8:36am phone call

(looooong post warning)

i get a call at work yesterday morning

it's my son

he's crying

he's crying almost uncontrollably - deep and heavy sobs

he's telling me that no matter how hard he tries that he keeps ending up being late for school and that he's been late almost every day in the last three weeks and he's going to get kicked out of his class because they have a school rule that when you have 15 lates you are suspended from the class

he says that no matter what he does he just can't get there on time. he just can't get any assignments done. that he can't seem to do anything.

he's with his mother this week - so he's at the house

i told him i would come straight over

i went to the office manager and told her i was leaving for a family emergency. and that we were going to have to revisit start times because my son was going to be kicked out of school for lates. that they could fire me if they didn't like it, but that the 8am wasn't working. that we had to figure out something. that my kids had to come first. i said i didn't need anything final right now, but that we would talk about it when i got back. she agreed.

on the way home i called the school principal and told him i would calling him later to talk about son's attendance. lates, and classes. he was able to pull it up immediately on the computer and advised me that son only had 13 lates (really more, but the teacher must have been kind). i explained the situation and the state son was in. some of the causes and some of the stresses son is under at his mother's place. he already knew some of it from previous conversations i have had with him and others at the school. i told him that we would need to figure out how to deal with the situation. he said that he knew i would get son to school as soon as i could, and that they would help in any way possible. and that they would handle son with kid gloves because of the state he was in.

i arrived at the house at 8:49am. daughter was leaving for school (out the back gate into the schoolyard). she told me he had been just sitting on his bed crying for over an hour.

i went into the house and down to his room.

i felt like an intruder. the unwelcome screamed at me. my child was in the basement and he needed me.

i wondered what would happen if his mother came home. i wondered what her reaction would be... what her freak-out would be... what i would say. i felt fear.

i went down.

he was in his room. the room used to be my office. its about 9 ft by 12 ft. off in the corner of the unfinished part of the basement (4 level split). off the laundry/utility room and storage area.

i don't like what they've done. she painted the walls a burgundy red. she pulled up the carpet and there is just black painted concrete on the floor. his mattress and boxspring is sitting on the floor (small area rug under it) with no bedframe. he has his stereo (he bought it himself with money he earned telephone canvassing during the election - about $550 he was so proud [when he went to buy it he had just enough money for the unit - he forgot about taxes... he was so dejected. i paid the taxes]). he has a wooden open shelf and he recently put a piece of smooth top particle board on top of a cardboard box to make a coffee table sort of thing. there is one window. it is not a good room. i know. i spent a lot of time in it.

with no lights on, the grey cloudy morning sky, the red walls and painted black concrete floor (with its cracks), no baseboards or trim - it looks like the kind of place a drug addict would live (contrast this with the 2 times she's remodeled and refurnished daughter's room).

or someone down and out

i should know

i've been there

he was wrapped in his blanket sitting in the middle of the bed crying miserable choking quiet sobs. i took of my outdoor coat and sat down next to him on the bed back against the wall. i reached out and pulled him to me. i held his head on my shoulder and stroked his hair and face. his hair was sweaty hot/cold. he was fully dressed and ready to go to school.

after holding him for awhile and letting him cry and calm down i asked him what was up.

he told me that he had missed the bus a bunch of times and had arrived to school late. that he tried really hard but kept missing it. that he would then walk to school (1.3 miles [thanks google]). he hustles, but he got there about 5 minutes late each day.

that he keeps having these assignments mount up. we've discussed this before. it's a french math class and the teacher is one of those homework assignment a day people. that assignment a day - math - which he does not excel at - math in french... - including calculus and stuff - that assignment a day just killed son. he saw a new failure stack up every day. a new rock in the pack every day. the pile of undone and the weight of the accumulated drove him down.

he says he can't sleep.

that he can't do anything. he's so tired all the time. he's so tired he has no motivation to do anything. that he wants to do stuff SO BAD. but he just can't get it together. so he just lies down. but he can't sleep. and when he does sleep that he can't wake up. that he can't get moving. that he pushes himself with everything he's got in the morning because he knows he has to go, but just can't keep it together to get there in time. he wants to drop that first class. he tells me that he has no friends. that his friends don't call him back anymore. that he has no real interest in anything at school. that while his classes are OK there is nothing that excites him like his multi-media classes from other semesters - even his computer science is pure programming - learning formula calculation and such - visual basic (a language that sucks, to be sure).

he doesn't know what to do

he dies a little before my eyes each time he says

"i'm so tired"

i hold him. i stroke his hair.

i'm still afraid of what might happen if his mother showed up. sometimes she does if she's out to one of her company's offices that's in our area. she'll use the bathroom at home on the way.

i resolve myself to give her a blast from hell. to tell her to call the police if she has a problem.

i tell son that he has three options.

he can die

he can continue to spiral downward in the same path he's on

or he can change

i tell him that in his current state he probably has no idea of what change to effect to make the changes. that i don't want to tell him what to do, but that i will offer some ideas on things to do.

that i want him to come to my gym with me to work out because we need to fix his sleep and his physical state. that i'll pay his membership fees at the gym - that we can see if daughter can somehow get in too (minimum age at gym) so we can all go together.

that sleep is the most important. that he needs to consider staying with me for the next 3 weeks straight (normally would be me/her/me) so that he can have refuge and sleep - that always being ready to battle or defend or even avoid is exhausting. and that he needs to be able to just sleep (remember - she has woken him up to bag at him just like she did with me).

i will change his diet. fat and carbs contribute to depression and lack of motivation - that while he eats healthily at my place he will need to eat healthily at his mother's instead of the prepared foods. that if i have to i will provide him with meals he can prepare himself and eat. eat better.

that we'll get him to talk to a school counsellor - that i already called the school and have them begin the preparation of a new course plan that will still get him his multi-media and french baccalaureate (first 2 years of a 3 year tech school multi-media course done in high school [free] - 15K tuition each year in tech school). that we can see about dropping the class first thing in the morning.

that if he wants to go out with some friends i will fund it. that if he wants to make some new friends i will fund outings. that if he wants to take art or something (he says he wants to take ninjitsu) to look forward to - i will fund it.

i told him he needed to go to counselling and that no matter what his mom said he was going to go - that we would find one that would take him without both parents' signature. that we would shop around until we found one that fit him. that he wanted to see.

we talked for a bit, and i told him that he needed to get his shit together so he could go to school. and that we would solve things once we were there.

we went over. he got there in time for a 20 minute break they have in the morning at 10:30 - so it wasn't straight into a class. i stopped by the office and talked to the vice-principal who had been briefed by the principal. we arranged for son to see the school counsellor - who is both a teacher and a registered counsellor (Masters in Psychology). I authorised son dropping his class if it was determined that would be best. I asked that they discuss an academic plan for son - but gently - to help him get his other assignments in.

i told him son is depressed. explained more details of the situation. discussed the pressure cooker that is life with his mother - in addition to the stress of the separation/divorce. asked if he had ever been depressed (said no - but that his wife was social worker and he had a good idea of what it does to people). explained the personal health and exercise program i was undertaking with son.

that they build a plan for him to accomplish what he wants to do. you see, because there are limited amount of french immersion classes and some are only taught in some semesters, he needs to be careful with his scheduling. add to that the multi-media courses - again only offered in certain semesters - and you have a scheduling nightmare. to me at least. they assured me they would make it work - and work with son's limitations and issues - especially his issues around deadlines - he doesn't meet them well. does great work - knows his work - knows his curriculum - can explain it all verbally (i've been pushing for a modified curriculum for him for years - with verbal exams and such) - lousy with deadlines (sound familiar...?).

i left to return to the office.

and survived the day.

in the afternoon i called our workplace's family assistance unit and asked for referrals and if it would pay for the counselling. he said no - not without both signatures (this is the same guy i dealt with for my counselling). he said he would double check on son - because he is 16. he still gave me names of counsellors that might apply for both children.

i called them and asked for call backs.

i called son after school and told him that i wanted him to come to the gym with me that night. i set him up with a guest membership (1 week trial).

