Saturday, November 5, 2011

Thursday, November 5th, 1996

Well, I cast my ballot today -- for Bill Clinton, the Libertarian running against Strom Thurmond and the rest -- where I didn't know the candidates I voted for women and Democrats.  Kim and I got briefly into it on the way to the polling place.  I was giving my -- admittedly somewhat annoying -- speech about what a great privilege it is to be allowed to vote.  Kim's idea was that it's not a privilege but a responsibility -- something to get over with.  This was her first time voting and she said she did it because she feels guilty about not voting before and she doesn't want to feel guilty again.  Guilt is one of Kim's primary motivators.
Then we dropped Kim off at the chiropractor while Dylan and I searched unsuccessfully for a Mr. Pibb for her.  That drink was always hard to find but now it's disappearing from the few places that I could count on having it, and I wouldn't be surprised if Coca-Cola had decided to stop making the Dr. Pepper clone.
Speaking of Coca-Cola this was my first day without any caffeine whatsoever -- I had another BC powder yesterday -- and it went all right.  I look forward to being an ex-drug-addict -- Chapstick's not a drug, is it?
Then we picked up the girls from Jimmy's house and went to Quincy's for lunch -- actually we went to K and W first but Kim decided she didn't want to eat there after she found out they had no shrimp -- she and the kids snuck out a side door while I had to wheel the baby stroller apparatus past all the patrons.
After lunch we went to a thrift store and bought some tennis rackets -- we've been talking about taking up tennis as an exercise and maybe one lone thing we could have in common.  Then Kim and the girls went to see "Harriet the Spy" while Dylan and I came home and hung out for a while.  I didn't go to the movie cuz I didn't feel like chasing Dylan up and down the aisle.  Actually I didn't feel good period.  I think it was one too many yeast rolls at Quincy's.  I'm fine now but I'm still thinking about calling in sick tomorrow -- just cuz I'm sick of that job.  Every weekend I cure my depression / anxiety thing and then it starts back up when I go to work.

I don't think we ever swung those tennis rackets once.  I don't drink soda, but I'm still a caffeine addict -- all tea now.  Oh, and chocolate. 

Friday, November 4, 2011

Monday, November 4th, 1996

The girls are out of school and spending the night at Jimmy's house.  Kim and I took Dylan out for an ice cream cone.  He squalled when it -- inevitably broke.  I fixed it but when he dropped the thing on the floor I knew it was time to go.  He and I have spent the whole day together.  We went out for a while.  I wanted to find a present for Momberly but couldn't find what I had in mind -- so all we got accomplished was the eating of pretzels and the purchasing of some things at the health food store -Ipsab for one thing.  The gums on my upper left side of my face are receding all the way into my forehead, and I'm hoping to put the brakes on their exodus.  I also got some pasta made with stuff other than wheat -- quinoa and spelt.  I read that a lot of carbohydrates, particularly wheat, can aggravate depression and I eat a lot of it so I'm thinking about cutting it out - or at least cutting it down for a while.  I'm also thinking of going vegan.  What I want to do, I think, is narrow my choices so I'll eat a lot more vegetables.
I haven't had any Diet Coke for the last tow days, aren't you proud of me?  Yesterday I had a caffeine-free Diet Coke and a BC powder -- I guess I could have dissolved the BC into the beverage and made my own Diet Coke, but today I've had nothing bubbly but seltzer and Ginseng Rush -- oh, and a BC powder.  Tomorrow I think the headache will be gone and I can tell the BC to take a powder.  I hope I'll remember how bad those headaches are if I ever decide to become a caffeine addict again.
Sgt. Mullings called me at work yesterday cuz he was upset about that note I left him about the communications in our department being bad.  He's such a company man -- trying to sell me on what a great guy Ott is -- but I told him there was no other word but bad for the communication in our department.  I also told him that morale was at an all-time low but he basically called me a liar.

