Another Blog from my Daughter

My youngest daughter sees me writing now and then and she always wants to jump in and use the computer to save her thoughts for history as well.  I think it is cute to see her one finger typing at seven years old and only hope that she finds her way to occupational happiness in life.  If my recent foray into writing does nothing more than inspire my kids to read and write then it has been a success.  So many children today find their stimulation through TV or IPods or Video players or Video Games it is crazy.  Even books are now all electronic and I have to admit I still enjoy turning pages when I read.

Anyway below is her input to the logs of my life.

“Snuggling my sleepyhead sister and in the next bed my little dog is laying there enjoying a belly rub by my dads girlfriend .wile I am sitting in my bed waiting for breakfast so that I can go play with my nabbor  sooner. My dad is not”

I am still not sure what “I am not” but as long was somebody is then how can I complain.  My youngest daughter is going through some transition this weekend.  I am not sure if it is the dynamics of my girlfriend or she is just overly moody but she is not her normal social self.  All the kids are a little more on edge than normal.  I used to always say it took me a few hours to get them back into a relaxed mode after they came home from my ex-wife’s house.  I wonder if them having spent a week there has gotten them so stirred up they are having a more difficult time adjusting.

We just recently switched schedules to one week with me and one week with her exchanging the kids every other week.  That process is hard on the kids but I hope once they get used to it the timing will be easier since it means less back and forth effort throughout the week.

As in all things time will tell.

Hung

The new show on HBO being touted as the possible revival of the stagnant cable channel that has lost its touch on originality.  I was unimpressed with episode 1 but will give it the benefit of the doubt (since my DVR is already set up to record the series) and watch it one or two more times.

The concept is a high school coach running down on his luck.  When I say down it is amazing the guy hasn’t decided to jump off the closest bridge he can find.  He loses his wife to a dweeb, children go to live with his ex, house burns down, attorney moves in next door (don’t you hate those guys) and he can’t pay his property taxes.  The only thing going for him is the size of his penis which is apparently a nice long dong.  Reminds me of “Sixteen Candles” and the Asian character whose name was “Long Duck Dong”.

What is our preoccupation with the size of our sexual organs?  Everyone wants to see a 12 inch penis or breast the size of a truck.  Are we so preoccupied with everything being large that we lose the appreciation for romance?  If you take a poll of women which you find that given the choice of a romantic walk on the beach and a nice dinner with an average sized guy or a roll in the hay with a foot long which would they choose?  I can’t believe that women have lost all track of the definition of romance.  They coined the term to begin with.  I sometimes lose track of what romance really means, as do the majority of guys I would imagine.

Can you women give us a break and remind us now and then.  Give us some direction.  Not subtle hints either but simply lay out a list of the steps to break into a romantic evening.  Being simplistic in nature it is better not to leave anything to doubt.  Just tell us what to do and then let us take it from there.  I agree that takes some of the romance out of the situation but does it remove it completely?  It seems like that might be what the show is lacking.  I think it is going for the comedic slice but do we really want to watch a show that has a baseline premise on the size of a man’s cock?

Well, time will tell.  Who knows, maybe in a couple of months I will be writing about how great the show is  and the audience will take commercial breaks to measure our shlongs.  Isn’t there a saying that in the end as long as it is big enough to pleasure ourselves then life can’t be all that bad?  Are we simply lucky that we aren’t as flexible as dogs to begin with since we might not ever venture outside the confines of our shaded bedroom windows?  Ok, I have gone too far now.

Average show and with the demand on our time I doubt it goes too far but I for one will give it one more or possible two more inches, I mean tries and see what happens.  Thrusting myself down on Sunday nights to penetrate the atmospheric television static and hope that HBO knows what it is selling.  It seems like it might be coming up a little short as “Hung” will have a long way to go in matching ShowTime’s “Californication” for the sleazy innovative sexually explicit show of the year.