i went and signed up at a special clinic in town where you can get counselling for free (not a lot of people know about it) - but they only have one counsellor. but i thought that even if i couldn't afford the other counsellors - at least i'd have one option... my mom (actually both my mom and dad) have gone to see this counsellor - it's a co-op clinic that has some special designations and funding (set up/founded by my parents [and others] in the '60s during our big fight and doctor's strike over establishing full medicare)

as i left i called Smitten to make arrangements for the evening. as we were talking son called to confirm that we would go at 5:30 instead of 7.

i was telling her that i didn't think we would get together that evening because i was pretty wrapped up in family issues and that they would be on my mind and she had said she didn't want to have to grind through that. she said - no - she only meant the weekend as a hiatus.

we agreed to get together later for supper. then i got the brainstorm that i would write up a consent letter for each of the kids and tell them that it was their job to bully their mother into signing it. because they would win. she would fight me to the end, but not them.

and that's what i did.

picked son up for our work-out and went for just over an hour

gave the letters of consent to son after the work-out

he told me that his mother had arrived home minutes before i came to pick him up. she had given him grief about going out with me to exercise - told him that he never spent any time with her or shared his life with her - but then told him he was overweight and could use some exercise. he told her about the consequences of the day - dropped class, changes to future scheduling, wanting/needing to see a counsellor, having anxiety attacks - and she asked him that if he was having anxiety attacks why wasn't he seeing a counsellor? he said that arrangements had been made - she was pretty snotty about it being me making the arrangements. he then left.

anyway - he went inside

i went to see Smitten

we went for dinner

when we got back to her place i essentially collapsed

i was exhausted

the day had taken everything i had

i'm picking the kids up in about 20 minutes

"The Image of Men in Pornography: Man-as-Raging-Beast"

I would like to share with you an article I just found:

The Image of Men in Pornography: Man-as-Raging-Beast//The Uncelebrated Beauty of Men's Sexuality. A Reality-Check

It is by Shere Hite, author of "The Hite Reports".

good quotes:

"What about the other sexual states that men experience which are not seen in porno? Are men as singularly mechanical and aggressive 'by nature' as they are depicted? Society has tried to insist that a real man should 'get hard' at will, whenever 'appropriate', meaning in a private situation with a reproductively-aged female, but it is impossible to will an erection into being. In truth, the penis is a delicate part of the male being, one that responds with exquisite sensitivity to every nuance of emotion a man can feel. Erections come and go in men, during sex and during sleep. Most men report that it is desire they seek, not the mechanical means of orgasm or creating erection. Desire and arousal are the pleasures that spread through the body; orgasm, after all, can be attained alone during masturbation."

"most men do not allow themselves to explore the various feelings they wish to express during sex with a partner, especially a female partner, but instead try to follow as 'perfectly' as possible, the reproductive scenario depicted in most pornography. Our sexual acts have been channeled into too limited a form of expression; sex could be more interesting if it was not always focused on one scenario: 'foreplay' followed by 'penetration', the high point being 'fucking', coitus or 'the act'."

I disagree with an implied fact in one statement:

"How do men feel about how they are depicted as treating women in pornography and about the violence to women shown in most pornography? Most men feel perplexed, and wonder why this can excite them. Although pornography frequently denigrates women - showing women beaten, black and blue, and so on -- and liking it - it also denigrates men, cheapening and brutalizing their sensibilities, destroying their possibility of personal sexual discovery, implanting clichés such as 'a real man is the one with the biggest, hardest erection', and so on, blocking their power to express themselves with others."

While pornography does frequently denigrate women, there is an implication of physical violence and beating in the sentence above that is not entirely accurate. The emotional violence, and the power imbalance violence in pornography is entirely there, but i do not believe that physical violence depictions are that common. If the line were: "even to the extent of showing women beaten, black and blue, and so on" I would be happier.

Otherwise, and in intent, it is a brilliantly written paragraph.

Thought you might be interested in the article.

difference

had a bit of a difference with Smitten last week

She has asked for space. Not from me, but space from my stbx. Space from my kids' issues. Space from the chaos.

To not discuss stbx or any effects she may have on me now. The turmoil surrounding the kids. The crap.

I was a little put out.

She told me when we started dating that she would tell me if it ever became too much.

She did.

She told me she didn't want to spend time together at my place. That it was no longer a place of comfort or refuge for her. That it was disquieting and jangled her.

This came after she asked me to spend more time with her. That she was finding our week on/week off situation to be hard for her on the week off (when we each have kids) - that she wanted to find a way to inject some more time together in that week as well.

I was pretty angry.

I have neglected my exercise to spend more time with her (and to be there for my kids when they needed me).

I have neglected my housekeeping. When we first started dating we didn't often get together until after we had eaten. She had other events and activities going on in her life - I had time to clean and do dishes. She recently made a comment to me that she didn't want to just come and watch me do dishes at my place - I gave up doing housework when she was around.

When I have the kids they eat up a huge portion of my time - just talking and guiding and helping them filter their lives.

I have a very demanding job that demands a lot of overtime right now.

My job standing has been damaged by my attention and involvement with my kids.

I am often too tired to clean-up or do dishes and things. I make most of my kids meals as well.

I am bugged that trying to attend to other people's emotional well being has resulted in my apartment looking like a war zone, my girlfriend not wanting to spend time in said apartment, and me feeling like being there for people just ends up with me getting the short end of the stick

of my neglecting myself suddenly becoming an issue

i'm bugged that the issues have come to the fore because i don't have enough time for myself and then she asks for a bigger piece of me

----

anyway

it's a little settled right now - it was a good weekend except for one bit

i understand the need to stop

i was exhibiting co-dependent style behaviour

stbx's antics caused the kids to get in a flap, the kids are already in a flap - and i just got sucked right into the swirl - didn't even really need to have contact with the stbx to have her reach out and touch me

i just ate it up

i started engaging fully in the bullshit. it was pretty much all i talked about - with smitten - my kids' stuff...

i recognised it myself and resented the intrusion of my kids onto MY life. that's part of the reason i didn't go apeshit to have them stay at my place. let them fucking learn how it all works out when they want to rely on their mother - saw how that worked out now, hey?

but i can imagine being around me was like being in an endless conversation with the stbx

if i could demand stbx let things go when we were still together (which she didn't)

if i could ask stbx to just stop talking about it

then i could let things go (never ask what you are unwilling to give)

just stop talking about it

for awhile

even if Smitten's request did stick in my craw more than a bit

concert

my friend B - the one who Daughter talked to in the last post - her band was playing last night

it was a three band line-up of weird artsy bands - two local, one touring

B plays in an experimental techno/ambient band

anyway - daughter wanted to go. it was ostensibly an all ages gig. it was at a local club - an actual club - members sign-in and all. there are different liquor laws here for private member clubs than for regular liquor licenses. the most notable is that in private clubs - which are often cultural (German, Austrian, Romanian, Ukrainian [2 of them], Caribbean, etc) - retail liquor can be sold in the presence of minors accompanied by parents. it can also happen in restaurants with food purchases, but not lounges - or straight beverage rooms. blah, blah, blah

this venue is a "cultural club" that is an "arts and culture" club (not ethnic) that is dedicated to bringing in live music and experimental arts performances.

bottom line - daughter legally got to go to the bar (with me) at age 12...

and see live bands

and dance in a club on a dance floor (such as there is there - it's a big room in an old converted warehouse)

you know - the artsy/college-lots-of-women-dancing-by-themselves-all-artsy-like scene

many a white dude with dreadlocks, many a peasant skirt and torn jeans worn over leggings, and big bangley jewelry and scarves and such

a lot of people taking trips outside and coming back in smelling a little "odd"

surprise - we ran into the guy that niece M (mentioned in last post and others) used to live with. who just got back from Hawaii from travelling with niece M and the others... he's a white guy with dreadlocks, um, mellow dude so he was pleased to see us and friendly. he didn't have any issues from the break-up.

i knew a lot of the young people there. i was surprised. but i guess i do hang out with that sort of crowd on the periphery - having been inside of it (no dreads, though) when i was younger, and still knowing and being involved with artsy/lefty/granola crunching types now.

i've never fit completely well into the crowd - i was a little too red meat eating, and a little too realistic and goal oriented (and not snottily pretentious) for those folks (in my time [and now])- and these young people.

also, some of them used to work for me (or were in teams led/directed by me), or for my peer group before the election - some others who weren't in government still work for friends of mine

daughter was pleased as punch. felt right at home. drank her Dr. Pepper. stayed close, but talked to all the people who came by to say hi. i think many were surprised to see me there, and i think just came over to check out why i was there - they seemed genuinely happy to see me - but still curious

friend B was thrilled we came to visit - met her dad there as well

daughter said as we were on our way there "you know - this is the first band, or concert like this i will have ever been to see" - not quite true, but she was 4 or 5 years old for the last one...

she was buzzed

it's where she wants to be

the culture she wants to be a part of

she has said before, and said it again last night

that she wants to leave behind the "goody-two-shoes" pleaser personality that she adopted to curry favour with her mother, aunt, grandmother, and teachers

she says she feels she hid her true self

we'll see whom this young woman is and becomes

daughter's dinner engagement...

