Bullshit and Bulls

July 20, 2011 - O.C. Fairgrounds Fair and Extreme Rodeo

This morning Robin stopped by to say he got a roommate and the roommate, who is a guy I hate, was moving in that day.  Furthermore, he moved into the t.v. room which has an en suite bathroom. This bathroom has all my personal items in it. Wow. Some of the words going through my mind: unethical, disrespectful, disgusting, vindictive, passive aggressive, pathetic, bullshit.  He also sold all the sewing machines behind my back. Not how I wanted to start the day, but this is why I'm divorcing the guy, right? He's overly emotional, fails to communicate, and most important, I don't trust him.

Moving right along... I had an otherwise pleasant morning with coffee and hanging out with Marina and Ike.  Marina and Ike cleaned out my car as best as they could in a short amount of time. Then a couple of cub scout parents came over so we could carpool to cub scout camp to pick up our kids.  From camp, we went to the O.C. Fair to see an Extreme Rodeo.

The rodeo wasn't a traditional competitive rodeo.  There was a tiny bit of bronc riding, but for the most part, an hour of four guys finding different ways to tease bulls. For example, set up four rings, each with a "player." The player who stays inside his ring the longest wins. Of course, the bull forces the other three to jump out of their rings. After an hour of teasing bulls,  there was about 15 minutes of MotoX tricks, which was very cool.

Cub Scout Camp: Swim Test

This week Chance has cub scout camp at Cabrillo Youth Watersports Center in San Pedro, CA.  Today I volunteered. Marina and Ike stayed at my mom's house and played computer games all day. I wish I could afford to send them somewhere this week, so they could do more than watch TV.  Of course, they could READ.  I think Marina is reading right now, actually, she reads a lot. Ike doesn't read.

Total Summer Reading Book Count:
0  Mom
0  Marina (only books she checks out from the library count, not all the ones she buys)
0 Ike
6 Chance

There is probably around 300 kids at camp, divided into groups of 15 or so, called dens.  Chance has two friends form his regular den in his camp den. The other 12 kids are from packs in the surrounding cities.

Chance had a swim test today. The swim test is given one den at a time; and has three levels: blue for advanced swimmers, red for moderate swimmers, and white for non-swimmers.  Chance earned a blue bracelet, so he will be allowed to check out kayaks and rowboats on his own.  He wasn't the strongest swimmer by far, but he qualified.  The kids with red bands have to have adults with them. I think the kids with white bands are only allowed in rowboats with an adult.  The pool is divided into sections as well. The white bands have to stay in the shallow end. The red bands have a red rope showing how far they can swim in the pool. Blue bands have all access.

I was shocked that 6 out of the 15 kids in Chance's group had white bands. Four of the six are overweight. One of the thin ones didn't test because he forgot swim trunks, but he says he can swim. At least two kids were crying. I think some kids think they can swim because they can tread water or dog paddle. Their parents probably think their kids can swim, too.  Then they take a swim test like this and realize that they don't know the names of the strokes or the correct way to do them. Or, in some cases, they can only do them for a little while. Part of the test is distance swimming.

Seven boys earned blue bands; and one hid his bracelet, so I'm not sure what he got. One kid earned a red band and was super excited.  Last summer he had a white band. So even though the boys who had blue bands were really proud, they congratulated and high-fived the kid with the red band.  In other dens, kids with red bands were crying because they wanted the blue bands and the kids with blue bands were getting attitudes of superiority. The adults didn't let that happen in our den. The kid in our den was beaming with pride over his red band; and he wasn't that far from earning a blue one. He couldn't make the distance, but he knew all the strokes.

Anyway, I guess I was surprised twofold. First, I thought Chance could swim a little better than what he did. Second, that there are kids who can't swim.

I met some great people; and I volunteer again on Thursday.  It should be fun.

Here's a pic of Chance showing off his archery equipment.

Interlochen and Grunion

Thursday, July 14, I took the red eye flight to Traverse City, Michigan with a stop in Detroit.

I wanted to go to Marina's art classes on Friday, but I ended up trying to sleep. I woke up in time to see some of her artwork before she took it down. She made a fox out of clay that was so good, I thought she had bought it.  Then we walked to a restaurant off campus called Bud's where we had really delicious soft serve ice cream and did some shopping.