The Proposal

Starring Ryan Reynolds (who seems to be in every other movie this summer) and Sandra Bullock (who seems to have not been in a movie in about 10 years).  I will spend about as much time on this movie as the writers spent writing it.  OK, well I might have to spend a few more minutes otherwise I would already be done.  Calm down everyone.  I actually enjoyed the movie.  It was funny, heartwarming and made me laugh out loud on several occasions.  It just is the same formula that has been done about 100,000 times before.  Not that there is anything wrong with that but it should just set expectations.

Girl (Sandra Bullock) is Canadian and an overbearing boss.  Her assistant (Ryan Reynolds) falls into the wrong place at the wrong time and she informs him that to keep his job he will have to marry her so she doesn’t get deported.  That sets the tone of the movie which then leads up the marriage.  In between there are funny scenes that make you laugh and at times my girlfriend even cry but don’t expect the heartwarming storyline like a PS I Love You.  This movie is all about romantic comedy and it does come through in spades.  You don’t spend more than 10 minutes without at least a chuckle.

I will have to admit that even though I love Sandra Bullock her days of being the romantic comedy lead are coming to an end.  While she still holds the ability to hit her ques and make you laugh she might want to start the inevitable transition to romantic mom leads.  She was looking a little aged next to Ryan Reynolds who probably garnered more attention for his nude scene than she did.  When did this guy start buffing up?

Anyway, I would recommend this as a light hearted funny make you laugh summer movie which was its intentions so kudos to them.  It came through with the end goal and while it might make a better sit in your living room Comcast on demand type flick it is worthwhile seeing on a date as well.

The Dinner Party (Part I of VI)

                I had to drop off my middle daughters shoes and my oldest daughters book at their mother’s house and since we were driving close to the coast anyway it seemed like a good opportunity to do so.  It was a beautiful day and now approaching 5:30 PM we had spent the afternoon with Carina’s parents.  It is amazing to me the zest some people have for life and even though her father was in his seventies he was in SF for the weekend to get married.  I think it is fantastic to find somebody to spend the final few years with and I am happy that he feels comfortable making that commitment. 

                As we approached the house I called my middle daughter Amelia, “I am going to drop off your shoes and your sister’s book, where are you?” I said.  “I am not home she responds.  We are out shopping and will be going over to Aunt Tammy’s house for dinner so we won’t be home for a while.”  “That is fine” I say, “I will just drop them off at the front door and you can pick them up when you get home.”  “Huh?”  She responds.  “You can’t leave them at the front door.”  “We won’t be home for a long time.  You should have called me and told me you were going to come over to the house.  You will have to just come back and drop them off later.”

                 I sit staring at the phone trying to figure out how the mind of a twelve year old works.  I mean I live 45 minutes away from her mom’s house and she thinks that I can just drop by anytime and leave her shoes.  “Why can’t I just leave them on your front porch, or I can even drop them off at your Aunt Tammy’s if needed but I am not going to make another trip and drop them off if you don’t want them now.”  “Fine” she stammers in response.  “Leave them where you want, but next time you should call and ask me if we will be home before you drop off my shoes.”

                I again sit staring at the phone wondering whether I should be laughing at the exchange or getting angry.  Kids are so self absorbed when they approach the teenage years.  Yes it is a difficult time and you must hold your patience to the extent you possibly can but it is so trying.  “OK”, I say, “I will place them in the front door if it is open and if it is not I will simply put them in the mailbox.”  “How does that sound?”  “Fine” she utters again.  “Is that all?”  “Well, I love you” I say and hear her mumble out an “I love you too” before she says goodbye and then hangs up the phone.

                It is hard to remember but I try to understand that it is I who is doing her a favor and I know that deep down in the pit of her stomach she must be finding it difficult to say thank you.  Two words that seem to elude children in our society at large.  Thank You?  Are those words so foreign to the family dynamics of this century that we should stricken them from the dictionary or should we make an attempt to bring them back to the forefront of our lives and inject them back into our daily routine.

