First Forty

Still cloudy and drizzling; talk to Meggin twice; she is really depressed in Boston; need to go shopping; broccoli bits; California Indian poetry; Casey frustrated by people; the GPs are leaving him their house.

Missed math class again; Mom and Dad having another big discussion with Todd; letter from Beth finally comes!; she still wants to be friends.

I bought my ticket to the square-dance and I had gotten a brand new tux.

Had dinner with Rama and John at Fox Valley. Somehow we manage to get together every two or three years. I wonder when we’ll next meet.

Lisa has an allergic reaction so she goes to health center; contact Yuka about Yumi’s birthday; “perpetual motion” gizmo for Bob; see Michael Cowan at Avanti; haircut in Santa Clara at Traci’s; looks at suits for JET interview; dinner and TV at the Krakowskis'.

We watched some of Toby’s movie’s on Africa and we saw lots of animals I had never seen before.

More bike shops in Chicago with Grant; I still want a girlfriend; still no letter from Beth; Grant’s car quest; employee meeting with John at Cattle Company; drop by to see Grant at Pauls’; he’s impossible to deal with lately; Mom and Dad yelling at Todd; want to do more with him; Mom thinking about her travel career; could I teach and then lead tours in the summer?

Set up for Patti’s show at the library; get hair cut short; Amy, Linda, and the boys come, but Mom, Tom, Kate, and Todd do not; “dripping door” still not working properly.

Write cards; still raining; teachers a bit more lively; see girl from Africa class; Case calls with a dilemma; Meggin and Mom both call; want to be more like Whitman; program drums.

Yumi and Grace off to San Diego and Mexico; last "Bobs" show at Kuumbwa; musing over the fact that I'll be leaving the Kuumbwa soon; get a pay-raise bump from $6 to $8 an hour.

I went to school and Miss Bentz had givin us lots of work to do. I felt O.K. and I had fun playing.

Nothing happened today and I was feeling better.

Take a job in Milwaukee gutting out a building; working my tail off for $5 an hour; Dad says I’m crazy; careful painting of a high ceiling at Patti’s mother’s house comes out to even less. [rewritten 9/3/06 from very scant notes of the original entry]

Today we went to the Field Museum and saw the Indian exhibet. I also had a stomach ache.

Went skating at the Roller Palladium; run into Chel, Hiroe, Hagino, and Hiroya; Hiroya asks when we’re going to play baseball; I have to get a mitt first…

I coulden’t go to school because I had a flu. It seemed that the day would never end.

Went to class but it was the wrong day; started a letter to Dad; made an appointment to see a counselor; "career" anxiety attack; work study jobs not very promising; called Meggin; tried one of my beers and it was excellent!

Show at Randhurst; flowers for Beth; bike shops and Thai Aree with Grant; talking about Amy and Bob; listening to records at the Wheaton Library (Bugsy Malone!); the Bears win Super Bowl XX; Challenger tragedy; fix bike; still no letter (or anything) from Beth; talk to Mom and Dad.

Today I caught flu and had to stay in bed and take my medicine.

Shinya cleaning up the aftermath; we leave for the day; house smells of pine oil upon our return.