HELLO EVERYONE. I JUST GOT BACK FROM THE MALL. I WENT SCHOOL SHOPPING TODAY FOR THREE CHILDREN AND THE REASON I AM SHOUTING IS BECAUSE MY EARS HAVEN'T STOPPED RINGING FROM THE RIDICULOUS MUSIC AT EACH OF THE STORES MY KIDS LIKE TO SHOP IN. WAIT...HOLD ON...that's a little better.
Ever since I was in school myself, I hated school shopping. Every summer Mom would take us to get new clothes, and every summer Dad would be dumbstruck as to how much they cost. "$20 for a pair of dungarees?" Just typing that word made me smile as I thought of him - the only man I knew who called jeans dungarees. We'd get our new school clothes, new sneakers, and a haircut usually the day before school started. We'd get a couple of pencils, a couple of pens, a Trapper Keeper and some paper. That was it. Now - you have to mortgage the house to school shop for three kids.
Starting with school supplies - each one of my three had a full page list of what was "required" for them to bring to school. Basically it was something along the lines of 14 packs of pencils, 12 packs of pens, 17 boxes of tissues, 212 marble notebooks (not spiral anymore), 37 glue sticks, Dry-erase markers, and a partridge in a pear tree. Oh - and a U-Haul rental to get all this crap into school for the first day. Apparently not only do I have to supply MY kids with this stuff, but they put it all together as a "community" so I'm potentially buying notebooks for the kid down the road that throws rocks at my kid on the playground.
I have three kids - this year, they are going into 8th, 4th, and 1st grades. The 1st grader is Emily - she was easy. She got a TON of clothes given to her that were never worn by a girl who doesn't like "girly" clothes. Emily's school clothes shopping consisted of underwear, socks, and sneakers. Cole and Wyatt are a different story. Cole basically informed us that if we picked it out, he wasn't wearing it. Everything these two like has to have something to do with that god-awful skateboarding culture. Because of this, the majority of their shopping yesterday was done at Hot Topic, Zumiez, PacSun - all the stores that charge an extra $15 because the bag says "Hot Topic" "Zumiez" or "PacSun" on it. These are also the stores that blast the music louder than I play it in the car. Music that I think the "employees" (I won't call them workers, because all I saw was slacker looking kids sitting around looking mad that they had to actually get up and take care of us as we spent a lot of money in their store) choose from their personal collections. There was a ton of unintelligible screaming and a couple of F-bombs in the "music" we were serenaded with. That's especially nice when I have my 6 year old with me.
I understand that fitting in is important - probably because I never quite fit in with any one group when I was in school. I know that if their friends find out they got their jeans at Target, they'll get picked on. Well, it's 2010. None of us has a ton of money, so we shop where it makes the most sense. Ironically, Hot Topic had a nice sale on their jeans yesterday so they may have been the cheapest place we went. Janel had to tell me this though - I had to go out in the hallway with Emily because I didn't want her subjected to the loud, inappropriate for a public shopping setting music I was blessed with.
I actually stated yesterday that I would rather have the back of my legs shaved with a cheese grater and then squat in a bowl of alcohol than to go through that ordeal again. The boys ended up with some decent clothes, but with what we had to endure....I think I'll stay home next year.
I know many of you have kids. Share your experiences. Comment freely - let me know that others share my pain. Comments here or Facebook welcomed as always.
Monday, August 23, 2010
Tuesday, August 10, 2010
Lordy Lordy - Bill hits 40
Well, the Day of Reckoning has happened upon me - I have officially lived 40 years on this little insignificant blue and green marble known as Earth. It's been quite an interesting ride to say the least. I thought I'd go back into the WABAC machine (that's for you, Dan Jones!) and share the triumphs and tribulations, the good times and bad, the "Joy and Pain" as it were in the first 40 years.
August 10, 1970 - The #1 song in the country was (They Long To Be) Close To You by The Carpenters , Richard Nixon was the President of the United States, and in Kingston Hospital, Kingston, NY a little boy was born to James and Etta Winters. They named him William Michael. This was the beginning of a long ride.
