Tuesday, April 6, 1976

A very bad day. Too involved in Physics, had a sub and said and did things I didn't like. Wasn't just me, though. Everyone seemed to feel bad today. I came within 25 points of winning in that Spanish game but lost when another guy just quietly won.

The worst thing all day was when I fell running for the bus. I was up before I even finished falling and kept running. Made the bus but got a terrible, bleeding skinned up place on my knee, skinned up both hands badly and ripped my pants quite a bit! My good jeans, too! Didn't really feel any pain, just stinging.

Mr. Shoemaker had a baby girl on April Fool's Day--Sara Dawn.

Jay's brother, our insurance man, talked with me a moment tonight about my comics.

Later I watched one of the last episodes of BEWITCHED I remember seeing from when it was on new. Tonight on HAPPY DAYS was a good episode with Richie and Joanie acting so much like real brother and sister--the way i think I'd act if I had a sister. Sometimes I really wish I did.

NOTES: Jay's brother? Not sure. There was a Jay I knew from school. He went on to become a reporter and later the City Manager. Perhaps it was his brother who was our insurance man.

In those days, the insurance men would actually come around to collect their premiums. While there, they would inevitably attempt to sell you more insurance. My dad had actually been one of these types of insurance agents for a brief period in the sixties. For awhile, his territory included areas of Newport, Northern Kentucky's one-time "sin city." As he used to tell people who asked what he did for a living--"I'm an insurance man for the Mob."

Mr. Shoemaker was my 3rd year Spanish teacher.

That fall was a mess and things ended up getting infected which dragged it all out for quite awhile.

Normally I was content to be an only child. I never really wanted a brother because I usually had at least one close guy friend who was like a brother to me. Every once in a while, though, I really wanted a sister. I was always a little jealous of friends who did have sisters, even though they often bickered back and forth whenever I'd see them together. In later years, I would unofficially "adopt" my own choices in sisters such as Brittany Rose, seen above. We fight, we argue, we're there for each other when we need to be. My sister. At last.