my sister a gift and that bothered me, especially in the moments leading up to opening up presents. I felt worried she'd notice. I think she did notice, but said nothing. It is still kind of bothering me now that I could be that mean, but I know deep down she doesn't deserve it; yet I feel bad for not buying her anything... if that makes any sense... this is what you get for rambling at 10:30 at night when you are exhausted.
Gonzo and I went to Victoria Gardens today. It was so nice. It was cool because of the heavy mist. We were nice and bundled up. It was a lot of fun. We met up at the gym at 10a.m., then drove over.
"Hungry Like the Wolf" - Duran Duran
On the way over she was telling me who she thought was hot in high school because the topic of friends came up. At first I was like "so do I say the guys who were hot?" Well, I gave her a mix. I told her the hot girls- Elizabeth, Becki, and a few others. She didn't think they were hot and didn't know a couple of the girls I mentioned. Then I mentioned the guys like Ryan L, Kyle, and Ray. The 3 of them were football players and all 3 of them are gay. The 3 of them didn't come out in high school- at least not to my knowledge (if so, it was on the downlow), but their myspaces all confirm it now. They were super hot and I told her. Ryan shocked Gonzo and she said "no, he's such an ass, no he's not, not, no you're kidding, WOW," and I kept saying NOOOo it is true and asking me if I was serious. Ryan? Ryan? Ryan? Ryan? MIKE, RYAN? Yes Gonzo, Ryan. Um... he never dated in high school. Folks, I have checked myspace and facebook. I had a friend search facebook for me who goes to his school. Kyle made Gonzo laugh saying how he is the biggest sweetheart and he didn't seem gay. I forwarded her the link to his myspace to check it out and a couple of photos of his boyfriend on myspace just to confirm it to her. Then Ray came up and she remembered Ray (mentioned as football player in this post) because I told her that he was the night I came out to her. Natalie, the big overly-friendly lesbian came up. Natalie always used to touch everyone and Gonzo reached over and touched me on the chest like she said Natalie did to her one day at lunch senior year; this was weird in that it was the first time Gonzo has ever touched me- she's not really the affectionate/touchy type like that, so for Gonzo to do that struck me as weird. We counted how many confirmed gay guys there are from our graduating class of 580 that we know of and came up with about 10- about 2% of our graduating class. She told me how she loves her gay friends to death, like myself. We talked about how we were both losers in high school for not dating or anything like that.
We talked about a new tutor at work who gave me the impression he was gay by the way he was acting the other day. Gonzo didn't believe me, but I told her to watch him and she said she will. She told me a new tutor Mari says that she wants to get to know me better. Gonzo was supposed to keep this a secret, but Gonzo couldn't. Gonzo and Mari were talking the other day and Mari told Gonzo that I come across as the biggest sweetheart and she LIKES me like that. Gonzo didn't let her in on a little secret.
Gonzo and I mainly window shopped. She bought a shirt in Forever 21 and in there I started feeling guilty about not buying my sister a Christmas gift. They have lots of cute clothes (that she'd never wear), but even though she has treated me so bad I feel sorry about not. I talked to Gonzo about that and she sided with me that buying a gift for her is not obligatory, she has done nothing to earn it, and gifts are bought out of love. I haven't told my parents or anything yet- I'm just going to hope nobody notices when we're unwrapping gifts. I don't think it'll be a big deal. This did bring on some anxiety though, and worry. I'm sticking to my guns on this one though. My sister harassing and trying to make me feel guilty about going shopping (even though I didn't buy anything) reinforced my thoughts on this one.
Gonzo and I sang lots of 80s on the way there and back. I joked that she's the only Mexican I know who is so into the 80s. We sang some Duran Duran, Flock of Seagulls, and more. She is going to add 1043 MYFM to her radio presets because we need more radio stations in common. Christmas Carols were playing throughout Victoria Gardens in the stores, outside, and as well in my car. Gonzo was singing to them and I was too. She sang "Holly Jolly Christmas," "Silent Night," and "Feliz Navidad." She doesn't know all the words to "Silent Night" and so she sang "Silent Night, holy night, all is calm, all is gone, round the dum dum dum dum dun dun."
