RidingTheBusWithMySister.HP.txt

RidingTheBusWithMySister.HP.txt

I guess i've seen the Hallmark Movie,
some time back, before getting into looking at
Autism...

But not something i can't study/ dissect
(sp?) take apart, and look how smart i am,
see i can do better than an acclaimed author...

Beth's writing style, with CamelCase,
smiley faces, in bit circular letters like O,
cute stickers,  and a bunch of girlie stuff,
plus HollyWood, Disney Charcters,
Tweetie Bird t shirt...

Her dress in bright colors, look at me,
while claiming problems on the road being seen?
When most of it's look at me...
In the eye(s), as Rober(t)son
(author's brother Running with Scissors)

So many levels of things going on...

Self Advocacy, as a political thing,
lobbying, instead of can speak for self,
in Annual care plan/ treatment review,
which starts out most of this,
her birthday/XMas Hannaka (sp?) present,
is a year of bus riding with her sister,
which turns into a ride each month,
every few weeks, as she has a life,
though mostly work,
having a problem with her live in boyfriend,
broke up with Sam,
which isn't his real name,
the preface, on an updated version says,
and some other things,
names changed, besides Beth
and Rachel Simon?

The Arc of US is part of this,
and time frame is some time ago,
i'm wondering if they are contemporaries,
and seeing the other sides,
Geraldo Rivera doing an expose on
WillowBrook? state institution
feces covered walls, people naked,
and other abuses/neglect in the institutionalized
system(s), which
various things later are mentioned,
including Olmstead,

Mental Retardation is the time frame,
and name calling, and things as a kid
interwoven into the story,
so something in today's narrative/ time
reading in the now, and goes back,
so riding the busses, chapters for each month
of the year, starting in January,
likely calendar and fiscal year,
with a treatment plan,
a clinical team, 3 people,
a supervisor/ team lead,
from the agency that oversees it,
and two other workers, one an aide,
and another something else,
all women, and two clients, if you include
the writer/ family, which increasingly
the system may, though she does to a conference
and is the only one, really ,until she writes
about her sister, riding buses (and the title
isn't plural, so what of that mistake
miss perfect?)

And the problems in the family,
her mother and the divorce,
father, an academic finds another
woman in the halls, a professor,
and eventually leaves,
while the mother/ ex-wife has 4 children
and starts trying to date again,
moves up in the world, or over,
and goes weekends to her mother's
in New Jersey,
while the locations have been changed,
and names have been changed,
except the two main characters,
which makes things difficult to figure out,
so while claiming to be helpting and trying
to be a good sister,
after things like going to collect money
for a charity, their retarded sister,
and collecting a fair amount,
then saying they don't want to live there...
and ending up moving...

But she finally says she hates her sister,
which after not getting a towel,
for showring/ bathing, while taking time off her
busy career life, no personal life to speak of,
not ready, and broke up with the guy,
Sam later Hal. in the appendages (sp?),
only some of which i've finshed,
the last clinical one, not yet, a few more
pages, up to 10, left...

Anyways, it's cruel in parts,
and the three big quetsions,
all about sex, really,
one of the difficult topics,
as BEth ends up with a BoyFriend
from another group home nearby,
after living with family,
and that not working out,
she'd breaking out of the house,
and found missing a few times,
risks are considered,
and all in language of the bigger
sister, not the older,
just a little bit,
twins like on one month a year,
when their birth month matches,
when really a year apart,
or 9 months?


Many difficult parts of this,
while entertainment as a movie,
with Rosie O'Donnnel (sp?) playing
Beth and someone else, name forgotten
playing Rachel/ the author sister,
college professor, and tutor,
and some others things, bookstore
person, doing signings, and readings,
but not making it very much,
i guess her parents saying they need
to take care of their sister, and
her father having problems doing that,
taking her sister, beth to work,
an online / mail corresponsdence school,
some distance away, and driving with her,
she's got a captive audience,
and i guess that is part of the problem,
or a benefit for her,
but people get upset with her,
and other problems...

When the family can't take of her,
it's to a group home,
arranged by a letter to the Governor,
of Pennsylvanie, when he's at his wits end,
talking of self arm, and had moved on
from just a take out once a month/ week
type non custodial dad, mother having
full time custody, but she's tired,
and depressed,
eventually dating again,
despite many problems the kids
don't like ti, at a certain age,
and wondering about other problems...


Rachel, had her sister waiting for her
at the bus stop and made fun of by the
others on the bus, dropping off,
and little disabled sister,
not talked to during school,
they had a truce ? agreement/ rule
unstated that they didn't acknowledge
each other, when the two Special Ed
classes TrainAble and EducAble,
described as self care, might learn
to bathe self, and EducAble
might learn to read/ write,
while the mother insists that her child
on the border, edge of one IQ wise
was going to read and write,
playing Bingo to help learn at home,
making the game fun, perhaps,
for some in the family...
While likely sibling rivalry
rears it's ugly head, many times,
let us count the ways:

start with those already mentioned
above

and do a Top Ten list,
like David LetterMan? late night shows?