                Is being cordial so difficult that we have lost all concept of what being cordial is?  At what point in time did even the pretense of politeness evade the dinner conversation so the act of passing the salt was confrontational.  OK, I am now exaggerating.  For the most part my three girls are relatively polite but at times they live their lives challenging even the simplest of acts.  When I was a child if I spoke to my father in any way deemed inappropriate I would find myself facing the back of his hand as he reminded me the status of my life compared to his.

                In the times of today we are not allowed to even talk sharply to our kids let alone hit them in anger.  How many agencies do we have for children’s rights or animal rights or the rights of the little spotted frog that inflict more rules onto the family than one can keep track of.  Everyone seems to have rights but the average middle aged Caucasian man.  Somehow in the grand scheme of handing out special favors we got passed over by everyone and everything including a little damn frog.

                Carina starts laughing as she sits next to me calming me with her just her presence as she so often does.   Her being near me relaxes me with a serene happiness and in doing so she so often doesn’t need to say a word.  In this case, as luck would have it she doesn’t say much but her laughter speaks volumes with her inability to maintain her composure as she listens to my childlike conversation.  OMG, can it be possible that kids start out their day wondering if they can give you a heart attack as they test your self control.

                As I pull away from my ex-wife’s house I think of my buddy Tim and the fact that I haven’t seen him in several weeks.  I am so close to his house it seems to make sense to give him a call and see if he is home.  Carina hasn’t met him and it would be nice to start introducing her to my friends.  She is becoming such an important part of my life it is appropriate she starts sharing it in all aspects.  I am not sure that she is ready for what is to come but then again none of us in life are ready for everything and in most cases it is the curveballs that are the most intriguing aspects.

Can you love somebody too much?

Is it possible to spend too much time in bed?  Can you snuggle somebody for too long and hold them in your arms for what seems like endless hours of uninhibited joy?  What happens when your writing suffers, when you forget to eat dinner, when you look over at your dog that is rolling his eyes in disparagement because he has yet to be fed or watered for the day?  You attempt to move, to separate yourself from the metaphysical connection of your eternal embrace that seems to now be the sustenance of your very being.  Much as somebody on life support you feel your heart sputter at the thought of leaving behind that which you can never truly be separated from.  Even when you venture down to the garage and pour the food and water into the bright silver cylindrical bowls your mind is wandering back to the warmth and comfort of being at her side.

Her naked perfect body lying exposed with the quilt slightly covering her legs, exposing her breasts.  Her reflection shines slightly less than her smile as you return from your errand of necessity glancing in the mirror over the dresser.  You jump back into bed intertwining your bodies yet again as the feeling of completeness echoes throughout the room from your physical bonding of passion.  Leaving her side is always the hardest thing you can do every single day and only the knowledge of returning keeps your mind from exploding in a million fragments into space.  If there were truly a God how could he inject you into a world where you were not allowed to spend every waking moment staring deep inside the vast cataclysmic beautiful bluish grey eyes.

Her flawless skin melts as you rub your fingers down her arm grasping her fingers in yours while you admire the barrage of freckles that graces her entire body.  You love the freckles that sporadically bombard her being keeping her innocence while humanizing her into the perfectly wrapped present you have dreamt of since you first saw her three years ago.  She might misplace things as she frequently loses track of valuables but you realize her imperfections are the very things that make her perfect.  Her softness as she touches you makes you gasp for air as you struggle to control your speech in the throngs of passion with your only desire that you keep this connection for all eternity.

I continue to struggle with the question.  Is it possible to love somebody too much?  To desire somebody beyond what is healthy.  To spend so much time embracing them that everything else loses its importance.

I will leave it for you to answer for yourself.  My answer is unequivocally no.  The emotional physical connection of love should be all consuming.  Passionate but positive.  Supportive in nature and uplifting in life.  If you lose yourself in time with the one that you love then you have finally felt what love should be.  Enjoy those precious moments of bliss.  She is your soul and without her what would life really be but an empty void.

