Ramblings of the Pen

The rest of the Family

2006-11-30T19:23:14Z

Irene Gross Dennis, Marvin II’s mother, my Great Grandmother
Irene was a really fascinating person. She had been to every country in the world, but three at one point. I have many of her old foreign coins. Irene was one of those people that had that spark or life that people were drawn to. Sometimes I am told I am like her, and I can only hope that I am.
I am lucky enough to remember her. We would visit her every day when I was little. She would read to my brother and I on a light blue upholstered chair, each of us sitting on a arm. When we’d play Old Maid with her, she’d leave her cards face down on the glass dining table. Denny and I would crawl underneath it and look at her cards. Being kids, we’d giggle with glee at the mock howl of despair when she had lost yet again. Irene kept little jars and bowls of change around her house for Denny and me to “steal”. She really spoiled us, and loved doing it.
It’s hard to write more on Irene. Specific stories don’t always get across her aura. She had pose and wisdom, an unshakable calm and a great attitude about life and people.

Marvin Giger Dennis III, Fran’s son, my father
No offense to the other dads I’ve been writing about, but I have the best dad. Marvin is calm and patient. When there’s a problem, or something that interests him, he likes to study it from different angles and consider different possibilities. He doesn’t get mad very often, though when my grades would be bad in High School he’d be disappointed in me, which is more effective than yelling could ever be. There was no yelling or slamming doors in my house growing up, which I’ve learned is very different from most other families. I really liked it that way.
My dad owns Woodcrafter’s International, Inc. He bought out his partner about 2 years ago. That was a big step and my dad was brave to try it. He works really hard for his company. I think it was started when I was just a baby, so he has a lot of time and love invested in it. Marvin is the kind of business man that wants his customers to be happy. Not so they will buy more cabinets (though that is nice, you can never have too many cabinets or replace them too often), or so they will like him, but because he wants people to be happy. If he weren’t running Woodcrafter’s, I would say he should be a motivational speaker, or work with kids at the Boys and Girls Club. He’s great with people. Even babies love him.
Marvin frequently coaches kids’ sports at the Boys and Girls Club. He coached my indoor soccer team when he knew nothing about soccer. He’d coach volleyball teams, even after my bother and I were too old to play. He gets to play basketball in the gym with other guys that coach, he plays religiously every Wednesday night and Sunday morning. Wednesday nights he and his buddy Dave Peters will come back to our house and raid the fridge and sit in the hot tub like a couple of teenagers.
Eating is something my dad excels at and he’s still so trim. I guess he sweats it all out at basketball. He can eat a tub of ice cream without batting an eye. Sometimes we stand around in the kitchen having sourdough toast marathons. Just as soon as two come out, we stick two more in and end up eating a whole loaf. I associate the kitchen with my dad’s humor. Wonderful puns that make you groan. I’ve inherited his sense of humor, and am still honing it.
Marvin always looks tan, has an easy smile, thick dark hair and a goatee. He used to wear a full beard, and doesn’t recognize himself when he is clean-shaven. His goatee is gray now, and there is a little bit of gray at the temples. He jokes he has the gray put in to make him look more distinguished and older for the sake of business. I think it looks good.

Kathryn Ann Stovall Dennis, Marvin III’s wife, my mother
I am just like my mom in so many ways. After I came back to school after visiting for Thanksgiving, what I’d say and how I’d say it would sound just like her. We also both keep the world running. Before work or wherever she has to go for the day, she’ll start laundry, empty the dishwasher, water the plants, grout tile, or whatever else needs to be done.
Kathryn is a no nonsense woman. She is very direct, without being harsh. She and I do not have the subtle gene. Fortunately, we can be diplomatic. My mom put her diplomacy skills to work for about 6 years defeating a “coastal trail” that looked more like a freeway lane on the beach and helped design a new trail and get it approved. The first phase of construction just got finished. She worked really hard for a long time with a group of great people to make Derail the Trail a success.
My mom is my favorite artist. Having seen her art work for 22 years and to still love it says something. Even the doodles she’d draw on any homework I’d leave out where neat. I’m a bit critical of ugly stained glass windows in churches and at people’s houses, because she doesn’t just put glass in the window, its art. Her ceramics are her love. She’ll make a vessel and tie bamboo across the top and maybe add some fused glass. The whole thing has sort of an Asian feeling to it. At least that’s what she’s doing right now. In a few years she might want to make surfing ponies. She also teaches ceramics at Saddleback junior college. Her house has transformed itself into a work of art over the years. Beautiful colors on the walls, fused glass tiles, ceramics, a koi pond, every turn brings something new into view.
She’s had less time to “play clay” since my dad bought Woodcrafter’s. She’s working for him as a brilliant designer. Her eye for detail, and the fact that she’s a woman, so female clients feel more comfortable with her make her great at what she’s doing. She also has legible handwriting, which Marvin is lacking.
Playing beach volleyball is something both of my parents used to do often. They would win tournaments together, and even if they didn’t win, they’d often get a prize because they played so nicely together.
Kathryn is blonde with green eyes. She’s full of energy and really strong.

