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Sunday, March 21, 1999
One year ago: Klown Abduction
Today was a day that was good, then bad, then good again.
Jack had coding work to do, which he finally went and started on after eating breakfast, complaining that there's nothing good on TV on Sunday mornings, reading the paper, and finishing Rocket Boys. We both think it's a good book! It's interesting to see how they simplified things for the movie, but kept the basic core of the book alive.
I reposed myself on the couch and started reading Vernor Vinge's new novel, A Deepness in the Sky. His previous book, A Fire upon the Deep, really appealed to me! Great scope and sensawunda, some cool aliens and neat concepts. He does a good job of keeping a lot of different plot threads balanced and under control. The new book is also good, though it took me a little bit to get into it. He's very cavalier about dispensing with characters violently!
Jack fixed lunch, and even brought it to me on the couch. What lazy luxury!
* * * * * * * *
All was quiet, until there was a knock on the door. (Sounds dramatic? well, that's how it turned out!) When Jack had taken his older daughter A--- down to her mother's place this weekend, she'd taken a friend with her, a girl around the same age who lives down the block. The mom was at the door to tell Jack that she'd just gotten a call from the police in Lacey. The two girls had been found in the woods with two boys and a stolen bottle of wine, and arrested!
I think Jack was astounded, worried, furious, and mortified, by turns. His daughter has been in trouble before, but nothing like this! The neighbor had the police phone number, so Jack called down there to get the details. The girls had been released to the custody of A---'s mother. He'd drive down there to get them both, since the friend's mother had her own problems to deal with this afternoon.
As soon as I heard what was up, I went and got my stuff together and got ready to go. The question was, would Jack drop me off on his way to Olympia? or should I ride along with him on the trip. I said I was glad to go, if he thought my presence was helping him, or be dropped off at home if that seemed best. He said that me being there had helped him stay calm in the past, so I decided to go with him.
The drive down was puntuated by several cellphone calls, from Jack's daughter (very upset since she knew she was in trouble), Jack's father (wanted tech support for a printer), Jack's sister (informed of the problem by Jack's father), and Jack's ex-wife. When we got to the trailer, A---- didn't want to go. Jack came back outside and gave her fifteen minutes to change her mind, and her mother told her she had to go home.
Jack kept the discussion to a minimum on the way back. What was there to say that hadn't been said many times before? A---- was self-justifying throughout. When he dropped me off at my place, I told him I thought he was doing great at keeping his temper and staying in control.
* * * * * * * *
My friend Holly (of Mark and Holly) and another local dancer, Kevin, were giving a party tonight. They'd rented the Century Ballroom for this private function, and had passed out the invitation during the previous few weeks. I was scoping out the grocery store for some snack to contribute, when I saw that cheesecake-flavored cream cheese I like so much. This isn't easy to find! So I got some for the party (good on graham crackers!) and some for my own personal consumption.
The party was good fun! Lots of dance friends were there. Many were tired, though, since they'd been in the dance workshop I'd participated in on Saturday, and had taken class today as well. I didn't stay late, though, since I knew that this week coming up would be a busy one!
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