Daughter(12) has told me she is bi-sexual. She's been saying this for some time (openly to me for over a year). I thought I had mentioned it before on the blog, but word search on bi-sexual only turned up the hot-tub sally stories...

so - daughter is bi-sexual.

she hasn't mentioned this to her extremely homophobic mother. she's hinted, but not said it. her mother spazzed even when daughter hinted that someone in the family might be bi-sexual or homosexual.

daughter has told lots of other people, but not her mother's family - or rather her mother's generation of that family. she has told her cousins.

daughter has been dealing with this. she has told her friends in school and is pretty open about it. most of the kids in her grade are fine with it, including her friends whom she has sleepovers with and such. she is only attracted to one girl in her class - and then only physically

i have tried to be supportive and sensitive

daughter says she has known for sure for the last 2-3 years that she is attracted to women. i have known since she was less than 2 years old - i have seen her interest in women's bodies and in sexuality since that age - call it intuition, but i just knew. i didn't put full voice to my thoughts to anyone over the years. i told the stbx (when daughter was around 2 years old) that i thought that daughter had a profound interest in women's bodies. the stbx agreed and then took the step (unnecessary in my opinion) to hide her body from her daughter... much like she did when son was about the same age.

for the record - my mom, whom i consider a little prudish, didn't really start covering up until we were teenagers (in perspective - not that prudish). i have never seen much value in false modesty. proper decorum in sexuality - absolutely - but being all uptight about parts or somebody seeing something... is not where my head is at.

----

anyway, daughter (gr 6) encountered a girl in her school who is about a year and a bit older than her (2 grades) whom she "likes". she has been hanging out with her even if they haven't gone any further than that.

some of the grade 8 kids (the grade of the friend) have been hassling them calling them "lovers" and such. the other girl has an openly stated bi-sexual preference as well.

daughter didn't know how to handle the harassment

in this i am of limited assistance from my experience set

so i called my friend B (~26 yrs old), a lesbian, whom I had been intending to set daughter up with for some time to talk to, and asked her if she could talk to daughter about this. i told B that i wanted someone whom i could morally trust to talk to daughter. B was blown away that i would do this as a parent. i guess i didn't think it was that big a deal. but i was never gay. so maybe.

i gave daughter $40.00 and they went out for dinner last night. B picked her up at 5pm and they went to an afghan place in town that i had recently taken the kids to, but B had not been to yet. i am told they had a wide ranging discussion and daughter was pleased when she came home. she did not report out their discussion - a couple of stories and snippets - and i didn't ask.

B offered to be available as a resource and a friend to daughter. i was happy she did that. it's a lifeline - daughter won't feel so alone.

i hope this helps daughter cope with her burgeoning sexuality. daughter still plans on having kids, so i should still end up a grandparent on both sides :-)

----

interesting other tidbits to the story:

• B used to live with J. J worked in my office. B and J were the lesbians i have mentioned in the past that the stbx accused me of having an affair with (both at the same time)


• B is in a band, works for our biggest local music festival organization, wears very funky fashions, and also plays the double bass (classical). daughter has said she wants to play double bass for a couple of years now. B offered to give her a free set of intro lessons (among other things B teaches at the conservatory).


• B is a vegan (as much as she can be here in the middle of cattle country - she's not freaky about her veganism) - we have traded many recipes


• B actually dates guys sometimes. i didn't know. she just prefers women because she finds most guys dufuses [dufi?] (Smitten actually agreed with that description of most guys)


• B is good friends with my oldest niece (the artist one who gave me the, um, organics a couple of years back) - i just searched for links on the blog and discovered i missed some important updates about my relationship with my niece (stbx's sister's daughter)

B thinks daughter should tell her mother about daughter being bi-sexual. B thinks daughter should do it for herself - in order to claim her own identity. while i consider the intent valid - i have concerns about her mother's response (surprise!)

i agree daughter needs to be true to herself - she just needs to have thought through the consequences and be prepared for them ahead of time.

----

anyway

bi-sexual 12 year old daughter with adolescent sexuality issues - talking about boys and about girls in the same sentence

there isn't much of a handbook on this one - for me anyway

i admit to still having a few (negative) tickles in my head around gay male issues - but i'm a product of my age, i guess.

i want grandkids, but daughter always wanted kids (and son) so i wasn't worried - i figured daughter would find a way no matter how anything worked out. so... if i get grandkids - my needs are met (at least i'm up front with my selfishness). i'm fine with another woman being daughter's life partner and co-parent if that's what works out.

i'm completely OK with the whole lesbian and bi-sexual thing. i actually agree that women's bodies are way more interesting and attractive than guys

in fact i've never really figured out why women are attracted to men - but that's another day's discussion

but i still never really thought this one through

never modeled it in my head - so it seems a little strange and a little weird as i go through it as a parent

inside game

why did I leave the kids there for the remainder of the week?

after the inspection of the house and ascertaining how much food was present. after leaving the time bombs of the contacts with the stbx's mother and the messages on brother-in-law's cell phone. after deciding how much imminent danger they were really in, especially with me being 3 blocks away and in essentially instant contact. after deciding whether i felt they would deal with an extreme emergency well enough (eg: fire).

i had to decide what i wanted out of this. what would be the best outcome? for me - and for the kids.

would it actually harm the kids to be on their own barring things like a fire?

it would not

but what it would do is underline the irresponsibility of their mother's actions. it would make them feel anxious and abandoned by their mother. i would be there whenever they called, so they would not be alone or feel abandoned by me. my mom also called (independently of my interaction) and offered help if they needed it.

also - remember - they requested to be on their own as well - so they were feeling unsupported by their mother when things started to go sideways. i was there the moment they called. the kids would/will/do interpret my actions as supportive and caring.

it may be irresponsible of me in the short term to have left them there alone - i considered vetoing, but chose not to. i believe that the larger good can be found in getting my children away from their mother on a long term basis. they will have to agree to this - both morally and by law. i cannot force it unless she is neglectful in the extreme.

they would end a week of uncertainty with their arrival at my place - warm, comfortable (a little cramped), and fed. they would open the fridge and there would be food.

and the atmosphere would be soothing and comforting.

this is a long game

daughter had to learn what a whack-job her mother is by exposure for the year - and now she is calling things the way she sees them.

the kids had to understand what and whom they could count on

they had to learn that while their mother told them to call her every day that they were away on vacation with me, that she didn't call even once while they were alone (yes - i underlined that).

as for child protective services - Chris is there - he is 18. the stbx is within a legal safe zone. yes - i checked with the head of child protection services for the province (known to me through politics).

i do not know whether i played into her manipulative games.

i let her make choices. i let the children make choices. i let them go until they reached their inevitable conclusion. i documented. i interpreted events for my children in the light that i felt they should be interpreted. i involved her family by bringing her irresponsibility to light.

i have not delivered the letter to her. she is still gone and will be until the 19th. i am following Smitten's advice on sending it only through the lawyer.

every time i rush in and fix one of her mistakes it only covers for her. it's like cleaning up an alcoholic when they pass out. by rushing in and rescuing i would be enabling further disfunction.

it has to reach crisis level before the kids will react and make their choices

the stbx is close to the edge right now - this incident will be substantial in destabilising her further. i am rather cruelly allowing her disfunction to continue and grow in order to achieve my ends. i have patched things over for too long. by simply allowing her to fail, and by illustrating those failures publicly to her universe of people she will crack

at some point the children will be fed up and will choose to leave.

i suspect that this incident and the legal moves i am making on the property front will be about all she can take. the children believe she in close to a breakdown. i trust their observations.

history has already shown that nothing will change until a crisis precipitates it

letter to the stbx (draft 1)

April 11, 2008

[Stbx] F. [stbx],

You recently left on a trip to Hawaii (Saturday, April 5, 2008). I am pleased that you have had the opportunity to travel, hope that you enjoy your travel, and wish to offer my support and assistance for any future travel.