I really love Michigan. I had been fascinated with Michigan for a long time because I wanted to sail the great lakes, so with no information about the state or sailing, what so ever, I looked at the map and decided on Northwest Michigan.  When I lived in Hawaii, I met a lot of tourists from Michigan. They would always tell me to move to Traverse City, Petoskey, or Charlevoix.  I had never heard of Interlochen until this year when somebody suggested Marina would love it. It turns out, Interlochen is 20 minutes away from Traverse City. It seemed meant to be; and I wasn't disappointed, even with all the hype and big expectations. I really do love Michigan.

On Saturday, I had to turn in two articles to Yahoo Sports, so I woke up super early to get those out of the way. Then Marina and I had lunch in the cafeteria and visited a museum on campus. I thought the cafeteria food was really good both times I ate there. Once when I dropped Marina off three weeks ago and again this time. She said they changed the food for the parents. That's funny. The museum and the two lakes, Duck Lake and Green Lake, were beautiful. We took separate shuttles to the airport, one for students, one for parents. Kind of weird.

We stopped in Detroit, where I decided to eat dinner. We missed our flight. We took the next flight out and didn't get home until after midnight. This was slightly disappointing because the grunion were running in San Pedro; and I was hoping to get in early enough to take Marina, Ike, and Chance.

I took Ike and Chance to the last grunion run, but Marina wasn't able to go. She went to the 8th grade graduation party instead. She just finished 7th grade, but most of her friends were 8th graders. So I really wanted to take her this time. I'm not sure, but that may have been the last grunion run this summer.

While we were gone, the boys stayed with my parents and went to baseball try-outs.  I haven't heard from the coaches yet. The team is $150/month per player. I'm a little unsure how I'm going to pay for it, but I'll pull it off.

Pic of Ike with grunions caught in San Pedro, cooking them at Carlsbad beach campground, June 2011.
Pics of Marina's clay fox, Marina's installation art project, and of Marina.

Russia and Divorce

Joanna and Salo left for Russia today.

I asked for a divorce today.

Big day.

Pic Only: MLB All-Stars

We went to G.G.'s apartment to watch the MLB all-star game.

Jr. Drama Summer Play and Missing Newhall

Chance decided to join the Jr. Drama summer production at our local park, which we call Rec. Park.  Last summer, Ike was in the Jr. Drama production, Sleeping Beauty.  Marina and Chance decided to join him for the winter production.  The age minimum for Jr. Drama is 7; and the maximum is 12 years old.  Chance turned 7 last August and Marina is turning 13 this July, so last winter was the only opportunity for all three kids to be in a Jr. Drama play together. I'm glad they did it.  It was Hansel and Gretel; and it was adorable. They were some of the only kids who didn't audition, so they had very small ensemble roles, maybe one or two lines each.

This year, we weren't planning on doing the play because the rehearsal schedules last summer and winter were challenging to work with. The rehearsals were all summer long, sporadically here and there; and it seemed a big, confusing mess for the organizers, while wrecking havoc on our schedule. Other kids were always missing rehearsals because they were on vacation.  This year the park made it a 3 week all day program; and it works much better.  We didn't know about this year's schedule change until the last minute.  Marina and Ike already had other commitments by the time Chance was invited by his friend Spencer to join the play.  Chance wasn't committed to anything because I was waiting to get vacation dates from his dad, so it actually worked out, in theory, until he quit, anyway.

Without Marina and Ike, Chance lasted one week out of a 3 week program. Ike was in soccer camp that first week and Marina was at Interlochen.  Ike's camp hours were almost the same as Chance's rehearsal hours, so Chance didn't mind going somewhere without Ike. Besides, Chance was happy to hang out with Spencer.

The second week of Jr. Drama started with the 4th of July, and Ike was staying home all week. He had plans for camp, but it was canceled due to low enrollment.  Chance didn't want to go anywhere as long as Ike was home, so that was the end of Jr. Drama.  Initially, he said he didn't want to do it because they made him dance.  Eventually, he came around and said that he wanted to stay home and play Wii with Ike instead.  They played video games, went swimming at the pool here, and went to the beach.  Then the boring weekend....see the last post.  

