Senioring DoubleIn the 95-member graduating class at...

Senioring Double

In the 95-member graduating class at the all-male Crespi Carmelite High School in Encino, there are four sets of twins, which is statistically improbable--twins occur once in about every 100 births--and confusing.

“I have a terrible time telling them all apart,” confessed Father John Knoernschild, their guidance counselor, who’s not alone.

“Here come the mirror images,” a classmate said as he watched all four sets of twins entering a room to be interviewed.

It looked like a human boarding of the ark.

It was an easy assumption that each of the twins has similar feelings about his brother and experience life similarly.

That was also totally incorrect.

For every twin who said his twin was his best friend, there was another who said that just wasn’t the case.

For each twin who said he was just like his brother, others said that wasn’t true at all.

One of the few things all eight young men agreed on was that none of them could read each other’s minds.

“People always ask us that question,” Ian Smith said. “I don’t know anyone that thinks that’s true.”

Dean and Dan Zimmerman, however, couldn’t be closer.

“We still dress alike sometimes, are best friends, and would like to go to college and into business together,” Dean said.

The Zimmermans are so totally into their identical twinship that at one time they dated twin sisters.

Dean and Dan live at home in Bel-Air with a houseful of folks whose names all start with the letter D. That includes mom and dad, Donna and Don Zimmerman, and siblings Don, Denny, Debe, David, Dana and the dog, digger.

On the other hand, Phil and Steve Gajic, sons of Doris and Val Gajic of Malibu, don’t think that they have much in common, don’t want to attend college together or go into the same business.

And, although they say they don’t think much about their twinness, they both remarked that on the day they were born in Santa Monica Hospital Medical Center, three other sets of twins were also delivered.

Each twin said his personality is different from his brother’s. There was universal agreement on that.

Ian and Sean Smith, sons of Daryl and Madeline Smith of Mission Hills, pointed out that they are not only not identical twins (they are fraternal), but that they are not in any way identical people.

“My brother has a much more patient and forgiving nature,” Sean said. “And he’s a lot calmer than I am, more tolerant.”

The Aghajanian brothers, sons of Ara and Carole Aghajanian of Northridge, are top students and another case in point.

Philippe is slightly heavier than Charles, has longer hair and plays baseball to his brother’s basketball.

And they are as competitive as two dogs with a bone.

When asked what qualities they shared, neither could think of any right off the bat. But a moment of truth, of sorts, came when asked about marriage.

Would it be important that their brother liked their future wife?

A loud “No” that seemed to emanate from everyone rumbled down the table. After a moment’s consideration, everyone, even the Gajics, admitted that they’d want their brother’s approval of their betrothed.

It Was a Real

(Estate) Zoo

If you’ve tried everything you can think of to sell your home--including planting religious statues on your lawn and trying to have the house airlifted to Brunei--do what they do at the Brock Country Faire developments in Fillmore and Palmdale.

Get a goat, and maybe a few chickens or so, and how about a lamb?

Petting zoos are the new high concept in real estate marketing.

According to Sharon Lorentzen of the Palmdale office of Brock, more than 200 people flocked to the grand opening/petting zoo. Lorentzen called the event a huge success.

Yeah, but you probably shouldn’t try it in your condo.

Better Odds Than

the Lottery

Buying your way into political office is more or less the American way.

John Kennedy, when running for President, said his father, Joe, didn’t want to buy one more vote than was necessary for him to be elected. Kennedy, who suffered from a sense of humor, was more or less kidding on the square.

To successfully campaign for national office, you need the big bucks. They allow you to fly around with press people you don’t like, eat food that disagrees with you, so that you are able to say things you don’t believe and shake hands with people who don’t like you.

What a party.

If you happen to live in Sylmar and can rein in your ambition a bit, we have a real deal for you on an office we know can be bought fairly cheap.

How does sheriff of Sylmar sound?

The only requirement is that you be over 21, pay the most money for the job and have a pulse, although we’re not sure about the last part.

According to Jeanne Rowe, Chamber of Commerce president, if you collect the most $1 votes, the job is automatically yours.

“You get to ride in our parade April 26 and you get to go to all the chamber lunches,” she said.

It’s not all roses, though.

You do have to furnish your own horse for the parade and also have to pay your own way into the lunches.

When it was remarked that they really play hardball in Sylmar, Rowe said: “It’s more that we’re broke, not that we’re cheap.”

Bank on It

They stood before the shutdown Independence Bank building in Calabasas like kids in front of a candy store.

Only they were mad.

Inside the bank, examiners were going over the books.

Outside, they were waving passbooks.

“I can’t believe my money is in there and I can’t get it,” Ginny Banks said to a neighbor.

“I can’t believe they won’t let me get into my safe deposit box,” the other woman said.

After commiserating for a while, the two and a third woman headed for the market. They had been told that their money would be released to them through First Interstate Bank that afternoon.

As they neared the Ralphs entrance, they spotted a man pushing his belongings down the street in a basket.

“I guess there’s a difference between inconvenience and tragedy,” Banks said.

Overheard

“She told me that she had always wanted to be a historical novelist. I suppose if I had told her I was a physicist, she would have said particle physics was her hobby.”

--North Hollywood author to a friend on the phone