I have some concerns with how things were handled.

Those concerns:

We exercise joint custody of our children.

You were leaving [ourcity] for a two-week period. One of those weeks the children would have normally been with you and one of those weeks they would have spent with me.

1) You did not advise me that you were planning to leave, and that the children would be alone for a week, until the Wednesday prior to your departure (Saturday). This is inadequate notice and joint planning. In the future please advise me earlier of such instances.

You only mentioned that you were going on a trip during a telephone call I made to you with regard to arrangements I was making with you about [Son] and [Daughter] traveling with me to the U.S. to see Barack Obama and Hillary Clinton speak.

I am not asking for details of your travel plans or life activity, I am however, asking for reasonable advance notice of times when I may be required to provide additional support to and for our children – like a week in which you are not there as a in an emergency, to supervise, provide guidance, or drive them to lessons and such.

In no way should my comments be interpreted as admonishment on travel – far from it. I want you to travel. I want you to be able to do the things that you felt you were limited from doing while we were married.

You should just let me know a little earlier if I’m going to need to cover supervision or support activities. If I had chosen to go out of town in that period the kids would have been on their own. Even though [Son] is 16 years old, I am not comfortable with his ability to handle extraordinary situations without guidance. Chris, who is 18, and who lives at your house, is not, in my opinion, suitably mature or capable of appropriate supervision or emergency situation handling.

In our call (Wednesday) you raised a number of concerns you had. I needed to be elsewhere at the time of the call and did not have the time to discuss issues more fully. You should have called me earlier, or sent me a letter if you are uncomfortable with dealing with me in person or in conversation.

You talked to me about the fact that you were uncomfortable with leaving the children on their own for a week. That they had convinced you that they wanted to try being on their own. That you felt they would likely need extra supervision. That you were concerned that they might throw a party while you were away. That you wanted me to try to ensure there were no parties at the house. You gave me no definitional parameters to accompany any of your concerns or requests.

I have no problem with allowing the kids to try out spending time on their own as you and they advised me they wanted to do. There was inadequate time to discuss issues in that call on Wednesday night. We should have had a longer exchange of ideas on how to deal with that week the children would be on their own. In the future, please either call me or send me a letter/note.

2) You did not leave enough food in the house to, in my opinion, adequately cover meals and lunches during your week. You did not leave money to cover additional needs. This is inadequate.

I was very distressed to receive a call from the kids the afternoon of Tuesday, April 8, 2008 telling me they thought they might run out of food, and asking if they could have $30.00 to go buy more food. They told me that you had said you would leave $50.00 for them, but that it had not been left. After some thought I advised them to contact you for guidance. I told them that I would not leave them in the lurch for food, but that they needed to contact you, as it was your domicile and your week.

3) You did not leave them with contact numbers or contact information on how to reach you in Hawaii. This is improper and inadequate. Do not do this again. In the future leave proper contact information for the children on how to reach you when you are leaving them alone.

The children only had [brother-in-law]’s cell phone number as a contact. They tried calling the number 3 times and then left a message at my direction. As of Friday, April 11, 2008 that message had not been returned. Did you have any proof/information that [brother-in-law]’s cell phone would roam/track him to locations in Hawaii?

Leaving the children without adequate means to contact you is improper and inappropriate. You should have left a list of hotels and contact numbers.

In the future leave proper contact information for the children on how to reach you when you are leaving them alone, or explicitly advise me (and the children) that I have full custody and supervision for that week, like when we go on holidays. I am uncomfortable with the partial supervision and responsibility scenario. There should have been a full hand-off, and an explicit arrangement for the week.

Further to the food issue (this write-up is partially chronological/narrative):

I advised them to call their Grandmother as well. She advised them that she would bring them food if needed, but not any for Chris – as “he has his own money to buy his own food”. I concur with her on the matter of Chris’ food.

I went to the house to see how much food was left. I entered the house for a period of about 5 minutes to check the fridge, fridge freezer, lazy susan/corner cupboard, pantry cupboard, and downstairs freezer. The children did not invite me in, I told them I was coming in. I wanted to make sure that they were not just trying to score extra pizza and such from me.

I provided some food for [Son]’s lunches and gave instructions on how they should stretch the food available at the house.

4) You did not leave them with instructions on how to handle emergencies that may have arisen. If there were a plumbing or furnace problem what would have been their action set? There was no instruction set, or plumbers to call, or even instructions to call your mother to deal with any situation.

Their response was that they would call me. I am uncomfortable with this. While I still own half the house and would have dealt with any crisis, in the past you have explicitly advised me not to enter your house. You changed the locks.

I was uncomfortable with entering to check the food on this occasion, and felt uncomfortable with any other potential situation regarding the house. In the future please leave explicit instructions with the children, or with me on how such situations are to be handled.

Addendum:

You even left your car unlocked with CDs and the broken computer inside it. I gave the children instructions to lock the vehicle. I would have had them put the crook lock on it as well, but did not know where the key was for it to be sure that you could unlock the crook lock.

Future Handling:

I remain committed to the idea of joint custody, but in the future I expect better handling of such situations and of joint custody and management of the children and their interests. In this letter I have outlined my concerns and my feelings and desires about how some of these issues should dealt with.

To date I have tried to make my feelings and intent known through verbal contact. This is now a notice in writing. I look forward to working together in the future to address the best interests of our children.

[Cadbury]

----

response

Thank you for your trust in me to allow me to view this. It is very comprehensive and the details thought out. I can only imagine your anger and frustration and possible numbness while writing this.

I have commented in blue - (very direct comments I should add). I know it probably reads choppy, but I have taken over an hour to read (close to 2 actually), to think about and respond. As always, I will not be offended if you disagree with my comments and I hope you will not take them defensively:

-----Original Message-----
From: [Cadbury]
Sent: Friday, April 11, 2008 12:00 PM
To: [Smitten]
Subject: your thoughts?

i am delivering this in a letter to the house, and sending it through my

lawyer to her lawyer

Your blog friends suggested that you do not engage her. By sending it to her house first, she will be engaged and will phone you directly – do you want this?

what have i missed?

(first draft)

----

April 11, 2008

[stbx] F. [stbx],

Why the capital F.? And did she ever take your last name as a hyphen?

You recently left on a trip to Hawaii (Saturday, April 5, 2008). I am pleased that you have had the opportunity to travel, hope that you enjoy your travel, and wish to offer my support and assistance for any future travel.

I don't agree with the sugar sweet of "I am pleased that you have had the opportunity to travel, hope that you enjoy your travel". I understand why you write it, but in light of her horrifying behaviour, I suggest just the acknowledgement sentence of “I hope that you enjoyed your vacation, and wish to again offer accommodations for any child care responsibility in any future travel”. My wording sucks, but I hope you get what I mean. And also a sentence about how you would hope she would in turn extend the same accommodations in childcare arrangements for you.

I have some concerns with how things were handled.

Those concerns:

We exercise joint custody of our (the) children.