Thursday, October 20, 2011

Sunday, October 20th, 1996

Diana Bishop is coming to visit Mom for three days tomorrow night.  We were supposed to go over there for dinner on Tuesday but now I've got to work and go to Tai chi.  Mom said she'd bought something meatless with which to make a lasagna when I called to make our apologies.  I don't know, maybe we'll just go and I'll skip tai chi -- but it looks like I won't make any of the seminars this weekend and I hate to let two weeks lapse between lessons -- I don't know.
Work was a bore -- more political talk with Officer Lyles -- I'll be glad when the election is over.

So, 15 years ago I was a vegetarian tai chi practitioner.  Now I try to get 20 grams of protein at every meal which usually means meat.  But some thing never change; I'm always glad when elections are over, and the air is free from the aroma of bullshit for a few days before the next campaign starts.

Wednesday, October 19, 2011

Saturday, October 19th 1996

My tai chi teacher impressed me last night -- someone was commenting on how fast he changed from his karate outfit into his tai chi one.  (Of course this someone is not paying close attention cuz all he does is take off the karate coat and he's ready to go cuz he has his tai chi shirt on underneath.)  He said he was like the Flash -- he popped his suit out of the secret compartment in his ring and changed into it faster than the eye can see.  How many people know that the Flash did that?

I'm easing back into being a patrol officer again.  Roper is working with me today and we're switching off, so instead of sitting on the gate for eight, I've only got the chore for four.

Tuesday, October 18, 2011

Friday, October 18th, 1996

Yes, I am still disgruntled. I'm on the Ever-fucking-green gate again today. And as if that weren't bad enough my damn drawers are riding way the hell up my butt! I have some boxers with unbuttonable flies -- I hate flies, I never use them, just pull the drawers down when I need to pee. So my choice with these boxers is to walk around with my dick dangling around -- like a trained seal, my dick sees and opening and he's just gotta jump -- or wiggle -- through it -- or do what I did today and wear them backwards which means you have to dig yards and yards of cotton out of your crack every time you stand up. I guess there's a third option which is looking better all the time -- throw the damn things away and go drawerless.
Truck drivers are stupid -- it's lunch time, we've got two lanes going to the Evergreen scales. There's enough room for one more truck in the right lane. So I told the guy to pull up into the right lane. He looks down there and says, "The far right lane?"
I should have told him, "No, the far right-hand lane."

I don't get that right-hand lane joke either. Must be a callback to something I wrote earlier.

Thursday, October 17th, 1996

I had to work the gate again today while Mahaffey, who doesn't even know where the lights are, went on patrol. Tomorrow I'll be back on the Evergreen gate.
Mullings screwed up my money again -- no shift differential for the 3 midnights I worked. I called Lisa and she supposedly has it straightened out now -- we'll see. I guess Roper had it even worse than me today -- he had to work the Evergreen gate and he didn't get relieved until 5:00. That dumb-ass Mitch Butler who was late relieving me yesterday was late again today -- for the last time -- he's history -- a footnote to history.

Mahaffey is Mike Mahaffey and we will see more of him later. Roper is Cory Roper and working at the North Charleston Terminal just about killed him. Last I heard he was in line for a lung transplant. Mitch Butler I have no idea who he was.

Wednesday, October 16th, 1996

Hattie is sick today so I'm sitting on the Evergreen gate -- all freaking day! And I hear she won't be back til next week, so I guess I'll be here a while.
I must have been really relaxed with Deana Carter. I even guessed what her second single was going to be -- guessed wrong on the first try, but nailed it on the second.
I bought Dylan his first CD -- "Barney's Favorites, Volume 1" and it took him a couple of minutes to adjust to this new way of experiencing everybody's favorite dinosaur.

Hattie is Hattie Brown, AKA Hurricane Hattie and she will be back later. We fought like cats and dogs but when the chips were down and all my friends at work abandoned me, Hattie stood up. Not because she liked me but because it was the right thing to do. I've always respected her since.