I have always worn glasses as long as I can remember, since age 3. Because of this, whenever I see a child age 4 or under with glasses, my heart warms a little bit, because I was that kid. I was always a smart kid - too smart for my own good sometimes. I remember in 1st grade winning a big jar of jelly beans because you had to guess how many were there - I seem to remember staring at that jar for about 5 minutes before I wrote my answer down - and I was only off by 15. I was geek before geek was acceptable. The glasses only made it worse - see, in the 1970's, there were only thick black frames - and that was me!
I was always a gangly kid - skinny, with a bad haircut, and glasses that were too big for my face. I played baseball, football, and hockey as a kid, and because I was small, I had to work harder at them to be good. I did OK at all 3, but I loved hockey more than all of them. I played for my High School team - the F.D. Roosevelt Presidents. When I was a freshman, I suffered a pretty bad neck injury during practice that haunts me to this day when the weather gets damp.
My senior year, I had my first serious girlfriend. Thank you Christine. I am so happy to still consider you a great friend today. Your family is beautiful - you were my Winnie Cooper! Tell John I said Hi, then tell me how quick his middle finger goes up.
After High School, I started work immediately, thinking I'd take a summer job before going to college. I got a job working for Pawling Savings Bank, which is now through 10 name changes, TD Bank. I stayed in banking and finance for the better part of 20 years. More on that later.....
In my 20's, I had some terrible things happen. I lost my father on October 20, 1995 - and even though I was 25 at the time, I felt like a lost little kid. My Dad was the rock of our family - always driving us where we needed to go, coaching baseball teams, going to every game of every sport my brothers and I played. To this day, 15 years later, I think about him every day, and I talk to him every day. Thank you Dad for everything you did for all of us, and for teaching me how to be a Dad.
In 1996 I met who I shall refer to as Lord Voldemort - she remains nameless in this house. Emotions can be a strange thing, and timing can throw you off, and because of those two factors, Lord Voldemort and I were married in 1999. I remember distinctly hearing my brother say during pictures "This won't last 6 months." Well, he was wrong - it lasted 9. Everything about it was wrong, and everyone tried to tell me, but I was too stubborn to listen and didn't want anyone thinking they knew better than me what was right for me. Pride is a hard thing to swallow, but then again anything is hard to swallow when you take the equivalent of a kick to the groin. I was separated in 2000 and the divorce was finalized in 2001. Many of you know who Lord Voldemort is - if you don't, I won't divulge it. It's a part of my past that I regret. The only good thing about it was that it caused me a few years later to really make sure I found the right woman if I was to ever do it again. More on that in a bit.
My 30's were my reform and recovery period. I was angry, and depressed about what had happened to me so I threw myself into my work. I worked 80 hour weeks regularly for the bank, and I had good success because of it. That was my focus because up to that point, I had nothing more important to focus on. Then, I re-met Janel. Janel and I had met years before, but due to a lot of factors (mainly age difference) it was nothing that could go anywhere. Janel has always been the one who "gets" me - and I "get" her. I decided to hop back in the marriage saddle, and we got married on 05/04/03, so that it would be easy for me to remember. Janel had two sons when I met back up with her. Wyatt was 5 at the time, and Cole was just about to turn 2. They are now 13 and 9. I have had the joy and pleasure of watching these two grow up and play baseball and hockey, and I am proud of both of them. I may not be their biological father, but I would take a bullet for either one of them.
Emily was born in 2004 and she is my crown jewel. She's 6 1/2 now, and to think in 10 years, when I'm writing about turning 50, she'll be 16 1/2. I don't want her to grow up anymore - I didn't want her to grow past an infant, but I am so anxious to see what she will be. All three of these kids have my interest peaked as to what they're going to be. I hate the word "potential" because "potential" to me means "hasn't done anything yet", but the potential for all 3 of these kids to be much more successful than I am is very very strong. I just hope I can help them get there.
I got burned out of the financial industry, and I think it got burned out of me, so I went back to school in 2009 and now I am a Medical Assistant. It doesn't pay as well as managing a bank did, but I love what I do, I'm not working 80 hour weeks, and I actually feel like I'm helping people. Trust me, from being on the other side of it, when your bank says they want to help you, they only want to help you if you are viable to them in generating revenue.
