December 27, 2004
Last night we treated the kids and Ursula to a movie at Desert Ridge. Finally got in to see Sideways ($42.50 for five tickets!). Really enjoyed the movie. It played against expectations at every turn. Very original, and the constant wine references were zany as hell.

Afterwards the girls all went their separate ways, but I took my only son to dinner at Salute, an upscale Italian joint. I ran into the owner a month or so ago at Albertson's and he told me he opened a new store up at Desert Ridge and invited us in. When the Jones, Boze & Jeanne Radio Show was on Young Buck (105.9 FM), Brian, the owner used to call us all the time and we struck up a friendship. I hadn’t seen him in years.

So I took Tomcat in there and we had a very nice meal ($42, and for all you tip Nazis, I want you to know this includes a $10 tip). So I blew $84 for a movie and dinner. Yikes! In my dad’s time that was a car payment.

Had a talk with Kathy about her siblings and who Mama likes best. This is so unreal to an only child because with guys like me, it’s the opposite. We long for brothers and sisters to help spread out the non-stop, smothering attention. But as my Psychology major son tells me, in families, it's abandonment issues, or engulfment issues and there doesn't seem to be much in between.

Quite a few people are out this week. I had a long talk this morning with RG about finances (he's also an only child).

"There are worse things than being an only child. Like having a brother or sister, for example."
—Old Vaquero Saying