I have an aunt in Indiana whom my family e-mails a couple times a week. Gonzo's name has come up more than once (but so has The Guy's, Darla, Mike, Steve, etc.) probably equally as much.
And today I get this e-mail...
"Hey, I wonder (yes, I know Gonzo has a boy friend) but are you feeling more for her then just a freind? You two both get a lone so well and are best friends, but is there more?"
What to say... what to say...
Um, no my dear aunt... I'm gay...? Um... I don't really feel anything toward girls? Um... we're just good friends?
I laughed at your comments about me getting back at my sister by putting cold water on her windshield and letting it ice up.
Get this: 3:40a.m. this morning my phone vibrates. I get up to check it and see it is Jenn who texted me. She forwarded me a text that Mike sent (the one my sister texted) whom she told she was glad he lost his job. He said "im having a x-mas party fri night. don't tell mike. mike is a liar. mike is not a friend. just dont let him know." I waited until 5:30 to text Jenn and thank her. She wanted to show me, but also ask what was going on. I just told her "thanks, Mike and I are having an argument... no biggie." But from 3:40 on this morning my stomach was in such a knot. I felt humiliated that Mike would act so juvenilely, texting all of our friends. I am sure Randy, Mike, Alex, my ex'es, and 4-5 other friends have heard/received that text at least. He would have been a much bigger man to say just not invite me, or say "look man, I'm still upset and am not inviting you." I really feel like and am sure I have lost most of my good high school friends that I associate(d) with quite a bit prior to this. I lay crying until it was time to wake up.
I was going to go to the high school, but I knew I couldn't show my face to Gonzo or Darla. I would have broke down. I had a sub job to sub for band today. I had an easy day freezing my ass off while the kids spray painted their flutes they made earlier in the week. The cold and necessity to monitor the kids constantly kept my mind off of the whole thing. At lunch my mom and Linda asked me what was going on. I said there wasn't a problem and I was having a good day because the students have been pretty well behaved given that it was the last day before break.
On the way home I told my mom what happened and she was upset and defended me; despite the fact it would do no good. We have to hide it from my dad for the time-being.
I go to LA Fitness tonight to workout and use some of my anger at the gym beating myself up. I am about a mile away and I realize Gonzo is working. I was about to turn around and go back home where my sister is, but decide to go. Gonzo has never seen me cry. I decide to put on my best face and walk in. I try to smile and she waves and smiles. She says hello and the words don't come out. I whisper "hello." She quickly adjusts her expression and asks what is going on. I said "nothing" and went to work out. Her texts come and she asks what's going on. I hint around the bush that it was my sister's texts coming back to get me again. We chat some more and the The Guy calls. I debated taking his call. I have had a lump in my throat the other day and when he called I still did. He left me a voicemail just saying to defend myself and tell Mike that we were both victims and it has hurt both of us, but I hope he can forgive. I would have been ok if he had just not invited me because I understand he is hurt, but to go out of his way and involve other people, plus talk badly about me, two wrongs don't make a right etc. etc. Hung around for about an hour or so working out/texting Gonzo. Then as I leave I was able to muster up a "goodbye" and tell her how embarrassed I was about her seeing me like this.
Tonight I'm just still feeling really hurt, but I talked with a couple friends online who do not know Mike, so I'm doing ok. A part of me just feels hurt. Hurt about the childish games. Hurt about the way Mike is handling this. Hurt that Mike, Mike, and Steve probably aren't the great friends they seemed to be. Hurt about the way the other people are treating this and not contacting me to see what is going on. Lost in that I've completely lost most of my high school friends, and maybe it is time to sever these contacts, but these are the people I associate with here in my city.
