4/20/05

I was going to write today, but I decided to play around with the new layout instead.

Being back at work this week has kind of sucked, but it’s slowly getting better as I get back into the rhythm of things.

While on vacation last week, I had breakfast with my father after signing over some land I don’t need to him. We’ve had lunch occasionally with some pretty good conversations, but this one stood out. We were eating breakfast on main street in the town he grew up in. He was telling me stories about his school days and all the trouble he got into. He was the last of 5 children and said he was pretty much raised by his siblings. School bored the hell out of him, but, unlike me, he decided to get into trouble. He kept a copy of the rule book to check off which rules he’d broken. I didn’t ask for proof, but I wouldn’t put it past him. He had a hitch-hiking/city bus routine for getting to and from school every day because he hated the school busses. I asked him why he hated the busses he replied that taking the school bus too often got him into fights. That wasn’t the answer I expected at all. From there we talked about how bored at school I always was, but at least I didn’t follow the same path he did. I never saw a reason to get into trouble. Sure, I knew the rules and the punishments as well as everyone else, but I didn’t see any reason to ask for them. It accomplished nothing and I didn’t like any of the kids I knew I’d be spending time with in detention. I just wanted to keep to myself. The foster kids he is taking care of now seem to have the same problem he did and he’s glad he can understand them. He’s also glad that he knows what matters to them and by controlling that, he can keep them in line at home. They make it pretty clear what their price is. I, however, frustrated my mom in that respect. No matter what she took away from me, I found something else I could value just as much. But he said he knew my handle: self-respect/pride. From there the conversation went back to stories, but that kept me thinking all day.