Monday, June 6, 2011

Where does that road go? Chapter 1

Who in their right mind ups and moves to a small town, sight unseen because in their mind it looks like "Pepperland" from Sgt Peppers Lonely Heart Club? I guess this person right here does and did.

From the time I can remember my Moms favorite catch phrase was, "I wonder where that road goes?" The memories are still fresh and vivid of being 6 years old and my Mom being sure she could make it from Bell, CA to Downey, CA during the commercial break of a movie on TV to grab some Sees Candy and make it back in time. She was so close too until the police pulled her over for speeding. The officer couldn't stop laughing when she told him why she was speeding in the first place. She did make it home with her candy and just a warning. Being awakened at 3am to drive to San Diego for breakfast or to Ventura for a burger. My grandmother always kept a toothbrush and a change of underwear in her purse just in case the road took a turn while heading to the grocery store. You just never knew where that road may go.

I became deathly ill on the day I graduated from 3rd grade. Viral hepititis, scarlet fever, dilantin poisioning, kidney and liver failure topped it off. I had a fever of over 106 degrees and the doctors told my Mom to start planning my funeral. My Great Grandmother came to see me and left quite soon telling my Mom that she could not be there to help bury me. I spent months in the hospital and missed a year of school, lost all of my hair and never was able to regain my straight A student status. I guess that was a turn in the road that was almost a dead end, but my Mom never left my side. Once I healed we were on the road again.

So many of us refuse to be like our parents when we are younger. It's funny how as you grow older, and a bit wiser, that you realize you have become like them. I guess I too had to find out where that road went, my road.

Chapter 2 You can take the girl outta L.A., but you can't take the L.A. outta the girl

I was not at all happy to hear that I would start 9th grade in Anaheim, CA. The O.C. In fact I was down right pissed. I was one of the lucky ones. I was born and raised in California, L.A. County to be exact. Summers spent with my cousins that lived over off Pico. My Aunt that lived off of Melrose right off the strip and now we are moving?? No, not a happy camper. I had grew up with the same friends since 2nd grade, I would never make any new friends! I guess it was time to find out where the first off ramp of my road was going to take me.

We moved to Anaheim, CA during my 8th grade year. My Mom still worked in "the ol' neighborhood" so I was lucky and was able to finish out that year of school, not to mention hang out the entire summer there instead of at the new place. I think it was Labor Day weekend. I know it was the weekend before I had to start at the new school. We were at my Mom's friends house in Sylmar, CA and I found one, yes one lady finger firecracker. So I did what any bored kid would do and I lit it. Now for those of you that do not know this little fact about the city streets in Sylmar, they are not level. I know this fact now, had I known it then perhaps I would have done things differently or not at all. So, I take said single firecracker (which will only give me one loud POP) and sit it upright and light the fuse. Doing so made it tip over and roll towards me. I turn to run, like it would have caused injury if I had of just stood there right? And when I take a step to run, my left foot decided to stay put. The sound of my left ankle braking was much louder than the little pop that firecracker made. Great, new school in a new city with people I do not know and I have a broken ankle. The doctors said it was too swollen to put a cast on it and that was all I needed to hear. I started my 9th grade year with a broken ankle that I walked on cause I wasn't going to look like a dork on the first day of school. I look back and realize we all looked like dorks on the first day of school.

I started out in college prep classes when I hit high school the following year. Hung out with the "good kids" and studied every night. That lasted all of the first semester. I found the kids that smoked and the drama class was more fun to hang out with than the "good kids". I never got into drugs but could toss 'em back on the weekends. I would spend my weekends on The Strip in Hollywood and going to The Roxy, The Trubador, Gazzari's and The Wiskey. I was chased out of a club by Niki Sixx for screaming the Crue sucked one evening only to meet Randy Rhodes the next and had no idea who he was and why he would not leave me alone. Damn, he liked to talk a lot. So when I went to my school counselor and told him I did not want college prep classes and felt I would be better educated if I was changed to remedial classes and he did it. Well, screw the man!!! He didn't catch this major error in my life so let it ride! Lets see what road this will take me down.

Saturday, June 4, 2011

A brand new me!

Before Facebook finished sucking all of the life out of me, I remembered I had blogger. I will be transfering some of my recent chapters that my daughter likes to call my manifestos. Hopefully those that I truly care about and that inspire me to be better and do better will follow my rants and writings on this venue. Much more to follow in the upcoming days, but for now I gotta head back to FB and start hitting delete!