A double helping of random

First, here's my Saturday Random Ten:

1. Billy - James Blunt
2. I'd Die Without You - PM Dawn (is that a moldy oldie, or what??!)
3. Teenage Confidential - The Flamin' Groovies
4. Black Balloon (live) - The Goo Goo Dolls
5. I Shall Believe - Sheryl Crow (I may leave Sheryl out of the mix next time)
6. In Your Eyes - Peter Gabriel
7. We Are the Champions - Queen
8. Losing My Religion (Live) - R.E.M.
9. Waiting in Vain - Bob Marley
10. Badfish/Boss DJ - Jack Johnson

Then a few brief items just to get myself caught up a bit...

I haven't blogged about my son much lately, because he's been in trouble more than he's been out of it.  I'm reasonably convinced that he has an alcohol problem, which comes as no surprise, since 3 of his 4 grandparents did, as well as numerous other relatives on both sides.  His father took him to a therapist when he was about 15 and was given a diagnosis of "rule out antisocial personality disorder."  I understand that diagnosis isn't valid for anyone under 18, but the signs were clearly there.  A friend of mine, who is in a similar situation with her daughter, said the two sadly go hand in hand, so it's not a matter of whose diagnosis is "right."

It's just very stressful when the phone rings at 3am, and you're almost wishing Dear Aunt Dot passed away, because the alternative is Wally making a collect call from jail, with voices yelling obscenities in the near background.  Voices that sound like they belong to someone who outweighs your kid by about 3 to 1.

There's the ongoing financial stress, but this is far worse.  It's like being suspended in jelly -- you can't do much other than hang there and watch things unfold.  I haven't seen him in nearly 2 years.  He came this way twice and both times detoured for a preferred destination at the last minute, and then lied about his whereabouts.  His father has more or less washed his hands of the entire matter, and I realize that's how he preserves his own sanity.  Part of me wishes Wally would move closer, because then I could at least see him and maybe even exert some influence -- but another, guiltier part of me is more than a little glad that he's so far away and not involving me directly in this business.  It's one thing to get "the call" at 3:00 a.m. and quite another to have it show up at the door, escorted by uniformed personnel. So I guess I ought to count my scant blessings.

Enough of that.  What else?  Had an amusing encounter last week with The Scorpion Queen, with whom I unfortunately have to interact from time to time.  Still a control freak, but at least she's 38 miles, 3 counties and 1 state away.  I've been elected to ensure the accuracy and secure delivery of our COD payments.  My immediate supervisor instructed me to deliver the money to a particular manager.  Last time I made a delivery, that manager had already left for the day, so my supervisor took the package and locked it in a drawer.  My next stop was the lair of TSQ.  She said she got my e-mail (part of the task is e-mailing her when I'm bringing money to the manager).  I told her that my supervisor had taken the envelope and locked it in a drawer.

Her (narrowing eyes):  You gave it to Johnny?
Me: Yes.
Her:  Johnny L. ?
Me:  Yes.
Her (getting that "I gotcha" look):  I don't see how that could be.  Johnny L. was out today.
Me:  I know.  He went to Huntsville, but he apparently got back about an hour ago, because he answered one of my e-mails just before I left to come here.  He was telling me what a boring drive it was.
Her:  Oh.  I see.  Well, in any event, you can bring the money directly to me from now on.
Me: Okay (thinking Yeah, right.  When Johnny L. tells me that himself).


Fast forward to the next morning -- I get an e-mail from TSQ.  Typically, it's five paragraphs where one would have sufficed, with cc's to Johnny L. and every other manager even remotely connected with finance.

"I had not realized that Johnny L. gave Volly explicit instructions to deliver cash payments to Mr. M.  Volly did so correctly yesterday, and Johnny correctly took custody of the package, despite my instructions that she should bring it to me from now on.  I was mistaken.  So therefore, Volly should ignore my instructions, blah, blah, blah..."  She forgot to get out the scourge and recite Mea culpa, mea culpa, mea maxima culpa..."  Maybe next time.  Sheesh.

The Delaney Kids: Bought and Paid For is a true first-person account of three siblings caught up in the Tennessee Children's Home Society scandal of the early 20th century.  In addition to this new publication and the ongoing story of the Idaho group under suspicion of kidnapping in Haiti, there are the new revelations about children of the Desaparecidas - taken from their mothers just after birth, and just before the mothers were sedated and dropped from planes into the mid-Atlantic.  Despite the conflict and confusion that these reunions will lead to, justice cries out for the truth. 


Till next time.