Given that you do not want to engage her nor personalize your current relationship, I would suggest to use “the” children instead of “our” – yes I know that it is improper and depersonalizes them, but in light of the relationship I would think it is okay.

You were leaving [ourcity] for a two-week period. One of those weeks the children would have normally been with you and one of those weeks they would have spent with me.

1) You did not advise me that you were planning to leave, and that the children would be alone for a week, until the Wednesday prior to your departure (Saturday). This is inadequate notice and joint planning. In the future please advise me earlier of such instances.

Suggest a specific time frame that you think is appropriate - 2 weeks or 1 month?

You only mentioned that you were going on a trip during a telephone call I made to you with regard to arrangements I was making with you about [Son] and [Daughter] traveling with me to the U.S. to see Barack Obama and Hillary Clinton speak.

I am not asking for details of your travel plans or life activity, I am however, asking for reasonable advance notice of times when I may be required to provide additional support to and for our (the)children – like a week in which you are not there as a in an emergency, to supervise, provide guidance, or drive them to lessons and such.

I would suggest again to use “the” children instead of “our”.

In no way should my comments be interpreted as admonishment on travel – far from it. I want you to travel. I want you to be able to do the things that you felt you were limited from doing while we were married.

First line is great – but the next lines give her power and a reason to bitch about and berate you for not meeting HER needs while you were married. She had opportunity to travel while she was with you – but it was her choice and behaviours that did not make it happen.

You should just let me know a little earlier if I’m going to need to cover supervision or support activities. Already been stated, and it sounds like you are pleading. There is no need to go into detail again. She is not a child (even though she acts like it) who has to have the message repeated in a softer way

If I had chosen to go out of town in that period the kids would have been on their own. Excellent comment and would be a good back up example of why you need advance notice of vacations

Even though [Son] is 16 years old, I am not comfortable with his ability to handle extraordinary (emergency) situations without guidance.

Yes

Chris, who is 18, and who lives at your house, is not, in my opinion, suitably mature or capable of appropriate supervision or emergency situation handling.

Yes, but restate that he is only a tenant and not an adult in charge (as well as your other well stated statements of him). In fact I would really hope that she did not even think of him as someone who could handle any emergencies - the fact that he is living there is irrelevant to any childcare arrangements she should have made. Appropriate arrangements would be to have grama and grandpa come over every second day and check in.

In our call (Wednesday) you raised a number of concerns you had. I needed to be elsewhere at the time of the call and did not have the time to discuss issues more fully.

Another good example of why you need to know of her vacation time in advance

You should have called me earlier, or sent me a letter if you are uncomfortable with dealing with me in person or in conversation.

This is giving her ammunition – this letter is not about whether she feels comfortable around you or not. It is about childcare responsibilities. Acknowledging her ‘fraidy cat’ game and manipulation will give her power and deflects from the immediate issue. Do not stray. Also – are you just guessing that she did not want to see you in person or did she say it? This also ties in with her need to suck you in by talking about her worries about the kids.

I would suggest that you really decide how you are going to deal with her – are you going to just correspond through writing or through the lawyer or are you going to continue to verbally talk with her? Because the inconsistencies of what you have told me that you want to do (only communicate through paper) versus what you are actually doing (talking with her on the phone and in person) seem to me to be causing some problems and stress for you. She is using that inconsistency to her advantage (eg: being a fraidy cat in your presence).

You talked to me about the fact that you were uncomfortable with leaving the children on their own for a week. That they had convinced you that they wanted to try being on their own. That you felt they would likely need extra supervision. That you were concerned that they might throw a party while you were away. That you wanted me to try to ensure there were no parties at the house. You gave me no definitional parameters to accompany any of your concerns or requests.

Defending her house and property are not your responsibility. Well, I guess partially as it is still your house. But in reference to my above comment, what role do you want to play in her life? The issue at hand is child care, not house care.

I can guarantee that if the situation was reversed and you were concerned about a house party that would either have supervision from your family or would just not go on the trip.

I have no problem with allowing the kids to try out spending time on their own as you and they advised me they wanted to do. There was inadequate time to discuss issues in that call on Wednesday night. We should have had a longer exchange of ideas on how to deal with that week the children would be on their own. In the future, please either call me or send me a letter/note.

Already been stated. And by saying that “We should have had a longer exchange of ideas on how to deal with” I read it as you are inviting her to have LONG conversations with you and that you really WANT to speak with her. (I understand that if indeed a conversation about childcare happened between you two that you would stick to the topic and would only speak about relevant topics – but she will take the opportunity to wander just to continue conversation with you. Do you want this?

2) You did not leave enough food in the house to, in my opinion, adequately cover meals and lunches during your week. You did not leave money to cover additional needs. This is inadequate.

I was very distressed to receive a call from the kids the afternoon of Tuesday, April 8, 2008 telling me they thought they might run out of food, and asking if they could have $30.00 to go buy more food. They told me that you had said you would leave $50.00 for them, but that it had not been left. After some thought I advised them to contact you for guidance. I told them that I would not leave them in the lurch for food, but that they needed to contact you, as it was your domicile and your week.

In this section, add the paragraph about you entering the house, and of [Son]’s lunches. Oh and could you give a quote from them that gives you justifiable cause about their starvation as a reason to enter her house?. Especially any quote that would make her look bad and caused for immediate parental reaction from you.

3) You did not leave them with contact numbers or contact information on how to reach you in Hawaii. This is improper and inadequate. Do not do this again. In the future leave proper contact information for the children on how to reach you when you are leaving them alone.

The children only had [brother-in-law]’s cell phone number as a contact. They tried calling the number 3 times and then left a message at my direction. As of Friday, April 11, 2008 that message had not been returned. Did you have any proof/information that [brother-in-law]’s cell phone would roam/track him to locations in Hawaii?

Leaving the children without adequate means to contact you is improper and inappropriate. You should have left a list of hotels and contact numbers.

In the future leave proper contact information for the children on how to reach you when you are leaving them alone, or explicitly advise me (and the children) that I have full custody and supervision for that week, like when we go on holidays.

Who is “we”?

I am uncomfortable with the partial supervision and responsibility scenario. Did you tell her this initially?

There should have been a full hand-off (elaborate a bit on what you mean by hand off), and an explicit arrangement for the week.

Yes.

Further to the food issue (this write-up is partially chronological/narrative):

I advised them to call their Grandmother as well. She advised them that she would bring them food if needed,

if needed? I thought she actually brought stuff. Anyways, talk about that you felt comfortable with this arrangement and did not think that you had to further intervene. Maybe also that the kids were so concerned that they phoned your mom?

but not any for Chris – as “he has his own money to buy his own food”. I concur with her on the matter of Chris’ food.

I went to the house to see how much food was left. I entered the house for a period of about 5 minutes to check the fridge, fridge freezer, lazy susan/corner cupboard, pantry cupboard, and downstairs freezer. The children did not invite me in,

Almost sounds like you barged in – can you soften this? Also to give you back up, state that the children accompanied you through the house.

I told them I was coming in. I wanted to make sure that they were not just trying to score extra pizza and such from me. yes

I provided some food for [Son]’s lunches and gave instructions on how they should stretch the food available at the house.

4) You did not leave them with instructions on how to handle emergencies that may have arisen. If there were a plumbing or furnace problem what would have been their action set? There was no instruction set, or plumbers to call, or even instructions to call your mother to deal with any situation.

Their response was that they would call me. I am uncomfortable with this. While I still own half the house and would have dealt with any crisis, in the past you have explicitly advised me not to enter your house. You changed the locks.

This statement could be a potential conflict with you making the decision to enter the house anyways. Can it be taken out or reworded? Is it necessary?

I was uncomfortable with entering (your house) to check the food on this occasion, and felt uncomfortable with any other potential situation regarding the house. Maybe this is a good place to add in a quote from the kids as to their desperation and that there was no one else for them to contact? In the future please leave explicit instructions with the children, or with me on how such situations are to be handled. I know this is just a draft, but the sentence sounds like it is giving her future permission to NOT leave them well prepared when she leaves. In a few paragraphs above you have listed some expectations for her. In fact, an actual detailed list might be a good idea to include. One that you will also adhere to when you go on vacation.