This week Ike has another commitment and Chance can't go with him because I am out of money, or whatever one stage past out of money would be considered.  I really overdid it with the kids' activities last summer and this summer.  I let them live outside of our means.  Robin makes it all possible, but he is tapped out and stressed out, so next summer will be scaled back for sure.  That is, unless I go back to work, which is in the planning stages.

Chance is all mopey faced because I couldn't send him with Ike this week.  I'm sure in his 7 year old world it seems unfair, although he would never say anything like that. I pointed out...Robin paid for him to be in drama this week, it's not like Chance was getting left out in the cold for a week.  Of course, secretly speaking, if I could, I would pay for two things and send Chance with Ike; and so would Robin.  We discussed it, looked at the numbers, but couldn't make it happen.  I do recognize that paying for one thing is ample, (still a luxury); and paying for two things is indulgent. Maybe being broke this week is good for everybody.  

We've established that this week Chance wishes he had something to do during the day, preferably with Ike. OK....today is the first day of the week.  It's only Monday.  I told him he could jump back into the play because he only had a small ensemble part, and so what if he missed a week, but he doesn't think he can learn the dances in time.  So he says.  So we were together all day, which is cool for me because I'm partial to the little guy, but, ohhhhh, the horror of being an only child for 5 hours.

Anyway, it was a beautiful Monday today, perfect beach weather, but I needed to go to Newhall to check on the dogs and rabbit because Robin is on a 3 day trip to Washington D.C.  Besides, I wanted to drop off a shipment of Simple Green products that I just received. (I have everything delivered to my mom's house because the Newhall house is in a rural neighborhood and getting packages is always a problem.)  Chance went with me; and I was glad to have an errand to keep his mind off of Ike.

I was happy to see that Robin had picked up two pieces of artwork that I had ordered months ago.  One large piece looks perfect with a smaller piece that we already own.  The colors in the art work with an old couch that my former sister-in-law Lorie gave me. We need to get the couch reupholstered and Robin and I already picked out the fabric, but now I think I should look for fabrics closer to the color of the couch.

I don't miss commuting from Newhall, but walking through the house, all sunlit, and seeing our dogs happy faces, I did feel a tinge homesick.  Adding the artwork makes the house feel a little more like home, more complete. I just loved that Robin had picked it up for me. It's the little things that make a person feel so special.  I have a surprise for him, too. I bought Simple Green stone cleaner and stone polish, LOL!! We've been using Windex on the countertops, but keep talking about how we need to find something that makes it shine.  I cleaned part of the countertop, but not all of it.  I want Robin to be able to tell the difference when he walks in; and to know we are thinking about him and Newhall even when we can't be there.

The house caught on fire in February 2010; and it was in need of repairs anyway. It has been a long, slow, stressful process; and we still aren't finished.  Robin just recently got some light fixtures installed. By recently, I mean two weeks ago, and we were living in a dark cave for the last year.  We had a light bulb, as in one. Then we had one light bulb and 4 recessed bulbs in the kitchen, so we had to stand in the kitchen for everything we did.  Today, Chance and I walked through the house and turned on, then off, every light that we have so far, thoroughly enjoying the beauty of each fixture and each light switch.  I was sad to say good bye to the dogs.  Sad to say good bye to my new light switches and fixtures; and my new artwork.

We had several other errands to run after that, including another trip to the library.  Chance is leading the summer reading program with 3 books. Ike has zero. I have zero.  Then the boys played Wii and ate pizza until they fell asleep. Cute cute.

Pics of Hansel and Gretel February 2011. Pic of Chance in the Newhall house. Pic of Ike and Chance's bedroom in El Segundo.

Wknd of July 8-10, 2011: New Apt, Tooth Fairy, Soap Box Derby, Insomnia and Rooster-Gate

It is Sunday night, July 10, 2011; and I am alone in our new apartment in El Segundo.  Although we have a house in Newhall, I recently rented this apt in El Segundo, (May 20, 2011, I think it was) because the kids go to school here and the commute was a nightmare.  Marina and Ike go to St. Anthony's and are going into 8th grade and 6th grade, respectively.  Chance will start 3rd grade at Center St. Elementary.

