Corn MazeIf you are losing a tug-of-war with a tiger, give him the rope before he gets to your arm. You can always buy a new rope. Sunday, October 1, 2000
I see that three years ago, I also used a design with the right hand dominant. I've done a few of these, but it takes extra effort to fade out the left-hand side, and sometimes I can't remember how to do it. I'm sorry to say goodbye to that picture of me from last month -- it's one I like! The font in the October banner is one I received in return for subscribing to a newsletter from Efuse.com. It's supposed to resemble the Harry Potter covers, and I guess it does. Efuse does have some useful articles, and not all of them are centered on NetObjects Cold Fusion.
Jack cooked us a good breakfast this morning, going through some tribulation to do it! The first batch of bacon got a bit too dark, because he was multitasking between a few too many tasks. Then the smoke detector started going off (it's too sensitive by half; nothing was burning!). Then he burned his fingers when grabbing the spatula from me, and his arm was splattered by hot grease. I'm sure he was glad to just sit down and eat! A---- did the cleanup, to earn money; she was out of cigarettes. Our plan for the afternoon was to drive down to Mount Vernon, to the corn maze there. Jack, H--- and I had enjoyed our visit to such a maze last year. I'd take my car, so that H--- and I could head south from there and I'd take her to the train. A---- said she wanted to go, though it didn't seem to me this would be a fun expedition for her. No one wanted to say, "Don't come!" She's part of the family, after all. The signs didn't look good, though. She was agitated and angry because Jack wouldn't buy her any cigarettes. I thought about suggesting that she should ride with me, but didn't say anything.
We drove off, me following Jack's red Blazer. Apparently things were already getting heated -- Jack pulled over within a few blocks, ready to tell A---- to get out of the car. He didn't force the issue, though. I was soon behind them on the highway, since I drive just a few miles above the speed limit, and Jack drives faster than that. The trip took about twenty minutes or so; the exit was clear and the maze was right by the exit. But I saw Jack's car pull into the gas station there instead. I followed and parked. A---- was standing on the pavement, very upset. "I hate you! You treat me like a prisoner! Why won't you just get me some fucking cigarettes!" But Jack and his younger daughter H--- were inside the convenience store. A----- had apparently been keeping this up for the whole drive down! Jack really wished he'd stuck to his guns and left her in Bellingham. A---- proceeded to approach people at the gas pumps and ask them to buy her cigarettes, with no success. (It would be illegal around here.) I think she'd have done better if she just tried bumming smokes from them. One man started talking about how Jesus wouldn't let him break the law. We drove across the road to the corn maze. It was quite a set up! Last year's maze (not the same management as this one) had been a rural fall festival sort of deal. This was like a theme park! The main area was a softball field, with local businesses advertising on the fence. I saw signs pointing to the picnic ground and volleyball court. A---- was standing by the Blazer. I found Jack and H---- sitting at a picnic table, trying to decide what to do. The added factor: Jack realized that he'd left his beeper at home, and it was his weekend to act as on-call tech support at his job! (The company makes all tech-types take a turn at this. Is this a normal corporate practice?) When it became evident that A---- wasn't going to sit in the car and listen to music as she'd said she would (instead she couldn't stop herself from coming over to the table and continuing her tantrum), Jack decided to abort the trip. H---- was disappointed, but certainly we both understood. I was worried, seeing them drive away. The thought of the two of them locked together, with no way to get away from each other, was bone-chilling!
So H--- and I got in my car and slip-slid across the grass and mud parking lot. So much for my shiny car! We talked about the situation as we drove south. A---- wants to come home; that's a good thing. But if she isn't ready to make the changes that she needs to, it's probably not going to work out. In the meantime, we had plenty of time before the train now. I opted to stop at Northgate Mall when we reached Seattle. We wandered through several stores. I bought a bunch of Yankee Candle votives, and let H---- pick out as many as she wanted, my treat. They have a tempting fill-your-own sampler pack. H--- finally found something she wanted to spend her money on: a ring, at Claire's Accessories. I bought myself some hair thingies, of course. I was able to get H--- to the train, no problem. I teased her about falling asleep on the train on Friday, and predicted that the Amtrak workers would point her out as the one they had to kick off the train.
I called Jack to let him know that H--- was safely on her way home. He was really down. Long silences between a few words. A---- had continued screaming at him and berating him all the way to Bellingham, had come into the house and started destroying things (like an anime book he'd bought the day before), then taken off. Things can't continue like this for long!
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