As I think about wrapping this up, because in reality, this has gone all over the map and I didn't plan it going this way, there are so many friends I have made over these first 40 years, it would be impossible to list them all, but I do have to mention two by name. Jamie Robinson is the first. Jay, you have always been the guy I could talk to for 2 hours at a time about absolutely nothing and wind up laughing at everything. Nobody understands ANYTHING we say to each other - but if say "80 Penguins", you'll say "Snorting Cream Cheese" and we'll both get it immediately. You also have been instrumental in my love of music. I would never have discovered the sheer joy that is listening to Jethro Tull if it hadn't been for you. You never judge. You drink God-awful malt liquor. You are the twin brother I never had. Thank you brother. Mark Watt - you were the best man for me not once, but twice. You stand by me whenever I need it, as I do for you. We started as skate guards together at the Civic Center, and you are directly responsible for me meeting Janel the first time, and I can never thank you enough for that. You are also the twin brother I never had.
My family - thanks for sticking by me when I get stupid. Mom - thanks for everything you have done. You are the best - and it isn't even a close race. Judy, Tony, Rob, Jenny, Betty, Neal, Amanda, Lauren, Jim, Jo, Megan, Rob, Lisa, Katie (who I can't wait to meet!), Sandy, Seth, Adam, and Andrew - I love you all, and if it wasn't for you, this 40 years would have been unbearable.
All of you who follow this blog, thank you for sharing an interest in my ramblings. I would have shut this down a long time ago if I thought nobody cared what I had to say, but I appreciate every one of your opinions, and I consider each friend I have to be a cherished possession. Through 40 years, I have made quite a few, and I'm happy to say I've kept most of them. The Grateful Dead once sang the line "What a long, strange trip it's been." I can't wait to see where it leads.
See you around....
Bill
August 10, 1970 - The #1 song in the country was (They Long To Be) Close To You by The Carpenters , Richard Nixon was the President of the United States, and in Kingston Hospital, Kingston, NY a little boy was born to James and Etta Winters. They named him William Michael. This was the beginning of a long ride.
I have always worn glasses as long as I can remember, since age 3. Because of this, whenever I see a child age 4 or under with glasses, my heart warms a little bit, because I was that kid. I was always a smart kid - too smart for my own good sometimes. I remember in 1st grade winning a big jar of jelly beans because you had to guess how many were there - I seem to remember staring at that jar for about 5 minutes before I wrote my answer down - and I was only off by 15. I was geek before geek was acceptable. The glasses only made it worse - see, in the 1970's, there were only thick black frames - and that was me!
I was always a gangly kid - skinny, with a bad haircut, and glasses that were too big for my face. I played baseball, football, and hockey as a kid, and because I was small, I had to work harder at them to be good. I did OK at all 3, but I loved hockey more than all of them. I played for my High School team - the F.D. Roosevelt Presidents. When I was a freshman, I suffered a pretty bad neck injury during practice that haunts me to this day when the weather gets damp.
My senior year, I had my first serious girlfriend. Thank you Christine. I am so happy to still consider you a great friend today. Your family is beautiful - you were my Winnie Cooper! Tell John I said Hi, then tell me how quick his middle finger goes up.
After High School, I started work immediately, thinking I'd take a summer job before going to college. I got a job working for Pawling Savings Bank, which is now through 10 name changes, TD Bank. I stayed in banking and finance for the better part of 20 years. More on that later.....
In my 20's, I had some terrible things happen. I lost my father on October 20, 1995 - and even though I was 25 at the time, I felt like a lost little kid. My Dad was the rock of our family - always driving us where we needed to go, coaching baseball teams, going to every game of every sport my brothers and I played. To this day, 15 years later, I think about him every day, and I talk to him every day. Thank you Dad for everything you did for all of us, and for teaching me how to be a Dad.