Also, to reiterate, what role do you want to play in her life.

Addendum:

You even left your car unlocked with CDs and the broken computer inside it. I gave the children instructions to lock the vehicle. I would have had them put the crook lock on it as well, but did not know where the key was for it to be sure that you could unlock the crook lock.

I can read your frustration in this sentence. Remember that her stuff is NOT your problem. She is NOT your responsibility. If her stuff gets trashed it is her fault.

And, even though this is a draft, it almost sounds like you were snooping. Either omit or say that [Daughter] noticed it. Think about the goal of the letter.

Future Handling:

I remain committed to the idea of joint custody,

Do you really? Only say this if you truly feel it. Otherwise say some concerns about continuing with joint in light of her increasingly bizarre and inappropriate behaviours.

but in the future I expect better handling of such situations and of joint custody and management of the children and their interests. In this letter I have outlined my concerns and my feelings and desires about how some of these issues should dealt with.

To date I have tried (there is no such thing as try. You did). to make my feelings and intent known through verbal contact. you have also expressed in writing (eg the suicide warning letter). This is now a notice in writing. Perhaps say that this is the second letter of inappropriate parenting behaviours. I look forward to working together in the future to address the best interests of our children this sounds too friendly – reflect your feelings of outrage and annoyance and disappointment –or whatever. Write about expectations of behaviour.

[Cadbury]

update on food shortage

i thought about things, i discussed them with Smitten.

the outcome: went to the house. looked in the fridge and freezers. son's estimate of the food supply was correct.

i told the kids i wouldn't let them starve. i did tell them that their first order of business is to contact their mother and get her to solve the problem. son called brother-in-law's cell phone and left a message after being unable to reach them twice (so much for being available in the event of emergency).

i also told them to call their grandmother and talk to her about the situation - might as well toss responsibility back into that family and make the stbx suffer for a little while that way - he mom will make her feel stupid and incompetent for this one... they called her and she said she would bring food for them if they needed it, but none for Chris (the guy/friend staying there) - she said he can buy his own food.

I told the kids that Chris could spend a little less money on his cell phone and pot and maybe he would have enough food.

I was really upset by all this - i suspect you can tell from my last post. This is entirely beyond the pale. the stbx's actions are totally irresponsible. i'm really, really, really upset.

my mom happened to call over to the house to talk to daughter about some sewing she had done for daughter and got the word as well. my mom called me - she was close to tears (voice choking on the phone). i've only seen tears a very few times in all my years from my mom - deaths and funerals - and maybe 2-3 times outside of that. the thing that upset her the most was that Son was worrying about trying to find food for his friend. she thought that Son has so much other shit piling on him - yet he feels responsible for his friend - who is 18, and son is only 16 - why should he have to "parent" someone older than him? she told son that she would feed him, but that Chris could take care of himself.

i told my mom that Son got the rescue gene legitimately from me and from her...

----

the whole event left me distracted

it really ruined my evening with Smitten. so many things are coming up in my life that take away from us spending time just being with each other and enjoying each other's presence and our connection as a couple.

i told her that i was astounded that the stbx could be reaching into our lives more and more - that i thought i had insulated my self a little from her - but the stbx is reaching out through new channels to just fuck up the equilibrium - now, mostly through the kids and her messed up behaviour with them

Smitten said "Chaos knows no boundaries and no limits"

----

[took the blog public again - might have to go private again at some point, but the imminent potential danger has subsided. to my Halifax and University of Illinois readers - post or send me email, ok? you read so very regularly but do not comment (i think) and i felt bad about going private and not sending an invite]

OH MY GOD - FUCKING STUPID BITCH

so she leaves for her vacation to Hawaii

Son calls me just now and says that they are running out of food at the house because there isn't much there.

he says that the stbx didn't leave any money in case there was an issue, and that she didn't leave any emergency contact numbers or any instructions as to what to do in the event of calamity

he says she said she would leave $50.00, but none was left

just the brother-in-law's cell phone - that Son can't reach them on - and maybe boyfriend bob's cell - they think

they have no contact number in Hawaii, they have no address or locations they are staying or any way to track them down except for these cell phone numbers - fucking irresponsible bitch fucking asshole!!!!!!!

----

so the kids want me to give them money for food

fuck

i need to think this through

my initial instinct is to rescue, but i just don't know what to do right now

i'm thinking that i would not give any money, only food - if i did

i'm thinking that they should be responsible for calling their mother and getting her direction - in fact i just phoned and told them it is their responsibility to get a hold of their mother

i told them i would not leave them starve, but that their mother needed to find a way out of this instead of me riding to the rescue immediately

i also don't trust Chris - the other young guy who lives there not to have taken the money while we were away

fuck

A letter to my sister

your father is driving me insane

i don't know what to do with him

i think i'm going to have to call a contact time out of some kind

at work my phone's call display doesn't work right now

i don't have a call display phone at home

he calls me all the time

3 or 4 times a day - on a good day - and that's just the calls to me at work

he calls a couple of times an evening as well - sometimes more

for the most inane shit you can imagine

he is so completely self-centred it is ridiculous

everything is about him

we just went to the US to see Obama and Clinton - by the end the kids were saying things like "Grandpa needs to be the hero of the hour every hour" and "Everything is always about him" and "He has to be the centre of attention or he gets pissy and miffed".

and they've known and humoured him for their whole lives. they're pretty gentle about/with him.

and then he yells or gets snappy if they do anything even a little outside his zone - unless i'm around - then i can see him holding back - because he knows i'll take a strip off him

(at christmas time he threatened to punch out [Son]. i had quite a confrontation with him where we traded threats of physical violence. he apologised the next day)

he will change the subject of any conversation to be about him or his life or his family history - failing that, about some historical subject of interest to him - like the development of railways in north america... (and Canada in particular)

i brought him to the legislature last night

we are filibustering some rule changes, and having some introductions breaks things up a little for the person on the floor speaking. trying to think of Dad's need to be in on the action, i suggested he come down and be introduced. i asked him if he had a bio kicking around that we could use.

he wrote something up in a hurry - and that was good of him.

but the reason i did it was to just give him a little thrill that he was taking a small part of kicking the other guys. well, what a production...

he actually asked me "What should I wear?" as though this was more than a night sitting of the house during a filibuster. i told him "I'm wearing jeans and a sweater - that would be fine". he then came down to the office, but wanted to have a discussion about which of the members would be the best to deliver the introduction.

Oh My God

what a bonehead

this was after the weekend in Grand Forks. We went to some hospitality suites at the Democratic-NPL convention. Dad actually told me he'd sent an email to his contact asking what to wear. It's not like he hasn't been going to these since he was a kid some 70 years ago - but had to make it more of a production.

he has to discuss the ass off of every detail of everything - sometimes going over the same ground several times - and always about him and his role and what he should be doing or how to handle something or whatever the hell

when i talked to my friend here - his Dad is 90something - he said that its old guy stuff

that they are trying to assure themselves that they still have a place in the world

in our father's situation it is worse, i think, because of that politician's ego. he so desperately needs adulation and attention. he won't even do any give and take. he won't even pretend to pay attention to what other people are saying. he would turn away and ignore the kids in the middle of what they were talking to him about - if it wasn't about him. he would interrupt in the middle of things i was saying - after he had the floor for an extended period (like a half hour or more straight) and say things like "Do you want me to finish that bit of family history I was telling you about? How John and Katerina took the wagon from North Dakota to the homestead location?"