My parents have been married for over 30 years now and are still very much in love.

“Denny” Marvin Giger Dennis IV, Marvin Giger Dennis III’s son, my brother
I had dinner with my brother a few weeks ago. It was just the two of us at a delicious local Thai restaurant. Denny is such a charming, put together young man. When he was a teenager, he wasn’t so delightful, and now that I’m in school and he’s in school, we don’t see much of each other. When I do see him, the transformation is shocking sometimes. He’s a great waiter at The Fisherman’s in San Clemente and taking interesting classes in botany and law at Golden West College in Huntington Beach where he shares a house with his childhood buddy Jeremy Caulkins. Denny have been working with plants for a year or two now, and seems to be interested in the science side of plants. Not just being a landscape artist, but making better plants by splicing them together and seeing what works best. He has always been good with math and science.
Denny loves music. His collection is massive and eclectic. He also likes to play the guitar and is pretty good. I don’t often get to hear him play.

Adriann Joy Dennis, Marvin Giger Dennis III’s Daughter, Me
I wasn’t going to write about myself, because I’m obvious to me, but this collection isn’t just for me. I’ve been keeping a journal every night for the past eight years, but its doubtful I’ll let anyone get their hands on those, ever. And I don’t think I’ll have the patience to put out an edited version. So here I am in a paragraph or two.
My favorite color is red, deep wine red or brilliant coppery red. My favorite food is potato, my favorite beverage is non-fat milk, and my favorite cuisine might still be Italian, though there is no good Italian in Rohnert Park where I’ve been living for the past 5 years. I’m just about to graduate from Sonoma State University with a bachelor’s degree in Theatre (though I prefer to spell it “theater”). I will always love theater, acting in particular, but I am not fond of the lifestyle. Always auditioning, late night rehearsals, being around crazy theater people. So I’m going to try to get a job with an Interior Design Company, and most likely open my own some day. With both of my parents being `self-employed, it’s hard to imagine a different life.
I work in the library right now, and have loved books and reading since I was about 9. My favorite book is Lady Slings the Booze by Spider Robinson, though my favorite author is Terry Pratchett. They are both very “punny”. I worked at The Village Book Exchange until I came to school. I’m great at organizing and alphabetizing with all of this experience.
I also consider myself an artist. Right now my medium of choice is yarn. I only learned to knit about a year ago. My first sweater was completed this summer. If I’m not working with textiles, I like acrylic paint or beads for making jewelry. Portraits, flowers, and abstracts are my usual subjects for painting. Faces hold so many interesting things, and you can see something different in someone’s face if it’s painted. You can know that person better.
Forgotten Felines of Sonoma County lets me have a cat and do some good. I’m a foster parent for cats before they go into the shelter to be adopted. I love having a cat, its really soothing and entertaining.
I ask a lot of questions and drink a lot of tea. I am always trying to make life simpler and richer.

Continuation of Janis' Background

2006-10-30T23:10:47Z

Elizabeth was a nice girl. Her petite frame made her a good gymnast; her winning smile and blond hair furthered her as a cheerleader in high school. She was on the Associated Student Body Council and worked hard for her community. Though she didn't know exactly what she wanted to be when she grew up, Elizabeth knew she would go to college, get married, maybe join the Peace Corp. The big snag came when she realized she didn't want to marry a man. Elizabeth was a lesbian.