In 1996 I met who I shall refer to as Lord Voldemort - she remains nameless in this house. Emotions can be a strange thing, and timing can throw you off, and because of those two factors, Lord Voldemort and I were married in 1999. I remember distinctly hearing my brother say during pictures "This won't last 6 months." Well, he was wrong - it lasted 9. Everything about it was wrong, and everyone tried to tell me, but I was too stubborn to listen and didn't want anyone thinking they knew better than me what was right for me. Pride is a hard thing to swallow, but then again anything is hard to swallow when you take the equivalent of a kick to the groin. I was separated in 2000 and the divorce was finalized in 2001. Many of you know who Lord Voldemort is - if you don't, I won't divulge it. It's a part of my past that I regret. The only good thing about it was that it caused me a few years later to really make sure I found the right woman if I was to ever do it again. More on that in a bit.
My 30's were my reform and recovery period. I was angry, and depressed about what had happened to me so I threw myself into my work. I worked 80 hour weeks regularly for the bank, and I had good success because of it. That was my focus because up to that point, I had nothing more important to focus on. Then, I re-met Janel. Janel and I had met years before, but due to a lot of factors (mainly age difference) it was nothing that could go anywhere. Janel has always been the one who "gets" me - and I "get" her. I decided to hop back in the marriage saddle, and we got married on 05/04/03, so that it would be easy for me to remember. Janel had two sons when I met back up with her. Wyatt was 5 at the time, and Cole was just about to turn 2. They are now 13 and 9. I have had the joy and pleasure of watching these two grow up and play baseball and hockey, and I am proud of both of them. I may not be their biological father, but I would take a bullet for either one of them.
Emily was born in 2004 and she is my crown jewel. She's 6 1/2 now, and to think in 10 years, when I'm writing about turning 50, she'll be 16 1/2. I don't want her to grow up anymore - I didn't want her to grow past an infant, but I am so anxious to see what she will be. All three of these kids have my interest peaked as to what they're going to be. I hate the word "potential" because "potential" to me means "hasn't done anything yet", but the potential for all 3 of these kids to be much more successful than I am is very very strong. I just hope I can help them get there.
I got burned out of the financial industry, and I think it got burned out of me, so I went back to school in 2009 and now I am a Medical Assistant. It doesn't pay as well as managing a bank did, but I love what I do, I'm not working 80 hour weeks, and I actually feel like I'm helping people. Trust me, from being on the other side of it, when your bank says they want to help you, they only want to help you if you are viable to them in generating revenue.
As I think about wrapping this up, because in reality, this has gone all over the map and I didn't plan it going this way, there are so many friends I have made over these first 40 years, it would be impossible to list them all, but I do have to mention two by name. Jamie Robinson is the first. Jay, you have always been the guy I could talk to for 2 hours at a time about absolutely nothing and wind up laughing at everything. Nobody understands ANYTHING we say to each other - but if say "80 Penguins", you'll say "Snorting Cream Cheese" and we'll both get it immediately. You also have been instrumental in my love of music. I would never have discovered the sheer joy that is listening to Jethro Tull if it hadn't been for you. You never judge. You drink God-awful malt liquor. You are the twin brother I never had. Thank you brother. Mark Watt - you were the best man for me not once, but twice. You stand by me whenever I need it, as I do for you. We started as skate guards together at the Civic Center, and you are directly responsible for me meeting Janel the first time, and I can never thank you enough for that. You are also the twin brother I never had.
My family - thanks for sticking by me when I get stupid. Mom - thanks for everything you have done. You are the best - and it isn't even a close race. Judy, Tony, Rob, Jenny, Betty, Neal, Amanda, Lauren, Jim, Jo, Megan, Rob, Lisa, Katie (who I can't wait to meet!), Sandy, Seth, Adam, and Andrew - I love you all, and if it wasn't for you, this 40 years would have been unbearable.
All of you who follow this blog, thank you for sharing an interest in my ramblings. I would have shut this down a long time ago if I thought nobody cared what I had to say, but I appreciate every one of your opinions, and I consider each friend I have to be a cherished possession. Through 40 years, I have made quite a few, and I'm happy to say I've kept most of them. The Grateful Dead once sang the line "What a long, strange trip it's been." I can't wait to see where it leads.
See you around....
Bill
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