Goofy, i guess,
but recurring themes are TV Shows,
and pop idols of the time,
many of which i don't care for,
female or otherwise, not the black sabboth,
(sp? beth?)
but Jimmy Hendrix gets in there somewhere(s),
and bike riding,
turns out her boyfriend Jesse like biking,
and is black, following along on a bike
after the bus, and does some of the races,
with awards and stuff, some made up,
likely participation, special olympics like,
and the author interviews him,
trying to go out to dinner,
lunch, taken out, when he doesn't read/ write
much at all, but does black belt karate,
from what reading his family had done
for him, instructing from books,
for something so physical, and anger
management, some problems with his eyes,
hit with a pole? stepped into one,
or maybe beaten up, some times had tried,
walking injured to the hospital but at the wrong
entrance, a colored only, or something
and not getting treatment, but calling police
for even being there, finally some one
takes to the ER, likely becoming blind
in the meantime, not in time?

And other mysteries,
Beth is losing her vision,
cateracts ? or her eyelashes
are turned inwards, so they do surgery
on that, instead of replacing the cornea,
so medical care is a problem,
dental is a forget it can't put hands
in her mouth or get physical problems,
pushed away,
and other signs of abuse,
neglect, and modern terms,
for not getting care,

Famele wise, will she doe birth control,
the siblings and family responding to her
new boyfriend and what it takes to care for
a baby,  and they decide for her,
by possibly exxaggerating how  difficult
it is to care of a baby full time,
while cute and want one,
talked into not wanting one,
and get setrilized,
while onle some of the family is procreating
beyond the 4 siblings to start,
and this is druing the sexual revolution,
careers and women working, the mom
finally working in a library, not fulfilled
being a mom/ housewife and the husband,
finally divorcing, and other things the kids
remember...

But receprocity (sp?) givnig back/
or taking turns, or sharing,
and a line with the Serenity Prayer,
wondering if the author finally 
gets into that, when not mentioning her own
drinking but her step father, turns out
from prison and a drunk, and abusive,
they leave the house, while beth and the dog,
stuck with the exCon and mom, and
the dog, a quick get out of there,
never really explained to beth,
she wasn't told,
and other instances of didn't protect
your sister, while mom goes off...

Older sister Laura (not real name)
and other abstractions make it near
impossible to figure out things,
most won't matter, but the pennsylvania
and amish and parkway, wondering
which cities  and places i might have known,
growing up, and now in real time,
with Ambler and UPitt Johnstown,
UPitt BradFord,
as AuTreat Autism conferences,
and places i've been in my life,
but not a lot, Philidelphia,
mentioned and somet things in the midle
of the state, likely college town(s)
and big cities, enough to have a bus
system, like State College,
idk 20k plus students?
So guessing, the fictional is
Philidelphia, where author lives and
commutes to PittsBurgh,
big enough to have a bus system,
back then, trains mentioned
and a transit hub later,

While getting into the mostly White,
(wouldn't be around here)
bus drivers and changing demographics
oof the city, Asian and Black
in the inner city and otehrs further out,
Polish,
Amish mentioned, dark farms passed,
and lights there, but some farms,
and satellite, and going to the airport,
an Arab man, a driver, and their Top Ten
bestest bus drivers...
Wealth fame, wanted to be a pilot,
took classes, and other priorties,
taking Polariad (sp?) self developing photos,
and how many button down to 4,
talking and limits set by some drivers,
while used in training for some of what
the new drivers will be dealing with...

They only talk at stops,
so the flow of things,
safety for all the passengers,
and the seating arrangements,
the disabled seating parts of the bus
are up front, and turned side ways,
and other segregation type things...

Drivnig in bad weather is mentioned,
especailly with her father, and storms,
ice, etc and having to stay over,
in hotel(s) sometimes, getting so bad...

Beth was missing for month(s),
and her grandmother mentioned
but barely her loss, as he mom
had gone off on a honeymoon,
and beth was where?
while he dad had taken the other kids,
mom still had beth?
and for months not knowing,
the dog left out back?
cold frozen food,
chained up, and forget his name,
but got as a puppy while just after
the divorce, might have helped,
somewhat playing scared of the dog
and trapped on the stairs,
while teasing the dog,
and kisses, hide the dog in the covers,
wehn come to say good night,
dog kisses too...

Some cuteness and female stuff,
not that guys don't do cute,
but limited tolerance for it sometimes...

