Non Investigative Reporting

I could have waited for mom to get the newspaper today when she got the mail, but I decided to grab it on my way inside. I glanced at the cover stories on my way inside and saw an article called Teens hear sobering facts on "grim reaper" day. This story peaked my interest because in 2002 I participated in a similar "day" and in 2003 (my senior year) I decided to use a mock car crash, due to drunk driving, as my Girl Scout Gold Award project. I got the idea after helping with the Key Peninsula/Gig Harbor assembly.

I started reading the article on the way into my house and near the end, the reporter had put in other similar events from around the area. I noticed Stadium High School was not mentioned. Now, I'm not sure if Stadium still does it, but I know it was done in 2003 and again in 2004, but this time, the mother of a senior who had died in 2003 due to a drunk driving related incident spoke.

The senior was my classmate. He died the morning after prom. The driver of the car wasn't sober.

Yes, I did receive my Gold Award, but it came at a price. I am still haunted to this day by his death. I keep wondering whether or not he attended the assembly I put on (with the help of Stadium's drug prevention club). I wonder if anybody from the senior class of 2003 actually thought twice about drinking and driving. I know he and the driver didn't.

*It wasn't until halfway through writing this entry that I started crying.

Why?

Dear “friends” from high school,

I’m sure a lot has happened in the 6 years since graduation. I know something changed in high school. We were once friends then a split second later, we weren’t anymore. That’s why I termed “friends” that way. I don’t know what happened where the best option was to disassociate from each other. I wondered every few days in school why and since graduation it has almost consumed me. I have thought about it every single day and I still can’t figure out what happened. I know there were things in high school that I would have done differently, but I’m sure that is the same for you.

I just want to know what I did that was so terrible that it was worth giving up a friend for.

Jenny

Screw You Kinsler

I have a hate relationship with Ian Kinsler (Texas Rangers) since last baseball season. This game highlight from yesterday makes me happy.

Good job Sweeney

Old People

While my parents are on vacation it has been my job to "care for" my grandparents. This includes (but definitely isn't limited to) taking grandma to her hair appointment followed by lunch at Taco Time, taking grandma to her Dr. appointment, filling grandpa's pill boxes (yes plural), double checking grandma's pill box, randomly bringing over dinner and anything else they think of.
After the first hair appointment, grandma and I came home to grandpa with the refrigerator door open and a sponge in hand. He told me that there was jelly spilled on the shelf so he was cleaning it. I asked him why he hadn't taken his pills yet and he said he hadn't eaten yet because he burned his toast. Obviously he got side tracked.
2 days ago they left their phone off the hook and I drove over to their house to "check" on them. It was about 3:30 pm so I decided to bring over a rotisserie chicken, mom said grandma knows how to make instant potatoes so she doesn't need a side. I arrived at their house to find that their phone was indeed off of the hook (for 1 hr and 45 min). Grandpa saw the chicken and said "I don't like chicken." I said "well don't eat it then." Grandpa said "smart ass." My grandpa is 89. I told mom about this and after she stopped laughing she told me that grandpa likes chicken and dumplings therefore likes chicken. Ugh! I also asked why grandpa hadn't taken his pills yet that day, he said he didn't eat, I asked why and he said because he was trying to watch the emergency plane landing at Seatac.
The next day I drove grandma to her hair appointment and asked her how the chicken was. She told me "KFC can go to heck." Yes, heck. She cracks me up sometimes. On the way home from lunch we stopped at Jack in the Box to get grandpa a Jumbo Jack, fries and strawberry shake. We got back to the house and I put all of the food out on the table. As grandpa was sticking a french fry in his mouth he told me that we woke him up from his nap. Then he ate another fry. Oh grandpa!
Mom and dad get home Sunday and mom can resume her "old people" duty. Not that I don't love my grandparents, but there were some circumstances that required more attention that mom/I anticipated, not to mention mom says they have been "milking" me because I'm "new."