Some of these entries touch on current events and entertainment for 1982. How odd it is to see them now, do they seem THAT different than what we see in the news now?
September 18, 1982
Dear God, remember? This is the poem from that dreaded place–
Rootey toot toot
Rootey toot toot
we’re the kids from the institute
we’re not crazy
we’re just lazy
what’s our slogan?
f*ck ___ ___
I’m sure You remember. Well I’m just thinking. Remember when I wrote up at (the vacation place) that I was sick and belonged in a hospital but I didn’t want to go? Well it’s true. I could benefit from 24-hour babysitting, but I don’t want to go. Y’know? I could have gotten well at that dreaded place only if I had been accepted by those kids. If I felt I belonged, I would have had an incentive to get well and I would have been out of there right now. Oh well. Maybe it’s best I’m out. After all, I got You and my counselor to help me. I will get well out here. I have to. It’s about time. Well, here’s a page. G’nite
Wonder who was brainwashing me that day? I would have gotten only worse in that atmosphere. I didn’t remember writing in the diary on vacation and none of the entries say I did, but I must have. My parents must have fought with me and made me feel like a piece of shit before I wrote that entry. Even if I had stayed, it would not have gone well in the hospital. The person who ran the whole ward hated my guts. Some enterprising kid got ahold of some paperwork on us by taking it from the office and I got to read the writeup of my 72 hour hold when I first got there. It was so negative it was alarming. Years later, I talked to someone who knew that person and knew one of the people who worked on that ward as well. He agreed that person was nasty.
September 19, 1982
Dear God, Feel Yukky tonight. Christian Militia Slaughter Hundreds of Palestinians and Israel is blamed.—Got in a fight at (local restaurant) with my parents, it ruined the whole evening. Tomorrow I see my counselor. Can’t think of anything else I’m too mixed up. G’nite
September 21, 1982
Dear God, U.S. Marines sent into Lebanon to preserve the peace. Donahue is in town being sued for 10 million! I’m feeling not so good. I got pushy with the guy at Denny’s and he got rude! (not too worried about stating the restaurant here since I did not work there and it isn’t a local landmark or anything). Might as well write off this page. I’m still hurt over being fired by ____ I know it’s my fault, so that’s why it hurts so much–I will wear my headgear tonight. I’ve been neglecting that. I’ve got an appointment (orthodontic) on Thurs. Tomorrow I get up at 6:30, so I think I’ll turn in now. G’nite
My folks sprang for braces for my overbite and overcrowded mouth. They almost needn’t have bothered as I have always been too poor to go to the dentist with the exception of 2 years where I had dental ins through a job and now am missing lots of back teeth due to decay. I need a dentist badly to examine the teeth I do have, clean them, and tell me how to get at least a bridge in my mouth so I can chew hard foods again. The remaining teeth are pretty darn straight but not that white and prob full of cavities.
September 22, 1982
Dear God, Yeeech. That’s one sucky evening. Why? You know I need control. Don’t desert me now. I even took my pill. Please. Gaynor (??? Do I mean Indira Ghandi? She was gunned down and killed. Now Bhutto. Guess those men there can’t stand to have a woman rule over them.) is in critical condition. She’ll probably die. Gemayel’s brother is the new president of Lebanon. (Maybe I’m thinking of a Lebanese leader. They were really in the news back then.) Morant was given a life sentence. Parole in 20 years. (Must be some local man.) Who else? I dunno! I tried out for some more jobs today. Boy do I hate it! To-morrow is the ___ ___, I don’t want to go to bed because I get scared about that dreaded place. But I’ll try not to think! Maybe I’ll go back to writing about one thing a night! G’nite
September 23, 1982
Dear God, First Day of Fall. Pretty good, Eh? Oh well, no biggie: let’s see if I can make it to winter and beyond. I saw An Officer and a Gentleman tonight. I really enjoyed it. What trauma those poor cadets had to go through! It was incredible. I couldn’t handle it. I couldn’t handle a pack of crummy kids from That Dreaded Place. I often wonder what they have in them. Leadership qualities? Probably. (Well they were at Officer Training School…) They learn to take all that crap from that Sargent without it getting to them! That’s hard! Also, physically it’s very hard. That obstacle course looked like murder! Oh well, so much for that movie. G’nite
