Monday, March 27, 2006

"Saaaaay. is that gum?"

Just for grins, I’m going to intersperse this with recent fortunes from cookies I got at Asia Buffet.

 

To start:

 

“Find release from your cares, have a good time.”

 

***

 

It ended up being a fine weekend. The encounter with Crow Dog struck me as funny, though if he’d started that nonsense with my son around I wouldn’t have been so amused. And kids were definitely within earshot. I ceased participating just as soon as I could get away unnoticed.

 

***

 

I bought THEBOY a bow and arrows. We were at Academy. I was sort of lost in my shopping haze. I was there to check out wrestling shoes, though really I was there to kill time, get out of the house for a while.

 

He was in hardcore “buy me buy me” mode, asking for everything under the sun.

 

(“Look, kid… that’s a DART GUN. Give it up…”)

 

But the bow/arrows reminded me of having my own when I was young. Only $12.49.

 

So I took him home and guided him through using the thing. He was frustrated at first, of course, because it takes some coordination to line it all up, aim and fire. He started to get it after a while though.

 

I messed around with it. Even 10 feet from the target I couldn’t hit the bloody thing.

 

***

 

“Your love life will be happy and harmonious.”

 

***

 

After a while Kelli and THEGIRL came outside to check it out. Hmm… five-year-old with a bow/arrow and a toddler wandering to and fro… think I was a little anxious? Yep.

 

I came closer to getting shot than anyone though. “HEY… I’m STANDING HERE, dude… aim it the other direction…”

 

***

 

THEBOY begged me, BEGGED me to let him take his new rig to school today.

 

No dice.

 

He even tried to just get permission to take the bow…

 

Nope.

 

He was in full Little Attorney mode as I packed my stuff to leave for work when he noticed a new pack of Orbitz.

 

“Saaaaay… is that gum?” he asked.

 

“Sure, want some?”

 

Score one for distraction, crisis averted.

 

***

 

Target has hemp bread in the frozen food section. It looks just awful.

 

And I bought some Amy’s organic, uh, frozen pastries… you know, those things you and I would call Pop Tarts most of the time.

 

I tried some on THEBOY for breakfast. He didn’t like them from bite one, wouldn’t even try more.

 

I took a bite… holy crap, I can’t blame him.

 

***

 

Tomorrow: Toast made from hemp bread. “Eat your flaxseed spread, kid…”

 

Just kidding.

 

***

 

“Your mind is creative, original, and alert.”

 

***

 

Intervention last night was a heartbreaker. Chuckie Negron, son of 3 Dog Night vocalist Chuck Negron, is a heroin addict, has been for over a decade.

 

This guy’s a tough case. His mother shot up while pregnant with him, so in fact, he was born addicted. He and his brother grew up in a house full of rock star visitors. Their folks, when not partying, were either lying around stoned or sick from drugs. No rules to speak of regarding meals, behavior, hygiene, school… Bad business, really just a recipe for disaster.

 

Chuckie’s mother should be crowned Queen of the Enablers. Gives him money, drives him to get a fix, lets him shoot up in the SUV, takes him in after he bails out of rehab… she violates all of the parameters set by the intervention. The elder Chuck took a much firmer stance.

 

Chuckie got busted for stealing a car for drug money, and now he’s in prison.

 

There’s not always a happy ending.

 

***

 

“You are appreciated by your company.”

 

 

4 comments:

Anonymous said...

Man, I started to send you a separate email about last night's "Intervention." I thought there was going to be a happy ending when they showed him at two months, but knew something was amiss when they showed him at five months. Pretty sad case - seems like a pretty nice guy, but kind of naive. Hid dad said the guys on "Skid Row" would kill him for a dollar. I wonder how he is doing with the prison crowd?

Anonymous said...

Dang it! That last post was from Bruiser...

BB said...

You're right. As bad a junkie as he was, he projected a certain innocence that just didn't seem like it'd fly with a rough crowd. We never did get the straight story on what happened to his nose. No one on the show believed his "I walked into a pole" story, that's for dang sure.

And even when the end came and we saw shots of the LA County Jail, I hoped against hope they'd show him saying something like, "I'm clean and got a job as an admin for the jail!"

Shame.

Anonymous said...

I saw most of that show. I knew he was born addicted, but somehow missed the other stuff about his childhood.

I also thought he seemed nicer than the addicts on the show. He was still making a half-attempt to relate to his family. He even seemed to enjoy holding his baby.

Most of the others are shown cussing their parents and stuff. Maybe he did and I just missed that part. I did not get to see the actual intervention.




A.