The Swimming Pool (A Teenage Short Story Part IV of IV)

“So”, Tony said, “No guests at our hotel are or would swim in this pool since you are basically swimming in the urine of four college boy’s form less than thirty minutes ago”.  With that he started laughing again making no attempt to control himself.  Marissa felt the nauseous feeling welling up inside her and from the corner of her eye she saw Sarah who was screaming at the top of her lungs heading for the stairs as fast as she could possibly move.  Marissa then followed as she too only wanted to get of the water before she puked all over herself and in the pool of urine.

                OMG, she couldn’t think about it anymore or she surely would find herself getting sick.  This might be the most disgusting way to start a summer that she could possibly think of.  Tony was still laughing and she swore if he hadn’t stopped by the time she got out she was going to ball up her fist and hit him square in the stomach.  How could he think this was that funny.  Sarah was now out of the water and she was jumping up and down like she was jogging in place.  Tony walked around the edge saying he hoped that they enjoyed the rest of the day but he had only one last thing to show them.

                Marissa was now out of the water as well, her face red with anger and embarrassment as she continued to stare at this boy who had just changed the focus of their morning.  All she could think about doing was getting home and taking a shower as quickly as possible.  She felt so unclean and swore that her skin was turning yellow.  Toby was on his way back and held the piece of paper from the door that he must have taken down.  She guessed that he was coming back to rub their faces even more in the stupidity of their recent actions.

                He handed the paper to Sarah, said again that he hoped they had a nice day and headed back inside.  Sarah looked at the paper and seemed confused and her eyes were rolling in multiple directions at once.  Marissa was unsure if she was going to faint or if she was losing her focus on reality.  What in the hell was wrong with her.  She handed the paper over to Marissa and she read the bold typed words clearly stating:  TOWELS FOR THE POOL CAN BE LOCATED IN THE OUTSIDE CLOSET TO THE LEFT OF THE DOOR.

                Marissa raised her head and saw for now the second time Tony double over in laughter just outside the door to the hotel pointing at them.  “You guys are too much”  She heard him say as he entered the door and headed inside.  She could hear him continue laughing as the sound slowly faded into the background.  OMG, he had lied to them.  He had made that crap up just to mess with them and they had fallen for it.  What was wrong with him.

                The two girls quickly gathered their clothes putting on their shorts over their bottoms and walked through the gate to the path heading back down by the beach.  There is no way that they could stay here as Tony periodically poked his head out laughing at them for being so stupid as to actually believe what he had said.  With every step they took the mood lightened and they eventually began laughing at what had occurred.

                Marissa was happy that she had not thrown up in the pool only to find out she was getting sick for nothing.  She was laughing so hard she could barely get the words out to Sarah explaining to her how close she had been to vomiting.  Sarah only remembered screaming at the top of her lungs.  She felt sure that everyone in El Granada had heard her and the two of them would be on the front cover of the Half Moon Bay Review for being the stupidest two girls on the coast.

                Headlines “Two girls that will believe anything anyone tells them get punked by gorgeous blonde beach boy who works at the beachfront hotel”.  Wouldn’t that be a great story.  The laughed some more as they headed in the general direction of Sarah’s house.  The rest of the day they walked around the streets eating lunch at Sarah’s not really doing anything else significant.  It might have been humiliating but at  least they had fun and now could say they had done something memorable.

                It would be difficult to top this mini adventure but as Marissa walked up the hill to her house she decided that she would put all her focus in making sure that she found something that would make this look small.  She didn’t know what it was but would soon find out she was not going to have to wait that long to find out.

Dan In Real Life

In keeping with my normal motif I seem to review most movies well over a year after they were released.  That being said my reviews are more about life than just the movie itself so there are always additives to the review that will take it into a unique area.

Dan In Real Life is a great movie.  Fantastic.  The premise is about a man (writes a dear abbey article for a living) whose wife has died and he is raising his three daughters on his own.  Now while I am divorced and share custody with my kids I can relate to the movie in a personal way.  The movie starts out where the middle daughter is dealing with boyfriend issues and Dan (The Father) cannot and won’t deal with any form of relationships with his middle daughter at that age.  I only wish my older daughter listened to me as well.