Mike, the Cali boy doesn't do that well. This morning Mike goes out to start my car and leave for work and notice the windshield is caked with a layer of ice. It was 31 degrees out in my portion of the IE. 1 degree below freezing. So Cali boy Mike had to scrape ice off the windshield this morning with his squeegee. Mike first had to find the squeegee. Mike's hands got cold. Mike let out a few expletives about how he is not meant for this. Mike cursed the weather because how often does this happen in Cali? Mike got in the car, drove about 6-7 minutes until the heater kicked in. Mike was a much happier camper by then. The car even told me it was cold and there was ice. All the way to work it said "DANGER ICY" in the little message center on the console.
In this time, Mike also had to be mean. Remember how mean Mike's sister was to him last week? Mike decided to turn the hose on, hose down her car, and because it was 31 degrees the water turned into ice. Mike's sister threw an even bigger fit from what he understands. She didn't have to leave for school until 8:30 leaving 2 1/2 nice hours for the water to stand and form into ice. Mike's sister was unsure about what to do and he heard stories at dinner about how she was just so upset about getting soaked with the hose trying to get the ice off of her car. Mike laughed and rejoiced in that his mission worked to ice his sister's windshield.
On another note, contrary to what it sounds Mike actually enjoys this weather. Mike loves the cold temps, the warm clothing, the holiday feeling.
I have talked to The Guy a cuple times in the past couple weeks. He has been busy being hurt, enamored, and in love with Josh. He kept a full schedule and I did too going to various holiday functions and hanging out with friends. We were going to hang out earlier this week, but he canceled to work on his paper for school that he STILL hasn't finished. He's had 18 EXTRA weeks. EXTRA. Last night we pretty much agreed we'd hang out today.
I texted him at 10:30 while at work and bored. He texted me back saying he had a new friend- a stray dog Jeff brought over to his house. I told him I was bored at work and asked what time he wanted to meet up. I texted him that I was bored and wanted to know what he was doing- my intention was we'd text and he'd keep me company. He said I should come check out the puppy. I called him to make sure because I knew he planned to work on his paper. He said he should, but didn't. I get to his place about 12:30.
I get over to his place about 11 and am greeted by his dog running to the door to see me, then the little mutt comes trailing behind. The mutt is a little black dog probably a cross between a daschund and something else would be my guess. He tells me he gave the dog a bath with Jeff, then put conditioner on him. He stands up from laying on the couch with the computer and plays around with both dogs. They're barking nonstop at each other playfully. The Guy's dog wanted to be more playful than the mutt. The Guy tells me about his talks with Josh and how he isn't sure about keeping this dog and stuff like that.
About 1:15 The Guy wants to make Josh a smoothie and take it to him. He makes a chocolate chip smoothie with banana, muscle milk powder, and milk. It is quite good, almost like a dessert. The Guy talks about how it is like a liquid dessert that he can't drink. The Guy hit 208 pounds this week, which he is excited about, but it is because he hasn't really eaten. He has eaten egg sandwiches in the morning, but that it is it. He is really taking the Josh thing hard. He cried to me on the phone 4-5 times in the past week. I just listen and give advice/be sympathetic. I realize that The Guy is a great guy and friend, but I really don't have feelings for him like I did, so it is easier for me to give advice and be preachy like that, which is what he needs to hear. I give him the perspective like I was like Josh, but still be there, yet I tell him when it is overboard. He goes to the gym at 1:30 to work out, 30 minutes early. While he is gone I fiddle around on the computer and find stuff I need to buy in iTunes. By the way, has anyone heard this new Killers duet with Elton John? Here's the link to the song description and the song:
He left about 4:45 to go to his hair appointment. He had black hair and he was talking about highlights, but that is next time he discovered.