But i've gone on too long
even my occasional typing has problems
besides the spelling and looking things up...

Neadless to say not so effing brilliant,
solving the problems, seeing it another way,
and what else there is different,
Mental Health Silos aren't the same as
MR/ID/etc, nor substance abuse.

Beth give exlax to her group house mates,
and eventually has nother place to tlive,
by herself, they don't liek here there,
and despite visits by family,
she survives, kind of,
while other things not really said/
written, and talking over Beth a lot,
with her care providers,
but also trtying to relate,
translating the book for her sister,
writing about her, but not with her,
some pages she had letters sent,
and exact like typed one,
CamelCase, maybe can't do the lower case R
or other things pronunciation,
learning words by the stresses,
like WhatEver,
not that it was a phrase back then,
but IDK, IDon'tKNow
stressing parts of that,
there are various things,
meanings to that,
really doesn't
doesn't want to,
can't budge her,
and various self determination things,
her treatment plan,
getting her to eat well,
consequences and understanding those,
change is slow,
Diet Pepsi,
eventually changes to apple/grape juice?
but that takes years,
Ding Dongs, and other things,
instead of vegetables,
which aran't eaten,
and she's getting large,
cholesterol, have to take meds,
a duck like walk feet out,
clothing child like,
but mental age, not one that makes much sense,
as a 7 year old adult having sex?
or what that age relation means...

The author eventually ooks things up
and tires to separate the underatnding
of just her sister, with others with the
DisEase?
Mild ReTardation?
and the distinctions there, from Arc
website, for her birthday,
being given coupons as gifts,
and how she forgets things,
no patience for waiting on buses,
knowign thee system by who's driving
and how many minutes she has to wait,
or to use a bathroom and what places
will and won't let her euse a restroon...
Why and why not?
Must be a customer,
and encountering people on the street,
homeless, and/or creepy?
safe? someine giving her gifts
and she throws it away because he's not good,
while homeless isn't automatically bad,
combining her sense of people
wtih what others say,
and she's somehow not allowed to
fight for her rights,
and altercations with others,
besides the exlax roommate,
incident, for days, when likely overdose,
but cruelty by the other party
not explained, nor gotten into...

So protecting self,
and harming by writing about,
the bus system does pretty well,
the drivers lounge, a place Beth goes into,
and people trying to make her work,
to give her meaning, while she's off
helping others all the time,
mostly talking off their ears,
while riding and her assigned seat,
she's stealling some old lady things,
she's out of her Zone,
and not paying $0.20
see #1 on the bus pass, a monthly
first in line and gets #1
but Zones are different?
and bus drivers mostly stick up for her,
she  gets them coffee and gets a dollar
more than it cost, but delivery service...


When the book finally comes out,
she gets $1 for selling a book
which her sister gives to her...

She wants her friends to sign the book,
Jessie, boyfriend at the time,
signs, but doesn'tread nor write,
however knnows a lot about people,
discrimination, 

They take trips to the grocery store,
an aide does that, and as payee,
while used to go in, now in and out
quickly, getting only Diet Pepsi
Ding Dongs, certain things she eats,
and not any vegetables,
a heavy load with sodas,
and some she buys and gives to drivers,
their brand and develops friendships that
way...


She babysits/ gets her driver's kids
off to school, waking people up,
as a human alarm clock,
caregiver, as an urge to find work,
and the social norms that really don't apply
well to DisABled life...

Summer Time comes and maybe try to wrok
some other way?  Get the bus system to hire her?
Never worked...
Even working for fast food, after sheltered
workshops, and even her father,
did some task, but mostly drooled/
fawning/ in love/ crush on the printer
our back...

And the drivers get highlighted,
they teach things, and preach like to her,
and others, it's not all driving,
but during time stops, waiting to synch
up the schedule, as some delays expeected,
a Comedian, from New York,
does a little skits/ songs/ routines,
but he's only part time,
after seen and done it all in NYC,
including some nake riders without any
money...

Mostly like a bartender, a counselor,
and some referred to get help,
someone following me, and maybe from
psychosis, but gets Detox help,
and eventually better...

The Golden Rule, some Jesus
reborn and take apart thier lies. 
and transplant saving one drivers life,
Hep B and couldn't do anything,
but someone donated and was selfless
while saved his life, not knowing
age, sex, color, etc selfless,

a bus up a hill not having the power
to make it up all the way,
some would get off and walk,
and meet them up the hill,
around the corner...

But mostly back to
i'm doing all this, for you
and she won't give me a towel,
WTF then abandoned, left bored
bawd,

or open the present i'm giving you now,
nope, coming to an end,
and needs a lot of conflict/ drama
to end things, most fights with drivers/
other passengers, etc...

He'll tell me, to stop,
but most won't, and it goes from there...