Beginnings: Personality Traits

January 22: What personality traits did you inherit from each of your parents?

I think I inherited my mom's tolerance for stupidty (that is: none), her intelligence, and her up front, in-your-face honesty.

Dad is easy-going, procrastinates, and we share interests in amateur radio, flying, and computers (but not Linux).

Beginnings: Physical Traits

Jan 21: What Physical Traits Did You Inherit From Each Of Your Parents?

From Mom, I get her boobs, her legs and her hair color (natural).
From Daddy, I get his eyes (and bags underneath), teeth, asthma, height, and some would say nose.

Beginnings - Parent's Personalities

Jan 20: What are your childhood memories of your mother and father's personalities?

Wow. Um...

Mom always seemed to be the stress kitty. The Type-A personality. The one that would freak out at stuff *I* considered dumb, like...not cleaning my room.

Dad was always the laid back one. Relaxed. Until Mom made him discipline me, then I'd get The Belt (as opposed to Mom's favorite, The Spoon, which I always had to go get so she could punish me. That technique is so effective, I use it on my own children, specifically, Bryan). But when Daddy got The Belt, it was cause for immediate contrition, but by then it was Too Late. Daddy's Belt looked vicious. Felt vicious, too.

Mostly though, mom would always clean the house on Saturdays, and I just really remember her tripping about unimportant (to me) stuff.

Beginnings - Parent's Appearance

Jan 19: What do you remember best about your mother and father's physical appearances during your childhood?

Mom's smell. That purfume still makes me think of her. And her hair. And she'd spend hours "putting her face on". I remember not understanding why she'd pluck her eyebrows out then draw them back on. (Still don't.) She always had the latest hairstyle. My photo album has pics of her in it, and it's like a photo from vogue.

Dad's teeth and hair. He still combs his hair the exact same way. And his cologne/aftershave. Jovan Musk?

Jovan Musk Cologne by Jovan, Launched By The Design House Of Jovan In 1973, Jovan Musk Is Classified As A Luxurious, Gentle, Floral Fragrance. This Masculine Scent Possesses A Blend Of Spices, Lavender And Citrus.

Man, he smelled good. Dad always had this gap in his teeth, and as we got older, the gap got wider. Now it looks like he had a tooth in there and lost it. I, distressingly, have the same gap.

My dentist says he wants to pull my wisdom teeth out, then put braces on me to close the gap, but first they want to flay my gums open and "deep clean" them, then stitch my gums back together. And they want me to pay them to do this. Uh...no. I'll go have another baby through natural childbirth first. Less pain.

Just kidding mom...I'm not pregnant. I promise.

Beginnings - Memories

Jan 18: What is your earliest memory? Was there an article of clothing, a piece of furniture or a room in your house which you specifically identified with a family member or event?

The first thing I can remember is swimming in the pool at the Yager's house next door in Yorba Linda. I remember coming up out of the water when "Fame" by David Bowie was playing on the stereo. I've looked it up, and "Fame" came out in 1975. I'm not sure if we were still living in Yorba Linda at that time or just visitng the Yagers (Bob and Lynn??). I remember, very vaguely, the layout of the house and the nasty orange wallpaper in the kitchen. Or maybe it was the drapes. I remember the view over the back porch. I don't remember it specifically, just that there was one, and it was cool.

Then I remember Heiner St and the "feet in the spokes incident" while on the way to school. I remember Mrs. Waldahl, my Kindergarten? 1st grade? teacher. I remember the water run-off system was two grooves in the concrete and asphalt that criss-crossed the road, and if you were foolish enough to ride your bike too close, your tire went into the groove and you were pitched off. The neighbor kids had a shed and we'd scare each other in it. Daddy playing "Tequila" on his reel to reel. I kinda remember the layout to the house, come in the front door to the living room, there was a short hallway to the right, then bedrooms... I remember trying to sneak in after I cut my hair at Granny's house around the corner.

I remember Matchen (our German Shephard) and the first poodle I remember was Bambi. Mom loves poodles.

Those are some memories from the earliest ones.

Beginnings - Firsts

Jan 17: How old were you when you said your first words? Do you know what they were? When and where did you take your first steps?

Oh hell.

Queen BEE!!