Jeff arrives to pick the dog up about 5:30 and The Guy asked me if it was ok if we invited Jeff to dinner. I would have preferred 1-on-1 just because I wanted to converse more and I knew that wouldn't happen with Jeff, but it was fun. Jeff is literally broke... again. We went to the quick place with the good salmon. Jeff talks about 2 guys he is seeing; The Guy talks about things he has done for Josh, which we all know about and joke about it; we all joke back and forth about random things. I found out the story behind The Guy's dog's myspace. Yes. It was set up because Jeff dated a guy with the same name and to make the guy Jeff dated jealous sat up a myspace with a hot "dog" who was really into him. We joke running to and from the car because it is 41 degrees out and pouring rain. I park diagonally across from the restaurant because there is little parking and I was going to park in the parking lot, but The Guy said people get raped there (a lie), but that I shouldn't risk that. We joked that Cruella Deville (or Jeff) was going to get his fur coat wet. I drove because Jeff was blocking The Guy's car. Thankfully I didn't leave it on the country station or I'm sure Jeff would have said something. It was on 98.7- rock. At dinner we talk about the hot guys at the table across from us and were talking intentionally loud about guys like Josh and who Jeff is seeing because The Guy and Jeff were trying to get their attention. On the way home they play Katy Perry's "Hot and Cold" on 99.1 KGGI and The Guy and I sing, then Jeff talks about how cute the song is.
Jeff claims his mutt from The Guy's dog's kennel, The Guy's dog was in the bedroom. The Guy and I sit on the couch watching "A Christmas Carol" with Patrick Swayze. We make random small talk about Josh and relationships. The Guy then talks about how the quality of guys on craigslist/adam4adam has really deteriorated and he shows me how bad some of the guys are. OMG. YES. BAD. BAD. BAD. I didn't have too much to bitch and moan about because things are going pretty well for me right now as far as relationships go. We talk a little more about school and then I take off about 8:30. The Guy just has to write the conclusion on his paper and I congratulated him telling him I know it was a real struggle, because it was and sympathized with him.
I have long said the school I tutor for is an upper middle class, new rich school- it is well known throughout the city for that and it is often mocked because of it. Gonzo and I were talking with Mrs. C today and we decided to do a car count/tally on what the kids drive. The parking lot holds 300 cars and here are some of the noteables. We walked through the parking lot and this is what we found to bring you this report:
Count/Car - 6 Mercedes Benz C, D, or E Class cars (all 2004 or newer) ($35,000+) - 4 Chevy Silverados (all but 1 are raised) ($20,000+) - 2 Lexus IS ($30,000) - 2 Lexus GS450 ($53,000+) - 2 Hummer H2 ($50,000+) - 4 2007 or newer Toyota Camry - 2 2007 Nissan Altima's (1 Hybrid) - 1 2004 or so Honda Accord Hybrid - 1 2007 or 2008 Toyota Tundra full size double cab - 6 Toyota Sequoia SUV's (and 2 of them were new) ($40,000+) - 13 Ford F-150s (all raised), Excursions, and Expeditions ($20,000-40,000+) - 1 96 or so Volvo 960 - 1 Infiniti G-35 ($35,000) - 7 Chrysler PT Cruisers ($12-20,000ish) - 4 2007 and newer Chrysler Sebrings (with the George Foreman grill hood) ($18,000) - 7 Hyundai Accents (all new within the past year or 2) ($12-13,000ish) - 1 Mercedes G Class ($101,000+) - 1 Lotus Elise ($45,000+) -11 Mazda 3's ($15,000+) - 9 VW Jettas ($20,000+) - 4 Ford Focuses ($15,000ish) - 4 Jeep Wranglers ($15,000+ and 3 have 4WD because that's so important in So Cal) = NEARLY 100 NICE CARS *** All of these are no more than 2-3 years old, and I know cars pretty well to be able to confirm this *** Most of the cars in the parking lot (80% or better are 2002 or newer)
The oldest cars in the parking lot: - Late 80s Toyota Corolla - Late 80s Jeep Wrangler - 94 Honda Accord - mid 90s Ford Explorer - mid 90s Chevy Astro Van
What do us tutors drive? - Up until this year I drove a 9 year old full size sedan, but now I drive a compact car that I paid for myself (which 90% of the students at this school would never fathom... haha... very few have jobs outside of school) - Scion (that she pays for)/ prior to the Scion the girl drove a Kia Sephia/Chevy Astro - 2006 Honda Accord her parents bought after her 92 Altima was in an accident - 2007 Camry SE - 92 Acura Integra - 2002 Acura RSX - 2000 Toyota Tacoma - 2000 Honda Accord *** For most of us these cars are hand me downs, which is definitely not the trend at the school I work at where most get brand new cars and the expensive cars I mentioned in most cases are brand new.