The middle daughter one day announces that she is in love with her new boyfriend and upon questioning it is revealed that she knew she loved him after only three days.  Can anyone say OMG.  Some of us go a lifetime and we are not sure if we know what true love really is.  Some of us might not ever know true love.  Three days?  Is she insane at the ripe age of 12 or 13 (guessing here).  Flash forward as Dan takes his three daughters to a cabin where his family meets every year and vacations for a week.  Dan meets a woman (I won’t tell you the entanglement portion of the movie) and ends up falling in love.  Can you guess the punch line.  Yes, in three days.

OK, we all know that this is the movies and we all know that it is impossible to fall in love in three days yet………  I often periodically reference the book “Blink” in my writing and the premise of that book is instantaneously making decisions that are correct.  The theory is our brain is preprogrammed with so much knowledge that it acts like a computer and if we listen to it then we will be guided down the correct path.  Moral DON’T OVERTHINK THINGS.

So that would lead you to believe it is possible.  I know that I love my kids, I know that I love my dogs, I at one point felt something for my ex-wife but that has changed or I at a minimum was wrong, beyond that it is hard to say.  How do we know what love is?  Is it the puppy dog stuff or the real no matter what you do I will always be there for you?  Is it a connection that is unexplainable?  Is it preordained that you wonder through life until you find the one person you are connected with?  Is it somebody you are attracted to and you simply work at making it through the tough times and enjoy the person through life.

I have no idea but I know what I think.  Shhhhhh, it is a secret.

Great movie though for the sappy love struck sensitive types which apparently I am becoming more in tune with every day.

The Swimming Pool (A Teenage Short Story Part III of IV)

Well, they were in.  I guess that is all that counted.  They took off their clothes and both stood in their swimsuits staring at the inviting pool.  Sarah took a running start and curling up in a ball mid air plunged into the pool full force.  Marissa quickly followed suit in the same fashion barely missing Sarah’s head as she catapulted through the air making a huge splash upon impact.  They had sealed the deal and were now criminals.  It didn’t seem like they were criminals and as crimes go it was rather innocent but it added a level of excitement to the scenario.

                They commenced splashing each other as they chased around the small pool not taking the time to notice much around them.  As most teenagers go they were as self absorbed as the next one.  It was only with a shrill high pitched screaming cry that Marissa hurtled through the air that broke their playful bantering as she saw the boy in uniform staring at them from the side of the pool.

                He had full blonde curls with sandy brown streaks wore white pants with a blue/white striped shirt that made him appear sailor like as he stoically watched them forming a slight frown on his face.  He was very tan looking to be in the 16 to 17 year old range and was absolutely totally and completely smoking cute.  As Marissa’s scream started to tail off and she began the process of closing her mouth she noticed the name tag located on his chest and said the word “Tony” out loud.

                He smiled at her now and nodded his head in her direction.  “Yes”, he said.  “My name is Tony.  I work for the hotel cleaning pools and my guess is that you two ladies are not currently guests.  I know most of the guests who are currently checked in and I don’t remember  you two being one of our current customers.”  He had barely gotten the words out of his mouth when Marissa was instantly responding that he was incorrect and yes not only were they customers but their parents would be extremely upset if they were caught talking to a strange boy so it might be best if he left them alone.

                Lying to Marissa came so easy, the words flowed from her mouth at times before she realized what she was even saying.  She knew that it was wrong to lie but they just came out so naturally that she sometimes felt she was not the one in control of her words.  Sarah had stopped splashing and now just stood staring moving her head back and forth between Marissa and Tony as their eyes were locked in a battle of wills.  She only paused to admire Tony and how gorgeous he was.  They really shouldn’t make guys that cute she thought to herself it just wasn’t fair.

