21 November 2003

Update-a-Rama

Well, the first week at the New Job was great. The people who work there are amazing. They put out a little �New Faces� newsletter with personal information about me - stuff I volunteered, like favorite movies and hobbies and whatnot - and people stop by my office to talk to me about my answers. It feels like they really care. Such a change from the Old Job. I�m very happy.

The wedding a week ago was wonderful. My friend Sally made the most beautiful bride ever, the food and drink were delicious and voluminous, and I danced so much that my feet hurt until Wednesday. This was the first wedding I have ever been to where I cried my eyes out. A lot. I cried as I walked down the aisle, as Sally and Dan exchanges vows, when I gave my Maid of Honor speech. I also cried that morning as we sat in the salon side by side, Sally and me, and got our hair and make-up done. I am so happy for her, and for her husband. They are amazing people and I want the best for them.

My family was supposed to come to my place and celebrate Thanksgiving here this coming week, but once again we�ve had to cancel those plans. Last year my family was set to head here for that holiday as well, and we cancelled a week prior. My parents have yet to see my new apartment (they�ve seen every other place I have ever called home), and despite the fact that I am in my 30s and quite capable of taking care of myself, mom and dad don�t feel I am safe until they see my neighborhood for themselves. They are chomping at the bit to check out my neighbors and the distance between my place and the nearest church and police station.

This time last year my brother announced he was entering rehab, so Thanksgiving was cancelled, for all intents and purposes, and I had take-out Chinese food and spent the day in silence at the parent�s house, with my brother going through detox 100 miles away. It was a painful holiday filled with fear, guilt, sadness and anger � and no booze, because my mother decided no one should ever drink again if Peter was not able to.

This year I made reservations at the same inn as last year, and prepped my place for a family visit. A week ago my parents let the bomb drop that my father was going in for surgery to have his gallbladder removed and that they were unsure of when he�d be coming home. Thanksgiving cancellation #2 and family crisis #22 in the last 10 years. Dad�s gone under the knife in the last 10 years more than Joan Rivers and Michael Jackson combined, but for actual medical reasons, so he is understandably less than enthusiastic about this event. Also, every surgery he�s had has gone horribly wrong. What was to have been a 3 day stay always turned into 15 days in the hospital with 10 days being spent tied to a bed with an attendant present at all time, hallucinating Civil War soldiers who were telling him to run to Vicksburg because he was needed by his country. It�s funny now, but when your father is telling you to grab his musket and get his pants so he can �get those goddamn Rebs� it�s not funny. Ok. It is a little.

Mom�s also going under the knife this coming week. She has a cataract that she�s disowning, and she�s quite calm about it right now. Since she�ll also be out of commission this year for Thanksgiving, my brother and I have agreed to cook the dinner at my parent�s house. I have the local Chinese delivery phone number programmed into my cell just in case we fuck it all up. Let it be known that I can barely heat soup without supervision, so the concept of me cooking a turkey and the fixings for four cracks me up.

If my mom wears an eye patch to dinner, my dad yells about Gettysburg, or my brother makes us watch �28 Days� with Sandra Bullock, it will be a worthwhile holiday on many levels.

So there�s my random update. Stay tuned for something with a theme.