Now you might be wondering what the teachers drive (110 teachers)... - Nicest teacher cars: 2 Ford Expeditions (counselor and 1 teacher), 1 Nissan Armada, 1 Dodge Ram, 1 Ford F-150 - Most of their cars are 4-5 year old Oldsmobiles, Accords, Camrys, Malibus, Corollas, Civics - A few Toyota Highlanders/4 Runners that are 4-5 years old
As far as racial statistics it looks like this: 58% White 22% Hispanic 10% Black 9% Asian 1% Indian 10% of the students qualify for free and reduced lunch, but honestly, they hide it well (everyone has their iPods, nice cars, parents shell out $$$$$ for nice clothes to help them fit in... just today I heard 4-5 people talking about their new TRUE RELIGION JEANS AND I SAW THEM WEARING THEM... NO JOKE...)
But on the other hand there are THOUSANDS of foreclosures and I can name at least a dozen students in the program I tutor for whose parents are in foreclosure. This is in Riverside County where the foreclosure rate is the highest in the nation. Driving around the school nearly every other house is in foreclosure. All of the backyard home resorts the people put in, the money spent on cars, and things like that would have been better spent elsewhere.
I'm getting a bit preachy, but my main intent was to show how spoiled some of the kids are in my area.
We go in and open up the presents. My Secret Santa was Mrs. B, the counselor. She seemed to like the hot chocolate and fudge mix I got her. I wrapped it up all cute in a stocking. There were some cute gifts- Mrs. C bought Vicki a jacket, there were a couple gift cards like Mrs. F got me a gift card to Best Buy. It was just a lot of fun though and overall most everyone put a lot of thought into the gifts.
Afterward the real fun began. We learned how Mrs. B, Mrs. Perfect Soccer Mom, Activities Coordinator at school has a wild side that she talked about. Mr. B talks about kids from Darla and my graduating class who he is in contact with. He keeps in contact with everyone. He said that he told us back when we were juniors that when we turned 21 to contact him, that we have to promise to take him out for a beer as a thank you, and we'll discuss the real world, education, and have a heart to heart about life. I remember that. It was something he said like the last day of school like "you guys will thank me when we're 21 and my door is open anytime you want to come and invite me out for a beer." Darla and I joked. She wants to do more than that. Too bad she doesn't turn 21 until May, but she is insistent that Mr. B, her and I go to Yardhouse treating him to a beer and having a heart to heart convo. I HAVE HAVE HAVE TO DO THAT AFTER TONIGHT. Mr. B was so loose after the home brew he brought to drink. He was joking around. He told Darla's cousin that she was "goofy," then he told another one of us to call him by his first name only, and he told me that I need to hug him more. He also suggested we have a get together when everyone is 21 and we'll do a home brew tasting and wine tasting. Mr. B unfortunately had to leave at 6:40 to take care of his dog who has cancer on her tongue and he has to spoon feed her. Mr. P just kind of sat around laughing during our Darla, her cousin, and my conversation with Mr. B. I got to talk to him about my future plans and things like that. Would have liked to talk to him more, but about 7p.m. the party was winding down and he wanted to get his youngest daughter home.
