Well, I think the fortune cookie was wrong, because every day this weekend was fantastic for it’s own reason.
Friday was great because I got to help make a fantastic homemade Italian meal at DD’s house and watch the Godfather in its entirety for the first time. I know how to make Ravioli from scratch! I still need to acquire DD’s grandmother’s pasta recipe, and the required tools to roll pasta, etc. etc. The food was amazing (ravioli, cannoli, wine, wine, and… more wine). As for the Godfather Part I, even though I think I had seen most of it before, it was great to see it in its entirety. The problem is that Brando was the best part of it for me, so I’m not as excited to see Part II & III. However, I will be excited to enjoy more homemade Italian…
Saturday was great because I got to spend the morning/afternoon doing things for myself and then a rock’n good time with Mister Miyagi. Honestly, I wasn’t expecting much from the band. I mean, how can one band cover the entire 80’s? Well, apparently one can! It was one of those nights where you got to hang out with some of the best people you know while dancing your ever loving ass off. And nothing makes me happier than shake’n tail. It’s been a long while since I had that much fun out, mostly because the people I was with were crazy fun dancers.
And today… well, it was great. I got to catch up with friends/family on the phone and spend the afternoon out in Ballard with Andy. We hit up the farmer’s market and grabbed a cup of coffee. Nothing really out of the ordinary or special, but that’s kinda what made it great.
And now back to work… and there’s less than two weeks until I leave for Prague! Yikes!
I went out for Indo-Chinese food on Tuesday and got a fortune cookie at the end of the meal which I pocketed. I opened it the next day around noon. The fortune: “Tomorrow will be a five star day for you! Enjoy!”
This brings up an dilemma. Was yesterday supposed to be the five star day, or today? If it was yesterday, well, then apparently fate’s definition of a five star day and mine are completely different. That’s because yesterday was a completely overwhelming day of wow I have more to do than one human can possibly do… which doesn’t really end when the sun goes down, so that’s bound to be today as well. But, if the fortune is correct, then I’ve got something to look forward to… doubtful, but something has gotta shine the light at the end of the work day. For me, that’s going out with friends for a drink tonight. I can settle for that being a my current definition of a 5 star day.
Speaking of definitions: I defined a word. familificating. It’s what I did last weekend hanging out with my parents: “the act of chillaxing with your family.” I originally thought it would be a googlewhack… but I didn’t realize the definition was “two words that return a single result”. It’s a fun game to play if you have the time. Apparently due to my creative spelling or complete unusefulness of the word, familificating only returns a single result on google.
Speaking of family: mine is awesome. I had a great time with my parents… the best part of the weekend was, of course, spending time with them. But the highlight was that they got to meet my closest friends here in town. Oh, and going to see Mamma Mia!was absolutely super. The show was amazing. How can you not love 2 hours of ABBA?! I was really impressed with the creativity of the set design (two movable walls that were mechanically moved between scenes… each new arraignment made for a new affect and a new location, very well done) and the cast did a super job. It made me wonder, walking away, was I supposed to be more attracted to the mother or the daughter?? Because, damn, it was a hard call! I guess that’s how I know I’m getting old… when the 30-something actress playing the mom is hotter than the 20-something daughter.
This post was brought to you by the letter ‘q’, the number ‘5′, and the Society of the Need to Post Pointless Crap.
Pa passed away peacefully this morning. I really appreciate the thoughts and concern that all of you have shown to me this week. It was a little tough being at work today, particularly because most of my coworkers knew why I was away and would ask how things were, went, etc. They would say things like “I hope you had a good trip” and “I hope things worked out”. I appreciate their good intentions, but it’s hard to say “he died” without making them feel bad for asking.
I’m doing alright, however. I would rather be with my family right now, but that’s just not possible so I’m dealing with it other ways. Mostly I’ve been thinking a lot about the life that Pa led, and how much he meant to our family and his friends. He lived an amazing life. He served in a World War, raised a strong family, continual gave back to his community by volunteering, and always took care of others and never wanted to be a burden to anyone. He was active in his church, the American Legion, volunteered as a school crossing guard, and spent hours at the local nursing home visiting residents up until the last year or so. At 93, the majority of those he was visiting were younger than him! He was quite the man. I hope that I can look back on a life that was fulfilling and meaningful as his.
DD has made a believer out of me wrt pre-flight adult beverages. More specifically, the fun that can be had meeting people in airport bars.
It’s not so much that drinking is required or even desirable before I get on an airplane; I’ve never been so much as tipsy on a flight. But today, after having no sleep, needing food, I bellied up to the bar and let the very entertaining Marge serve me food and a beer whilst waiting to get airborne.
Marge is the kind of woman that instantly sizes you up and decides to give you shit because she knows you can take it, which is always fun. So me, and the random couple en route to Key West, took the medicine that Marge doled out and did so with smiles. The Key West Couple almost missed their flight, resulting in me having a free drink in my hand that they didn’t get the chance to even start…
Yes, it’s going to be a good flight.
It’s almost 5am here which means I need to be getting on the road back to STL so I can catch my flight back home. I’ve been up most of the night with my aunt Sue and cousin Lori at the hospital. Not much has really changed with Pa. It is a waiting game wherein the victor has been predetermined, but we want him to have family at his side up until the very last.
It’s times like these when I realize just how wonderful my family is, and how lucky we are to have each other. We’ve had the chance to reminisce together. We have talked about the good times. We’ve cried together. We’ve sat together in silence. We’ve done the things that people who love each other do in times like this, none of it is really out of the ordinary. It is precisely because it is not out of the ordinary for us that I feel so very lucky. If I were inclined to religious thoughts, I’d say we were blessed.
I’m glad that I had the time and freedom to come home, even if it was for a short time. It will be hard not to be here for the funeral, but it was better to come and say my goodbyes to Pa while he is still here.
So, here I go again on another full day of traveling…
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