Being a lesbian wouldn't have been a big problem if her parents hadn't disowned her, her friends hadn't rejected her, she hadn't been bullied and threatened into quiting cheer and the ASB. But it was a problem. A big one.

For a while Elizabeth was very alone. She got her GED, a shit job and a worse apartment in LA. She couldn't bear running into people she had known in Orange County. Her routine became work, drink, sleep, sometimes rinse, repeat. The bartenders and regulars got to know her name, and not always in that happy "Cheers" way. With such anger and bitterness inside, Elizabeth just had to sock someone in the face sometimes. Especially men. She hated men. Bunch of fuckers, looking at her ass, making comments about how pretty she'd be sucking their cocks. Not to say she never sucked a cock, sometimes a girl needed money.

All these hard years of being a lesbian and never having a girlfriend was pretty hard, too. Elizabeth just couldn't trust people. Wouldn't get close to them. Was afraid that if she did, somehow they'd turn on her, say "just kidding" or "I fucking hate you, you sicko cunt". The latter would actually be easier to take. At least then she could hit them til they bled out of their then toothless mouths.

The scene in LA got old. San Fransisco was the happening place. Not so many hippies anymore. Elizabeth got on her motorcycle, headed north and changed her name to Janis. This was the end of her old life and the beginning of the new. She needed a better name than Elizabeth to face the world. Janis found a new fight. She joined the woman's movement and the lesbian movements. She beat the hell out of anyone that tried to tell her women weren't as good as men, and defended her new found friends against would-be gay bashers with some bashing of her own. Janis belonged here.

Janis liked the gay community, but she drank where ever she god damn pleased. She only beat people when provoked now, and wasn't thrown out of bars nearly as often. Maybe that bitteredge was being rinsed away. Anyhow, minding her own business, having a drink, she gets up to get some peanuts and some gorilla of a man grabs her ass. Most guys didn't even try it anymore. She puts out a thick "Don't even think about it" vibe. This guy most have been pretty fucking dense. Or have a death wish. Big as he was, Janis though she could take him. The dynamite blow she landed on his jaw didn't even faze him. He just kind of laughed. Okay, so maybe not all of her bitterness was gone. She launched herself on him, pounding and whaling as best she could. Even hit him with a fucking eight ball. He just kept swatting her off and laughing. If he hadn't knocked her unconsious, Janis might have worked herself into such a rage as to kill that son of a bitch.

Coming to a minute later, that guy was still there and apologizing. He offered her a drink to make amends. Well, what could she do? A drink was a drink, so she took it. And another drink was another drink, so she took that one, too. And so on and so forth. To add to her embarrassments of the night, Janis got shitfaced drunk and puked all over the floor. That must have been the thing to push her "Prince Charming" over the edge. He offered her a ride or something because when Janis woke up he was still there. Maybe she was in his living room or something. Fully dressed, oddly enough... but wait, what was that taste in her mouth? She was dizzy, and it was still dark out. Maybe it was the next day, maybe the next week. She didn't know. She just knew she was different inside.
.....
His name was Brick and he had made me a Vampire. He didn't know it, the dumb fuck. Thought he was just making me a ghoul to him, making me stronger, sure, but tied to him. Why the fuck would he do that when he didn't even know me? Fucker. Just like a man to assume that kind of shit. This was worse than figuring out I was a lesbian. So many life changes. Not that I went out during the day much, but drinking blood? Mentally that takes some getting used to. Speaking of mentally, you'd think that would have gotten better. But no. Its like I inherited some of how fucking dumb my sire is. But I won't admit that to anyone. I used to get Dean's List. And now... I don't really want to think about it. But I am better at other things. Much stronger. Much faster. And getting hit is like nothing. Water off a duck's back. I can't get drunk like I used to, but I guess the last time I was really drunk got me in enough trouble for the rest of my life. Which I am told is going to be forever is I'm careful.

mistressmab @ 2006-10-25T10:52:00

2006-10-25T17:52:37Z

Hello. This is the journal that will actually be for red_reader's writings. Enjoy.