The party continued at 7:15 at Mrs. C's house for those 21 and over. Her house is a lot smaller than her mom's. This was where the alcohol started flowing. It was Darla's cousin's 21st birthday, so Mrs. C declared that we all have a glass of tequila to sip- not chug. That worked. It was good tequila- as good as tequila gets I guess- I'm not a fan. Mrs. C pours everyone a glass and we sip, then eat limes. We talk about how little we all drink. Mrs. A, Mrs. M, and a few others surprised me that they even sipped. Mrs. F had a hard time and she ended up not drinking more than a sip. Gonzo doesn't drink and she had a sip, then started sweating, turning red, and stuff like that. She voluntarily tried. She drank lots of water afterward. I didn't really talk to her except when she sat on my lap when there wasn't anywhere else. We talked about lots of random stuff- my ability to speak Spanish for one. I was told I had to say something because I was loose enough after tequila (I really wasn't feeling buzzed at all or looser). I was questioned about what I was doing, things like that. Mrs. F is a Spanish teacher and she was impressed. Mrs. A speaks Spanish as well as Mrs. M and they all were impressed that I know proper Spanish. Then we discussed Spanish songs like Shakira's and how she can't write in Spanish or English- her translations are so bad. Mrs. C had rock en Espanol playing in the background like Maná. We talked about a couple teachers at school who just really get to us. Mrs. R came up, she was a cheerleader and doesn't seem to like anyone unless you're a cheerleader. We talked about iPhones, our favorite apps, and Mac products like Airport Express adapters. We talked about kids who graduated from the program we tutored for and how they were doing.
The party wrapped up at 9:30, but it was definitely worth it. I had no clue it would be an entire evening... maybe to 6 or 7 though the invite said until 5p.m. HAHA
I know my coworkers a lot better now... as if I didn't know them well in the first place. I didn't know the newer people and got to know them better. That was cool. We are all so close. Well, I'm rarely there, so I'm out of the loop, but I had no problem fitting in, and we all get along so well and care about each other so much. There was lap sitting, hugging, and stuff like that while we were bonding. Darla's cousin=total flirt, Viv is another total flirt.
And as for the drink with Mr. B, I plan on taking him up on it. Maybe proposing it before Darla does so I can do it alone with him. Who knows... maybe? I want to- it would be fun. Then I actually marked it on my iPhone that I need to remind Darla in May that Mr. B is due for his drink.
About to head off to the Christmas Party for work that my boss at the high school is throwing. It is a potluck, but she bought gifts for everyone and we're having a Secret Santa gift exchange. The weather is nice and rainy, and 48 degrees out. I wore what I thought was an appropriate, festive red sweater. Gonzo told me she was not feeling it. She said I needed to wear one of my sleek new shirts from Express. Dang. So after work I rushed home and put it on. You can see the pics. Now I'm blogging and waiting for my spaghetti to be done to take to the party.
I had a crazily busy Monday with 2 finals. I earned an "A" in my Spanish lit and was satisfied with a "B" in Spanish linguistics. Anthropology is still up in the air.
I don't know if I've mentioned it, but I'm a substitute. I subbed Wednesday-Friday. I don't like middle schoolers, but I make it. I came home drained at the end of each day though.
Bingo Thursday night with my friends Carl and Lisa was probably the highlight of my week. Even that was frustrating as I never came close to bingo.
Haven't really talked to The Guy. He did break up with Josh. He is crushed. I know that much.
Linda is always planning mother and son get togethers for her son and my mom and I. Last time we went to Sizzler. My mom is going to plan one where we go to that Spanish restaurant next week on Monday night when the food is all 50% off, then we'll walk through downtown because it's all lit up for Christmas. Should be fun. Maybe. Linda is that crazy, obsessive compulsive friend of my mom's whom I love dearly and have blogged about (her questioning me about hanging out with guys, being out late, things like that).
And while I'm busy running around town here is what I've been listening to: "Chasing Pavements" by Adele
Gonzo is always sooooo busy. It takes weeks to plan something with her. I was elated on Sunday when she said she could go to the mall Tuesday and we should make a day of it. Make a day was an understatement.
She texted me at 8:20 this morning saying to meet at Macys at 9:20. I arrive as she does. We go in to Macys and probably spend 45 minutes waiting for the mall to open. She shops for pants for her boyfriend and I look at the shirts. I find a couple things I liked and showed Gonzo. She said I should get those. I said if I didn't find anything else I would.