                Tony started laughing now as the girls remained in the pool not backing down from this recent confrontation as once Marissa began a lie she always followed it through to completion.  She would argue her lie as the truth until she was backed into a corner and had no other choice but to confess or she convinced the other party that she was right.  It was throwing her off that he was laughing and she finally yelled at him to stop and asked him what he could possibly find so funny.

                He was now bending over holding his stomach laughing so hard and pointing in their direction.  This was really starting to annoy Marissa and she was reaching a point where she had about enough of this annoying boy no matter how damn cute he might be.  He finally stopped long enough to say “don’t you even want to know how I am 100% sure that you are not guests at this hotel?  Do you want me to tell you how I know for a fact that you are lying?”  “Fine” Marissa yelled back at him.  “Go ahead and let us in on your little funny joke Mr. Tony.”

                Tony pointed back at the glass door leading into the hotel hallway and said “do you see that note there on the door.  That piece of paper that is taped.”  Marissa nodded in acknowledgment.  She did indeed see the piece of paper.  “Well” Tony said, “On the other side of that paper facing the inside of the hotel for all guests to see before they enter the pool is a warning.”  “A warning that simply states the college boys that are currently guests in the hotel were caught less than 30 minutes ago pissing in the pool.”  “Please refrain from swimming as there were four of them and it will take several hours to get the pool back to a clean safe environment.”

The Swimming Pool (A Teenage Short Story Part II of IV)

                Sarah greeted Marissa on the front step at her house wearing her swim suit top and a pair of shorts.  She looked hot from the sun that was making its way overhead as nobody on the coast was used to the heat that was continuing to rise with each tick of the clock.  Marissa sat down next to her and Sarah offered her a raspberry wine cooler and as shocking as it was to so freely accept she found herself doing exactly that gulping it down quickly.  It had the taste of cool-aid from when she was a kid.  Funny to hear herself thinking this as she was still only 14 and she had just turned 14 a couple of weeks before.

                Sarah said her older brother had gone to the store earlier that morning and she had convinced him to bring back 4 wine coolers.  She had promised not to tell and since her and Marissa would only drink two each they should be fine with very little affect.  They sat on the porch talking about school and how it was going to be so weird making the transition to a new environment and as they did so they finished both of their drinks.  Neither of the two girls were that ambitious so it was difficult for them to decide what to do next.

                In the end they aimlessly found themselves walking towards the beach which seemed like it might contain a few people since it was such a beautiful day.  They had called a few of their friends but unlike Sarah and Marissa most of the other girls they knew seemed to have plans for the week.  They made their way past the mini-mart that moonlighted as a video store and walked through the field making their way to highway one which they had to cross in order to get to the sandy warmth on the other side.

                As they pushed their way slowly tiring from the lack of physical stamina they made it to the pathway that ran along the beach side of highway one.  They laughed at the tourists and the kids as a large family carrying armfuls of supplies was trying to set up encampments preparing to spend what looked like possibly weeks on their visit to the coast.  It was at that moment that Sarah spotted the hotel overlooking the ocean and the outdoor fenced in pool that was completely empty and got an idea.

                How easy it would be to jump the fence or just stroll through the gate and walk into the pool and spend the afternoon playing in the warm clean water overlooking the ocean.  Marissa had a swimming pool at her house but ever since her father had moved out there had been nobody to clean it and the water was now a murky brown and it was inhabited by what sounded like hundreds of frogs.  They came out mostly at night and the crackling noise they made echoed through their backyard upsetting everyone in a two block radius.  As with most things lately her mother didn’t really care as she was only focused on her own personally issues and her need of a 24 hour support group.

                Sarah played out her idea for Marissa and they both excitedly agreed on a plan as they approached the fence with Marissa jumping over first and Sarah following right after.  They didn’t see anyone moving anywhere in the pool area or even in the parking lot.  It seemed the only activity occurring was the infiltration of large bodied pale tourists that were swarming the beach in a non-stop ant like flow.  If they were ever going to find the nerve to sneak in and take a swim now would be the time.