The apt has 2 bedrooms, 2 bathrooms, a 1 car garage, 1 parking space, and is owned by the Hacienda Hotel.  It is the only upstairs unit, with two units below, and receives a huge amount of sun from all four sides, so it is always hot inside.  As part of the hotel properties, it came furnished, including the washer and dryer, which is one of the coolest things that has ever happened in my life.  We have access to the the pool and gym, as well as having a weekly maid who stocks towels, soaps, and shampoo.  Ike and Chance share a bedroom; and Marina and I share a bedroom. Marina and I have the master bedroom, so we have a private bathroom.

Since I am so sick of commuting, I can't bring myself to get in the car. I love not going anywhere. I'm sure I'll get bored soon, but for now, I am decompressing from the previous 700 days in a row of driving 4 hours or more a day.  I haven't left the apartment since we got back from the library on Friday. A full 48 hours.

BTW, both Ike and Chance lost a tooth last week. Chance lost one on Friday afternoon and I said something about not carrying cash, not realizing that he still believed in the tooth fairy. Oops. After dropping the bomb about the tooth fairy, Chance went with his dad for the weekend. Ike went to Grandma and Poppy's after Robin got here at 6:30PM. I guess Ike wanted to skidaddle because he felt like a third wheel, or just didn't want to tag along with us because we are boring. Who knows?  Robin left by 10PM, but Ike was already ready for bed so he stayed at Grandma's for the night.  That left me alone for the night. When does that ever happen?

I'm dealing with some really serious insomnia, so even though I was exhausted, I stayed up all night Friday night, then forced myself to sleep in fits during the day on Saturday.  We have 11 birds in this apt, so it sounds like a rainforest during the day. It isn't the easiest place to sleep during the day.

The bird breakdown: 2 lovebirds, 3 finches, 2 quails, 3 parakeets, and 1 canary.  We had two chickens that we kept at Grandma and Poppy's house, but... the neighbors were complaining about the rooster, so on Saturday, July 9, Poppy gifted the rooster to the gardner.  Last weekend Poppy mentioned to the kids that he wanted to get rid of the rooster.  That night, Chance stayed up until 3AM crying about the rooster. Chance always falls asleep early.  That was the latest he has ever stayed up. During the week since then, I was hoping to find a neighbor on our street in Newhall to take the rooster.  I'm rarely in Newhall anymore, so there was never an opportunity to ask around. When Chance gets home tomorrow, he is going to be very upset about the rooster.

Prior to the Cub Scout Soap Box Derby on Saturday, Poppy told Ike that he was getting rid of the rooster.  Ike took this as a general statement and not a notice of action. Then Ike went to work the Boy Scout food booth at the Derby, where Chance would be competing as a cub scout. It would be nice to have pictures of this, but I don't have any because I didn't go. When Ike returned and found the rooster had been given away, he was very upset. Marina called just in time to hear the news about Rooster-Gate.  I mistakenly thought that my mom told me that Ike had told Marina about the rooster, so I mentioned it in an email I sent to Marina later that night.  Then I found out that Ike had NOT told Marina. So she will have the news delivered in a note nonchalantly handed to her by a camp counselor. That won't be good.

(Marina is at Interlochen, an art camp in Michigan.  She is attending a 3 week camp, majoring in Visual Arts. She is taking drawing, painting, sculpture, ceramics, and environmental science.)

Since I am not leaving the apt these days, Ike decided to stay the night at Grandma and Poppy's again last night. Mauricio, Joanna, and Salo came over late last night. Once again, I stayed up all night. Joanna and I watched reruns of '16 and Pregnant' and 'The Real Housewives of New York.'

Since I slept in fits during the day today, Ike opted to stay at Grandma and Poppy's again on Saturday night.  Now I am here alone, drinking copious amounts of coffee, eating fried chicken and cheese slices, and watching Forest Gump while typing this post.  Chance will be here tomorrow at 8AM.  Hopefully between now and then I can regroup and get motivated to do something. As of right now, I am not drinking anymore coffee tonight. It is 9:15PM, so hopefully I get to sleep at a reasonable hour.  I need my rest to deal with the fallout tomorrow once I tell Chance about the rooster.

This weekend was so boring and unproductive that it is embarrassing to write about it, but at the same time, I feel so relaxed that I can't complain.

Pics of Chance and Ike showing off their missing teeth.