Beginnings - Photos

Jan 16: Were you ever in a baby contest? Are there photos of you as a baby? What is your favorite photo of yourself? Were there ever any "funny" photos of you?

I don't think I was ever in a "pretty baby" contest, but there are quite a few pictures of me as a baby. My favorite picture of me when I was little is one where I'm sleeping next to Sissy in bed. Or the picture of me putting the hose down Sissy's pants on the back porch. She says it was a posed photo, and I guess looking at it, it was, but still, it gives me that childhood glee feeling when I look at it.

My dad still carries a picture of me when I was in Kindergarten, in this yellow flowery dress, with long white hair. He pulls it out occasionally when people ask him about his daughter. Kinda weird. I'm like, "Uh, Dad, I'm 35 now." "yes, I know." I think he tries to think of me like that 5 year old. Now that I'm a parent, I can relate to that. And in a large way I am still "Daddy's girl", even though I haven't really been close to him since I was 16.

Beginnings - Family Income

Jan 15: How did your father earn a living when you were born? If your Mother worked outside the home, what did she do and who took care of you? What years did they work at those jobs?


I remember Daddy working at 7-up and having the tiling business at the Etiwanda house. I know he was a butcher's apprentice when he was 18 ish or so (it's how he first threw his back out). After Etiwanda he became a jeweler in Arizona, did that with Jim and Bev Hawkins then started his own jewelry store, then he had the Well business while working at the Wastewater treatment plant.

As long as I can remember, Mom has worked at the same lawyer's firm (except when she lived in Texas, of course, but then she moved back and worked for them again, which is where she still works to this day.)

Beginnings - Religious

Jan 14: Were you babtized or christened? When, where, and by whom? Did you wear special clothing? Who were your GodParents? How were they chosen?

Oh heck, I dunno.

I would assume that since neither of my parents were particularly religious (least of all my father), that I was not indoctrinated into any sort of religion as a baby.

I seem to recall being told once that Nancy and Jimmy were my GodParents, but I'm not sure on the specifics. Queen Bee!! Help me out here.

Beginnings - Young Child Stories

Jan 13: Are there any special stories about you as a young child?

I would consider "young child" to be 6 and under. I'll see what QueenBee can come up with.

Beginnings - Nicknames

Jan 12: Did your family have special "baby" nicknames for you? Did you have special names for family members or items when you were a baby? Did you have special names for your bottle, blankets, toys, potty chair, body parts or functions?

My mom calls me flower, Daddy calls me kid.
I call my sister "Sissy".

I don't know if we had special names for stuff.

I once heard a joke in England concerning a woman's "fluffy bits". I thought that was hysterical.

Beginnings - Baby Furniture

Jan 10: Was there special baby furniture in your family like a crib, a cradle, a potty chair or a high chair? Where did they come from? Where are they now?

Not that I'm aware of. I'll see if the Queen Bee can answer a little more thoroughly.

Beginnings - Birth

Jan 6: Where was your father during your birth? If you had older brothers or sisters, where were they when you were born?
Back in the dinosaur age (1970), dads didn't go into the room. Mom was induced anyway, she nearly died because of some hemmoraging (sp). Sissy was staying at Aunt Annie's house.

Jan 7: How much did you weigh at birth? How long were you? What color were your eyes and hair? Who did they say you looked like? Why?
I was one month preemie, through induced labor. I was five pounds four ounces (2.38 kilograms) and 19 inches (48.26 cm) long. My eyes were (and remain) blue, and I had white blond hair. Everyone said I look like my dad, to the point when I went to England at age 15, all the relatives cried because I looked so much like him. People tell me now that I look more like my mom, which is just fine with me, because I think my mom is damn sexy for her age. GO MOM!

Jan 8: Who was the delivering doctor? What was the name of the hospital? How far was the hospital from your home? Is there a memorable "on the way to the hospital" story?
The hospital was named after the city, so we won't name names here, but my mom's doctor was named Obeji. The hospital was 10 miles away from our house. No special story, because labor was induced.


Jan 9: Were there unusual circumstances, problem or memorable stories surrounding your mother's pregnancy or your birth?
Labor was induced. My mother was assured I would be 8 pounds. She had to have shots every month so she didn't miscarry (Rhogam shots). Labor was four hours long, and Daddy wasn't allowed into the delivery room. He had a fit.