We spent the next 3 hours going around the mall- all the shoe stores, Urban Outfitters, Anchor Blue, Charlotte Russe, and Forever 21. Gonzo spends lots of time trying on stuff at Forever 21. She wanted purple pants and then I was sent on a search to find a match for them. She didn't like the mustard yellow top I brought back, the shirt with tons of lace, but did like the black vest. She bought purple pants, gray pants, and the black vest. Our mission was to buy colors we normally wouldn't wear. I bought a mustard buttondown yellow shirt as well as a purple and orange buttondown at Express I can wear with black pants or a nice pair of blue jeans. We made our way back to Macys where I ended up buying this white shirt and vest below because it is something I would not normally wear. I like shopping with Gonzo because she doesn't mind me trying clothes on or herself, so there is no pressure and she is honest about her likes and dislikes.
We're still not done, after a day of hard work, we had to destress. Gonzo's idea was to get her eyebrows threaded so she could feel pretty. I said I don't feel relaxed after getting work like that done. I said a pedicure was more my thing. She laughed and said "oh Mike- nuhuh," and gave me that look of suspicion like would I really do it? I said yes and said that we both wanted pedicures. So we spent the next 45 minutes or so getting our legs and feet rubbed, and our toe nails done, which was very relaxing.
All of this tough work made us hungry. I had a $25 gift certificate from the Olive Garden that I got for Christmas last year I had never used. I said we should go there since it is right across from the mall. She agreed when I said it was my treat. We were seated once we walked in, which NEVER happens there. That just shows the economy is bad. The service was great. Our waiter kept asking us if we needed refills, more cheese, and stuff like that. We tipped him well. We talked about the cast of characters from high school and what everyone is up to. I told her about what's going on in my life with various people and stuff like that. She told me about her and her boyfriend and how boring he is compared to me when it comes to things like shopping, trying new clothes, and fun stuff like that.
Our day ended at 2:45 and was deemed a success.
Edit: Tonight we had to go to kickboxing at the gym. Gonzo called me at 5:20 saying she wanted to go to the gym with me, so we went to the 6p.m. kickboxing class. It was pretty intense. I was sweating a lot by the end.
Here is a letter to The Guy that my sister wrote to apologize for the text incident. A part of my sister's punishment was to write letters to all of my friends who got the texts.
Edit: I talked to The Guy this morning about 9:45 just to see what he was up to. He was squeezing orange juice with his new juicer from oranges his mom gave him from her tree. He was also trying to microwave eggs since he was out of skillets. He was also downloading Christmas movies and music (probably $100 worth to watch when seeing Josh tonight). He accomplished all of this. I told him that I did nothing but had nightmares last night about friends, relationships with friends, etc. He asked how things were with my sister. I told him that she wrote apology letters yesterday. He asked how that went and I said that it went well. I said there is one for him and he seemed shocked. Then he said "classic" and he was amused that he actually had a letter for himself. He was going over to his parents and Josh's mom's house tonight to help decorate Josh's mom's Christmas tree, so I'll give him the letter when I see him.
Edit Pt. 2- Punishment: My sister's computer was confiscated as well as her cell phone. On her computer btw is where I found phone numbers of the people I call the most (The Guy, Carl, Gonzo, Darla, and my cousins) stored in a Microsoft Word document. She can only use my mom's computer with her supervision or my dad's old laptop and she has to sit next to my dad. My sister has to pay for my text message bill for the last 2 months, then for the next 4 (so now I have unlimited texts), then she is paying for the phone bill for last month and this month. Last month it was $218 and this month it'll be about $120. So her punishment is costing her about $360. Good. She doesn't have a job. This is her allowance money because she still gets an allowance.
And how did my sister manage to create all of this havoc? Well, she logged onto my dad's account, since it is a family account we can have multiple usernames, she created a username and password for herself, then logged onto my phone and sent messages to my friends from my phone.
