Pictures! and Sorrow

We'd been cleaning out the garage and found the old pictures. Good news and bad: one box was fine, the other was almost completely destroyed by mice. I was horrified at the damage--anyone who has had that happen knows what it's like and I won't go in to detail.

Pic on left are my grandparents, fondly known as nana and papa. the picture in the frame to the right is Uncle Ronald, cousin Michael's father (with the dog, think his name was Lucky. My mother loved that dog.) This has to be an early photo, late 40s, early 50s.

So, here comes the old pictures! I decided I'm going to scan all of them and post for the family to see. That will somewhat alleviate my guilt (why do I feel guilty? I'm a nice Jewish girl from NY) about the mice. When I told Michael what happened he expressed surprised that we even had mice in California. Shows how smart he really is.

Okay, since you asked, one more. This is an awesome picture of nana and her siblings:

l to r, standing: Uncle Lou, Aunt Syl (who died before I was born), Uncle Ira; l to r, sitting: nana, Aunt Rose, Aunt Lil.

I am so heartbroken about the rest of the pictures. I did fine some incredible things though! My mother and I traveled out west when I was 9, in 1972, and we came here to Monterey. I remember being in this area, not because of Monterey itself, but because of Hearst Castle and driving down Highway 1. My mother picked up a hitchhiker, and he was cute and cool. The neat thing is we used to write postcards to Nana every day to tell her what we did the day before. The postcard we sent to her from Monterey was from what I believe is now Casa Munras. I am going to double-check the address and show it to them. Can't find it right now but oh do I have scanning to do! Just found unc ronald and aunt judy's wedding picture!!

Ewwwww.....

Methinks I saw Tom parking his car in front of Fremont Adult Store. Yuck. There's always the chance he went to the little restaurant next door, but it makes for a better story with the first scenario.

Got a scanner! this pic on left was scanned and look how awesome it is!

Kim is OUT!!!

Oh my! Turns out my roommate is a freaking alcoholic, as well as a con artist and liar according to her own mother! Sooooo much drama when I got back from Sacramento that it's kind of unbelievable. Had to cancel my trip to Indiana because I simply do not trust my roommate. Honestly, it's not that I think she'll intentionally do anything malicious, but she's such a drunk that you never know. And she brings home the mosty disgusting guys you've ever seen. One is harsh and leathery from drinking, another has the little man complex, and I think the other is gay.

We had two nights of upset: Sunday, the night I found Mia (David's daughter, 19, whom I told Kim I didn't want them hanging out because of my friendship with David and both girls' irresponsibility--Kim is 38, or 32, depending on the moment) trying to hide from me in my own house, was a huge disaster. In the middle of all this, Blanche runs out and three of us are barely able to capture the brat. This is all happening at 10:30 at night. A few days prior to that, Kim got into a car accident with Mia in the car! What a nightmare! Next night Jacob had to mediate so no one would get killed, and Kim and I ended up talking. She told me that my wine rack was a trigger for her. I told her I wish I had known that when we first met. She asked if I would have hidden the wine rack, and I told her I never would have let her move in. Then, trying to make her understand a bit where I was coming from, is the following: I told her that I knew what she was going to say and do two hours before she did or said it, that I know every excuse she will ever have...that I had been married to her. "You know how the wine is a trigger for you? Well, you are a trigger for me. I lived this for years and I do not want, deserve, nor need this in my live any more." I am still reeling from the depths of my emotions about this. I know, everything happens for a reason...blah, blah, blah.

In the course of her living with me she: had a car accident, lost her cell phone, sprained her ankle, was told by her mother it would be a long time before she got to see her daughter, was told by David that if she ever gave Mia alcohol he would call the cops, upset the hell out of me, upset the calm of my home, was in AA, was not in AA, drank, said she wouldn't drink, got a "job" registering Democrats and had her own absentee ballot returned because she didn't put a stamp on it, peed in public, is currently wearing clothes two sizes too small, told Michelle she was going to call the cops on her and that she was too negative to wear her Bob Marley t-shirt, was 86'd by Jacob (Jacob! the most lenient guy in the world, so much so he's practically horizontal). Her friend Barry told me yesterday he was very happy for me, that she was moving out. Granted, this could have been MUCH MUCH worse, so I am glad it wasn't.

Now, my job. It will be fine. A lot of computer work, Excel (thanks again Kim Cohan, man that I love), very nice people. It's hard being the new kid again.

Mike and I are hanging out a lot. I am so glad he's here during this screwy time in my life. He's been super supportive and funny and kind and everything.

My car needed surgery. $610 later...it seems to be fine now.