All the placenta wasn't delivered, so one week later she hemorraghed and had to have an emergency D&C. This is the part where she can say "You almost killed me" and mean it.

After I was born, my weight went down (as it always does with newborns) and because it slipped under 5 pounds, I had to stay in an incubator with no physical contact with my parents until I crested 5 pounds. It took two weeks.

Beginnings - Siblings

Jan 5: Do you have brothers or sisters? What are their names and birthdates? Who were they named after?
I have two half sisters and (at the moment) two step sisters.

One half sister is by my father, her name is Leslye Dawn. I don't know much about her but wish I did. I know she was about 13 when I was 7, and we lived in Riverside, CA, and she was in Juvie. My dad says that he promised her a boom box if she "kept her nose clean" for 2 months. I guess she really turned around, so they were going to release her early, but my dad and mom knew what kind of an effect they had on me, and were afraid with her record it would be bad, so they didn't take her. They sent her on a bus to her mom's, who had moved to Memphis, Tennessee. My dad tried to contact her lots of times through her Grandma, Helen, but she wouldn't tell him anything because her mom, Pam, told her not to. So the last time he talked to her was when she was a teenager. I wish I could find her.

The other half sister is by my mother, I was raised with her. Her name is secret(I'll call her Sissy here, because it's both anonymous and what I called her when I was little, and it makes me feel warm and fuzzy to call her that), because she is about to become a prominent neuropsychologist and I don't want her linked to my crazy family on my account. She was born in January 1962. Her first name is because my mom liked it, her middle name is because she had several friends named that name and she liked that too. I named my daughter after this sister.

My two step sisters are Susie and Laura. Before they were my steps, I went to school with Laura. We were passing acquaintences. It's kinda weird that she ended up being my step sister. Susie is a crack head, and that's all I'm gonna say about that, other than she better watch her back if I'm ever in town.

Beginnings - Dad's Name

Jan 4: What is your father's name? Who was he named after? Where and when was he born?

My dad was named after his father (first name) and a common British middle name. He was born in England in July, 1941 and came to the US when he was about 6 years old.

Beginnings - Mom's Name

Jan 3: What is your Mother's Name? Who was she named after? Where and when was she born?
My mom's internet name is queenbee, and she was named after her dad's ex-girlfriend for her first name, but she doesn't know about her middle name. She was born in the Chicago area in November, 1942.

Beginnings - When and Where?

Jan 2: When and where were you born? What was the time of the day and day of the week?
I was born in 1970, at 7:19pm on a Wednesday.

The mid-day of the week is named for the Norse God, Odin. He was also known as Woden or Wotan. Unlike many of the other days of the week, this day did not correspond roughly with the Roman designation for the day. (The Roman's named Wednesday for the messenger God - Mercury - In Romanian, the day is still known as miercuri). The early Scandanavians and Germans believed that Odin was the chief God of Asgard and as such deserved to have a day of the week named for him. The Anglo-Saxons used the word, Wodnesdaeg.
Wednesday is often reffered to as "hump day" because of its position as the middle day of the work week. If the work week were a hill. Then Wednesday would be the crest. It is all down hill from there. (Whether the down hill ride is a coast or a descent into a swamp is left to the individual.)

Only one holiday typically recurs yearly upon Wednesday. Ash Wednesday is the official begining of lent. It is called "Ash" Wednesday because since the 400's it has been the day upon which religious penitent's foreheads are marked with ash. It is a reminder of the mortal condition of the flesh - that we are all dust.

Beginnings - Baby House

Jan 11: Describe the house your family lived in when you were born. Where was it located? Did anyone stay at your home to help out after your birth? If so, for how long?

I'm not sure where we lived when I was born. I think Granny stayed with us a week or so after I got home from the hospital, but I'm not sure.

Beginnings - Name

Jan 1: What is your full name? How was it picked for you?
Not providing for obvious reasons. I hate my middle name. The only people that use my real first name are family (Dad, Aunt, Uncle, Nieces, Nephew) and my mom when I'm in trouble.

Welcome to Mama Onyx's Memory Blog

So I found this old journal, called "Mom's Daily Book of Memories". It's published by Visions, Inc. Full address available on request.

I'm just doing it here in cyber form. Perhaps it will be a catalyst for you to create your own journal or blog for your loved ones.

In any case, enjoy.