                They got close to the chain link waist high fence and Sarah made her leap.  Unfortunately she caught her shoe string at the top scraped her leg and lost her shoe as she ended up going over head first.  Marissa stood watch her continually repeating “hey, I thought I was going first”.  As she looked around she noticed the open gate and walked over making her way through it laughing at Sarah as she lay on the concrete slightly scraped up but rolling back and forth as she was enjoying the activity.

The Swimming Pool (A Teenage Short Story Part I of IV)

                Summer was finally here.  Marissa’s mother was working her father was living in his apartment and the live in au-pair was caring for her two little sisters.  This in total added up to Marissa being able to do what she wanted for the next couple of months and she had decided long before that she was going to take advantage of the situation and have fun.  She had grown up with an au-pair for most of her life.  Both her parents worked long hours and even in the best of times her primary care giver had been the family babysitter.

               The current au-pair was from Mexico.  She was tiny in stature and timid in nature.  Even Clarissa who was the smallest of the three seem to be able to tell her what to do on most occasions.  Her name was Danna and she was extremely nice.  Probably too nice to be in charge of Marissa in the summer months when she was on a personal mission to forge new ground.  Marissa did not spend much time with Danna as she never felt the need to get to know the au-pairs that well.  They were never there more than a year and it seemed just when you got close to one of them they would leave and you would be forced to break another one in.

                Danna had plans for the kids that consisted of trips to the parks, going to San Francisco for day outings, spending time at some of the local museums, touring the zoo a few times and heading down to Santa Cruz Boardwalk which even Marissa enjoyed.  Santa Cruz Boardwalk has an old time carnival atmosphere with rides and games and sits right on the beach.  The scenery is beautiful and it is a great experience.  Marissa would have to make sure that she was available on the days that Santa Cruz was planned but on the rest of the days she had thoughts of her own.

                Marissa’s friend Sarah lived a few blocks down the street from her house and today it was a sunny warm beautiful day and she planned on walking down to Sarah’s house to discuss plans for an activity.  Sarah did not get along with Marissa’s mom and Marissa’s mom did not like Sarah.  Sarah had the reputation of being too aggressive with the boys at this early age and she had already began the inevitable experimentation with drinking and thanks to her brother had even smoked pot a couple of times.  Marissa didn’t care as she only wanted to hang out ignoring rules and Sarah was just a few short blocks away.

                It was 10 AM in the morning and she had decided she might as well roll out of bed and after grabbing something to eat head down for her walk.  Danna and her two sisters had already left on some daily excursion so she had no guidelines on what she was required to do or not do.  She decided to wear her swimsuit underneath her shorts and a tank top enjoying the rare warmth that never seemed to frequent the coastal community.  El Granada and the rest of the beachfront area around San Francisco is surrounded on one side by the ocean and on the other by a very small mountain range.  It has the effect of trapping the cool moisture and funneling it up into a never ending foggy overhang that blocks out the sun most of the summer.

                You don’t realize how much you miss a hot summer day until you live in the cool darkness for several years.  Today she didn’t have to worry about how to keep warm.  It was easily going to be in the 80’s and she was excited about the prospects of what that might mean.  After throwing on her clothes and grabbing a cinnamon pop-tart she pulled her hair back and headed down the hill.  It was always easy walking anywhere from Marissa’s house the difficulty was getting back.  She lived on such a steep incline that it was like mountain climbing to forge her way home from anywhere she happened to stroll.

                She made the decision before leaving that she would not clean up her room or put away her clothes or make her bed or even put away her glass from the grape juice that she had gulped down before leaving.  She would get more than an ear full when her mother returned home that evening but she was beginning to enjoy antagonizing her into a flurry of verbal exchanges as the frustration from a lack of control was weighing her mother down.  It was not even that much of a challenge lately to get her mother worked up as she was in a constant state of an emotional rollercoaster ever since her father had moved out.