My sister did something so unthinkable. It is something I've blogged about before. The problem has escalated and snowballed. It may have caused me most of my friends from high school that I still am close friends with (The Mike's, Steve, the ex g/f, etc.). It all blew up in my face this morning about 7:20 when I get a call from Mike saying he doesn't want to hear from me again. I ask what is going on and I go around puzzled for a few hours and get random calls about what a shit head I am. I was lost as to what was going on. I was upset. I figured it out about 9:40 when The Guy called. I sent him right to voicemail and I get an angry voicemail from him saying basically to screw me, he doesn't need my antics. I was puzzled. I was pulling into the school parking lot in tears. What happened? Why was everyone against me? I pick up the phone and angrily dial The Guy and ask him what the fuck is going on. He asks me what the fuck is going on and tells me how I'm so needy and how he is not my world. I'm puzzled. It turns out without going into detail my sister sent him a text saying "thanks for nothing" and he was upset and angry at me. I am getting out of the car trying my hardest to not yell obscenities at him and to maintain my composure around everyone else walking to class, but it wasn't easy.
In class it hits me what went on and how everything happened. The Guy is online and at work by this time and I am rambling about the extent of the problem. I am having a tough time; I bail my last class and have a friend pick up the study guide for me. I get home and try to do some damage control/talk to the people who were hurt by this. I let my dad know and talk to him about it. He is livid. He does what he can to handle it and does some damage control of his own.
The Guy and I were originally going to hang out at 4:30 to work on our papers. I get to his place after we agree we still want to hang out. He is there working on his new HP Media Server he bought- still trying to get something that iTunes could work on. He is installing and rebooting. He looks like he has a couple of his school books out and a few sentences written in a Pages document. We spend a while sitting around and chatting about what transpired with my sister and what her punishment should be. He came up with the same thing my dad did. The Guy makes some pasta with the beef tenderloin he bought the other day when we were out.
At 6:30 we take off because he has a hair appointment. I come home with my Eggnog latte from Starbucks and in time to greet my mom and let her know what went down. My sister is in the hot seat alright. Good news there!
It has been a pretty ok day so far. Just thought I'd post about it and post some pics...
I had to work at the high school I tutor at this morning. I walk on campus from the parking lot and the principal is standing out and says good morning to me and asked if I'm ready to work. I said I was. He laughed and said he thought I was ready to go to the gym. He reminded me of the standard at work. Teachers can only wear jeans on Friday. He went on his usual diatribe about how we are from Rich New Money Community and need to set an example for everyone. Our school is showing off how classy we are in comparison to the other schools in the district. I said I agreed and that it was my fault. Then he said he was going to write me up. It doesn't bother me. Writing me up does almost nothing. This is probably the 2nd time in the 4 years I've worked there that I got a comment on my casual dress. Last time was more casual than this... haha. I texted my boss who was at a conference out in the desert because I knew she'd get a huge kick out of that and she texted back asking "He did? No worries. You're my male fashionista, you are always wearing new and trendy thingys, you never dress down. You deserve one day to do that."
Worn this shirt to work there many times before; only difference is I usually wear black jeans and my Vans, which probably would have been more acceptable. I'm not worried or hung up over this whole fashion faux-pas. It just amused me more than anything.
These 2 amused me when I was walking to class- he was pushing her on the scooter.
My dad was making dinner tonight and his forgetfulness is really bothering us because we aren't sure if this is a result of some of his recent problems. He was making dinner tonight, which he hasn't done in a couple weeks. The phone rang, he went to answer it, and forgot about the hashed browns he was making, thus burning them. It just hurts to see my dad like this. Some moments he is great and you'll never know anything is going on, then he relapses.
I talked to a friend about plans for this weekend, which is awesome and it is giving me something to look forward to.
And, and to get in the holiday spirit I've been listening to Mariah Carey's holiday album all evening. It seems like nowadays EVERYONE has a Christmas album out. Everyone- including My Chemical Romance, yet Mariah's just sounds good and pretty traditional.