I had literally gotten 2 or 3 sentences out of my mouth. It was even on his topics of provincial history and homesteading and early farm life - except i was talking about the nature of settlement around where Mom's family lived and was about to ask him to tell me if that matched his area - thus giving him yet another chance to talk about himself and his family - he's an old guy, so i gave him his time to tell his stories and do his thing - but even that wasn't good enough - i couldn't even pitch him a softball in under 30 seconds that moved the topic away from him

jesus

anyway

sorry to spew in your direction but, i'm ready to lose it

and he just needs more and more - it's never enough

too tired to post a narrative yet

that's him on the jumbotron

and 17,000 of his closest friends

some people - they do road trips for concerts

me

and my kids...

their first road trip is to see Obama
(and Hillary).

i may need to take the blog private for awhile

some shit has arisen that makes having anything hanging out in the wind iffy (current work/politics) - i will probably go public again in awhile - but our foes will be cruising

we just burned the other guys hard - i don't want to be exposed

----

i will be sending invites and taking it private - if i don't have your email address please let me know

interview this morning

went OK

a little more stilted than i would have liked

but ok

i can at times get overenthusiastic - especially when describing grand plans for the universe - so i was a little longwinded and overdetailed on some answers

especially on subjects i am passionate about

called my buddy who is on the board, who first headhunted me

will get some informal feedback soon

will post later...

Hoping she has a nice trip, and all that...

So I was talking to the stbx yesterday. I had called her to read out the letter of travel permission that I need to have to take my kids across the border into the US.

I had put her contact numbers into the letter in case the border folks wanted to call her. She advised me that she was going to be out of town. I corrected her and said "I thought you weren't leaving until Saturday, we'll be crossing the border on Friday." I knew this already - she hadn't bothered to let me know, but the kids had told me.

She's going to Hawaii for 2 weeks with Boyfriend Bob, her sister and the brother-in-law (he of dogs, hunting, rye whisky, guns, and trucks).

She then asked me to watch out for the kids next week (her week) while she was away - first time she ever even mentioned it to me. 3 days from leaving.

how's that for responsible joint parenting?

asshat

anyway, i said i would keep an eye on them - they want a week of freedom. Son is 16, and the other guy (son's friend [18 years old] who is still living there - see this post, and this post for a couple of quick back references) would be adequate supervisors for a week, and I would be a moment away (3 blocks). the stbx gave me some shit about not wanting them to stay at the house and preferring they be with me... (if it was an issue why wouldn't she have called?)

anyway - her blah, blah

i listen and then say "By the way - I want you know that I really hope you have a good trip. I hope it's a really good time. I hope you really enjoy it."

She gave me some fuzzy response about having some new priorities in life and new horizons and looking at the world in a different way. That she was going to walk on beaches and volcanoes and sit under palm trees.

I went out to a birthday dinner for Smitten's niece (36) and to my friend's art show opening.

When I got back to my place the kids told me that their Mom had told them I only said that I hoped she would have a good trip to hurt her, and that telling her to have a good trip was hurtful because i had ruined her life...

The kids told her she was full of shit and had a tangle with her.

One of her points, one more time, is that i had an affair before we split.

They said it was otherwise mostly incoherent.

They were pretty rattled by the whole experience. I guess she bounced around every mood and accusation about all three of us that you can imagine. lovey huggy one moment, yelling the next.. She was apparently quite wild-eyed.

They said the reason she spazzed out was because their mom didn't actually want to go to Hawaii and was upset and had been trying to get out of it for some time, but was pressured into going by the others on the trip.

They also told me that she is "cheating" on Bob with another guy - Rick - who works with her. They don't think she's sleeping with him yet, but they are expecting Bob to get the heave ho real soon now.

They tell me that their mother is quite pleased that Rick has even more money than Bob.

I don't know quite what to make of all this.

For the record, I really do want her to have a good trip. I am pleased she is finally taking a trip somewhere (i didn't say that to her - only the kids - and they didn't say that part to her). I really do just want her to be happy - i thought this might make her happy.

But her being happy always has been a lost cause, now hasn't it?

I read a couple of blog entries out loud to the kids. I told them it was from my journal. They are aware that I blog, but believe (like their mother) that it is part of a larger "marriage and relationship" website (because i lied and said exactly that... well, it's not actually a lie if you take those definitions and interpretations a little generally and fuzzily... that's what we in politics call "telling the truth with extreme care" [the actual phrase is: i haven't heard a whole lot of politicians lie. they just tell very carefully constructed truths]. it's the truth presented from a certain perspective, language subset, and observational standpoint...)

anyway - i read them out loud with real names inserted in for pseudonyms. they were some of the older posts that showed their mother at her most erratic. at her most confused and most contradictory - contradicting herself from one hour to the next.

after i had read a few i went and sat by them and asked them what the point of me reading them out was.

my son said "To show that this is business as usual for her. That she's doing the same shit she always has."

Exactly

We talked for a few minutes of how tiring it all was, and how it left all of us so completely emotionally drained.

Then we went to bed.

The Trail (interlude)

Real soon my kids and I will be getting in my vehicle while it is still dark out, go pick up my Dad, and set out on a full day's travel to the U.S.

I've taken the time off work, bought health/travel insurance (we don't need any inside Canada - medicare is fully transportable), made sure my auto package policy (additional $2M liability, etc) is up to date (we get basic insurance with our plates [$750 deductible, $750,000 liability - no really big lawsuits because the health system pays for any medical or rehab] - most people just go with basic plate coverage).

We're going to see Barack Obama speak.

Yeah

A day in my life to hear a politician speak. One that isn't even Canadian. A day of my kids' lives. My Dad? Well - he's retired and his soul was lost to the oblivion of politics so very long ago. So it's not like he has any misgivings about this trip... It's actually going to be two days because we're staying overnight and driving back the next day.

I was up for it in less than half a second.

My kids were up for it in about the same length of time.

At least the three of us think we need to get a life.

Dad... he's still Dad.

Barack Obama is the most exciting speaker I have heard in decades. Perhaps my whole life. He's not a socialist like me, but he brings the hope that maybe some of the more unfortunate elements of U.S. political culture can be overcome. I didn't know much about him until I watched his Martin Luther King Day Speech on Youtube" (37 minutes - take the time to watch the whole thing at once).

I wept as I listened.

I've heard a lot of speeches and I'm pretty jaded about them.

I wept as I listened to this one.

Usually I pick apart speeches and presentations in the kind of snotty/insider way that art critics look at art and discuss it. I have written speeches and have delivered speeches that make others weep. But not me. I am inside. I am an inside player. I know the tricks. I know the techniques.

I wept as I listened to this one.

I sent the link to my Dad. He had always been supporting Hillary. He called me back. I said "Wasn't that amazing? ...It made me cry." He said "It can't help but move you. It can't help but make a person cry." I realised that his voice was choked with emotion.

In his life he's given more speeches on the stump, in Parliament, in the legislature than I've even seen. He's written and watched more than that. And his father before him...

And we both choked up.

Listening to this "black guy with a funny name", as one right wing talk radio guy called him.

I had to go.

----

I watched this video: Yes We Can - Barack Obama Music Video

And this one. The words that speak? So many of them. How about: "we are the ones we've been waiting for"

----

I talked to one of my co-workers about Obama and my reaction to that speech. He said "No matter how jaded and cynical you are, at some level you have to believe... or you couldn't do this job. That belief is what carries you through the shit. And this guy is the real thing. He's saying what he believes. And he's really good at saying it."

----

We had put together all the arrangements to go when we discovered that Hillary Clinton has been booked to speak a couple of hours later.

The double bill. (not that Bill - I've already seen Bill speak, by the way. And Al Gore)

Yeah, for a political junkie, this is pretty much as good as it gets.

(The kids get to take the day off school without absence because the schools have confirmed they consider this an educational event)

----

I will apologise if my unabashed emotion rubs anyone wrong - especially if you are a Hillary supporter.

I can only speak to how I feel.

I figured Hillary was the deal for years now. I was proud and happy to look forward to seeing her win the nomination and the Presidency.

And then I saw that speech.

Sorry

Hope trumps

I've never seen anyone quite like him

Because, you see, I believe that hope and dreams are real

I believe that hopes and dreams are deliverables

I think that sometimes words are enough

If he is a half-assed capable President - and i believe he will be more than that - and he can stir people's hearts

give young people a reason to buy into the system

make people who think that there is no way out of what we've dug ourselves into as a whole western society and culture

if he just delivers belief

that's enough for me

because i just can't live on cynicism and realpolitik anymore

The Trail (Part 2)

Son (yesterday), on the way to pick up daughter from the charter bus (she was returning from her ethnic dance festival) - I had said that I didn't think things had gone quite as well as I had hoped for... we had supper over at Smitten's with her and her two kids. Made fresh rolls (Vietnamese fresh rolls - rice wraps, noodles, shrimp/vegetation, other stuff)...

Son: "Actually, from my perspective... and maybe its just me... but I thought it went pretty well. Everyone in my life - with maybe the exception of you... and [Smitten] and stuff - are insane. Emo or insane - or both... my friends, and mom, and stuff... So it was kind of nice to have just a normal supper. With no freak-outs, or weird shit, or warnings and feelings of impending doom... So, no, i dunno, maybe you felt something different - but i thought it was pretty good. i liked it."

----

I picked son up late friday night from his friend's house. He was exhausted. But he couldn't sleep. We stayed up awhile and talked and just hung out.

i could tell he was really on the edge. not edgy - but on the edge. edge of collapse and ability to cope. he still denies anything is taking a toll on him - though his denials are getting more feeble.

i just stayed with him. he played his game. i surfed the net and yakked here and there - some serious topics, some not - did some dishes - made sure he had some nutritious and healthy food. drank water. he slowly wound down enough that he agreed to go to bed something around 12:30am

----

saturday i woke him up at 2 in the afternoon. i let him numb his mind on his current favourite game - grand theft auto: vice city (on the PS/2 I talked about awhile back). he doesn't need anyone shitting on him for being slack. why? what the hell else did he have to do? maybe a little homework, but otherwise all he needed to do was sleep and feel safe and secure.

after an hour or two a made him get up and shower. took him out for supper. we went to an indian place. cost a little more than i wanted, but he likes indian and i wanted to see some colour in his face.

he's so pale. his skin is white, white, white. sickness white. ghostly white.

his complexion is pretty bad too.

after eating - i ordered it between medium and hot - the blood was flowing and he was pretty happy. we toodled off to the movie store and got a couple of movies.

my whole intent was to just make him feel safe and secure in an undemanding environment.

he was happy - i was bugging him about how much he ate and the look of slightly satisfied pain he had from having eaten a bit too much. he had quite the sheepish grin - much like a little kid when you've bundled them into a bed after they complained they didn't want to go to bed, but they were tired.

we watched the movies, made our comments about them, and just hung. around 1:00am we went to bed.

i found out the next day that he had not been able to go to sleep. he tried. he wanted to go to sleep. but his body wouldn't let him. he described not being able to find any comfortable position. having prickly skin. having muscles that demanded to be moved. a heart that began racing.

i told him he was having an anxiety attack. he said "no - not like that. i'm not explaining it right. i was getting angry. like when [boyfriend] Bob lost it on me. i was at the edge of throwing everything away. of just 'poning him. of just busting loose and breaking things and hitting people"

i said that while he was angry - it was still essentially the same kind of emotional event as an anxiety attack, and had the same kind of root causes

that i would see about getting him some relaxation therapy classes to help deal with it - not that it would do much, but it might take the edge off sometimes

----

i talked to son on friday night about what he had told me about his sister thinking that maybe she'd be moving in with me full time (read last post).

i talked to him more about why it would be better for him to move in with me than with his friends.

i talked a bit about the logistics of such a move and about some of the changes and choices that would have to occur if we were all in the same domicile all the time.

when presented with some ideas around his mother's reaction to both her kids leaving and how to potentially deal with that all (if it came to pass), he said "yeah - and i'd wanted to try and repair my relationship with her..."

he talked about maybe staying with her to try to help her through her meltdown if daughter left. i asked her how he thought that would work out. asked him how he thought he might do - given that i had tried to fix his mom for 20 years (20 years, one week and one day [as of today]). asked him if he believed that his strengths and abilities in that area would succeed any better than mine.

asked him what he thought the effort of trying to save his mother would do to his own survival.

told him he didn't need to abandon her, just asked him to face the reality of how it would work out.

i discussed further how the mechanics of him and his sister moving out would work. he hadn't even considered that he could go stay with his mother for a weekend, or visits. the kids are both thinking in awfully final terms. i am trying to mediate/moderate their experience. to temper the terrible siuation they are in - and the terrible spot they have been put in.

i told him that even if he did choose to stay with her, or help her work through things, that i would support him and offer him shelter.

i asked him to go in with his eyes open wide on the possibility of success - and about what it would do to him as a human being. pointed out what had happened to his sister. asked him if he was prepared to give up a chunk of himself to make peace - or if being in a constant battle would help him or her.

he accepted that there was essentially nothing he could do. that wishing wouldn't make it better. that he knew how it would work out. and that eventually he would move out, because he would fight and "battle her" because he will not accept her crap. and that it would have been wasted effort and pain from the beginning, because she won't change.

i told him that he could spend time with her - enough to be with her, but not enough to damage him - he could love her, but needed to accept that she was who she was - that he needed to accept that his mom was broken and that only she could make the choices to fix herself.

and that none of us had the tools or ability to fix her. that only she - with professional help that was far beyond our capability - could fix herself.

that it was like the time his uncle had nearly drowned - and had started pulling his children under in a panic to save himself when they went to rescue him. (his legs had gone paralysed - what happens when you drink Rye Whisky in the hot sun all day and then jump in a cold assed lake... BTW, another brother-in-law jumped in and saved him).

i asked him if he thought his mother was self-aware enough, or not selfish enough to avoid pulling him or his sister under - to avoid ruining their lives.

i pointed out that he was the child, not the parent, and that if his mother was outside of the situation, and lucid, she would give him the same advice.

he sadly accepted that he would have to look out for himself first.

----

i'm going for a job interview on thursday

it's only a six month term right now

it will be extended if i meet pre-specified goals

it pays about $1000.00 more per month than my current job, but offers tremendous entre into the upper reaches of the IT world in our jurisdiction.

as one of my co-workers (and confidante) said "If there was ever a position made for you it's this one, [Cadbury]. if you don't want the job, give them my name - anything to escape the insanity of this place"

it is also only 3-4 days a week in the initial 6 month term. it would go full time at around $30K more a year than i make right now if i meet the goals. i can make those goals.

i don't want to do what i'm doing anymore.

i believe in the cause, but not the people i work for. they are self-interested pricks who don't deserve the mantle and name of our movement. and they don't deserve my efforts and support.

i expect that attitude may percolate up into the work situation described last post, even if i try to be polite and professional.

for the record, all of the staff (including my boss and the office manager) have the same opinion of the current crew we work for. some of them are decent as individuals, but as a group are just appallingly... um, limited.

i discussed the situation with my parents and they approve of my plan - and recognise (and offered) that they will be on the line to hold my head above water if things go sideways.

Mom and Dad are true believers from a long way back. They have the same opinion of the current crew as we staff do. Mom doesn't hold a party card any more, but Dad still does.

If I leave i will receive a severance/buy-out of something over 8 months salary. All of the staff were offered the buy-out after the election. It is still pending and open 'til June.

I intend to finalise my Linux and Microsoft certification while on my 6 months if I get the job. If I don't get my term extended I will go back to university. I can get my computer science certificate in two 4 month semesters (using credits from my unfinished degree). That will leave me with a little room at the end - especially if I am frugal - to get a new job. Unlike many parts of the U.S. our economy here is booming - we have a terrible labour shortage - especially for IT people. I would be almost assured of getting a job immediately - others who got punted after we lost the election (who were IT people) got jobs in less than 3 weeks. These were young guys without 20 years experience (like me).

My parents support the idea of me going back to school and have said they would back-stop the other end.

I am still considering things, but my mind is pretty much made up.

The only thing that causes me pause is that it would affect my ability to get a house. But all I really want is an extra bedroom. I am looking into whether I can rent a townhouse, or - god forbid - see if Mom and Dad will co-sign because i would be not in a permanent job at that point. That would, of course, assume that my settlement was done...

and that's a whole separate ball of wax