Tuesday – 20 August 2024 I had a Stray Toaster a little while ago…
Leviticus 19:18 states:
“You shall not take vengeance or bear a grudge against any of your people, but you shall love your neighbor as yourself: I am the LORD.” (NIV)
The part of it that stuck in my head was “…you shall love your neighbor as yourself.”
There are no stipulations. There are no qualifiers. No ifs, ands, or buts.
“…as yourself.”
Period. Full stop.
I thought that I recalled another citation, so I looked it up. Lo and behold, Mark 12:28-31 states:
28 One of the teachers of the law came and heard them debating. Noticing that Jesus had given them a good answer, he asked him, “Of all the commandments, which is the most important?”
29“The most important one,” answered Jesus, “is this: ‘Hear, O Israel: The Lord our God, the Lord is one. 30Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind and with all your strength.’ 31 The second is this: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’ There is no commandment greater than these.”
And, there it is. Twice. Big as day and twice as bright. “Love your neighbor as yourself.”
Which (finally) leads me back to the aforementioned Stray Toaster…
Could it be that so many people today are unable to accept – let alone “love” – their neighbors (or anyone who is different from them, for that matter) because they don’t love themselves OR are unwilling to share that kind of love to someone other than themselves?
This is my first Mother’s Day without my mother. While that does make me a bit melancholy, there are three considerations that help soothe my spirit and make the day:
Consideration One I got to spend over fifty years with my mother. She was an amazing woman. No, she was a Force of Nature. Capital F. Capital N. All Diva.
Despite the fact that people said we were so much alike, we didn’t always agree on things. We definitely had our share of disagreements, arguments, and fights.
But, I never – EVER – questioned whether or not she loved me.
I could not have asked for a better mother.
Consideration Two I have been blessed with a cadre of wonderful bonus mothers. From my stepmother to those of either blood or bond, they all helped raise me – or, at least, keep me (more or less) in line – and have allowed me to benefit from their love and wisdom.
Consideration Three I get to help raise a pair of young ladies with the aid of Sara, who is a fantastically devoted and caring mother. I am delighted that they have her guidance and love as they grow.
And, so, I would like to wish all of the mothers among my friends and family a most Happy Mother’s Day. I hope that you are/were able to spend in the company of your loved ones or at least talk with them, across the miles.
Monday – 25 September 2023 My mother, Gwendelyn Bell, left the stage for the final time last night (Sunday, 24 September 2023).
She passed barely 24 hours after I last saw her. I was fortunately able to go home and spend time with her last week. We often think of things in terms of “The first time I…” With this, a portion of my life shifted to “The last time I…”
…heard her voice.
…watched and heard her play the piano.
…got a hug from her.
Looking back, I am thankful for all of those moments.
Gwen Bell was many things to SO VERY MANY people: Sister. Cousin. Wife. Grandmother. Aunt. Friend. Teacher. Mentor. Inspiration. And, surprising no one: She excelled at all of them. Her presence commanded attention when she entered a room. The respect she held from those around her was well earned.
But, there was one role that only my sister, Kristen, and I were blessed and fortunate enough to have her fill: Mother. And, in this too, she excelled. She nurtured us, pushed us to be our best, and above all, she loved us unconditionally. This isn’t to say that we always agreed – far from it – but even in our worse differences of opinions, at no time did I ever question whether she loved me.
She was a talented pianist whose style was definitive and distinctive. She never bragged about her talent, choosing instead to let her ability speak for itself. I noticed that certain flourishes in her playing were reminiscent of those of Nina Simone, one of her favorite artists. I also relatively recently learned that she once performed for then-Vice President Lyndon Johnson.
She also set an exemplary standard of selflessness and compassion. She never wanted anyone to ever feel left out or not good enough. She gave of herself without a second thought. This was readily apparent in her work as a teacher. For over forty years, she did not just teach students; she brought them together as extended family. If they needed something, the time of day or day of the week didn’t matter. They were her kids. She was not going to let them go without. No matter where life took them, whenever former students were in town, they came to see and spend time with her. If she had a concert and put out a call for alumni, they were there. Every. Time.
To say that her passing has left a void in many lives is a gross understatement. But, I am sure that if you were to ask anyone with whom she came into contact if the sadness we feel now is worth the time we got to spend with her, the answer would be an unequivocal, resounding “Yes.”
Sunday – 30 October 2022 Fifty-two trips around the sun, while simultaneously avoiding The Dark Lady’s embrace.
When it’s your 52nd birthday and you have a Ray Lewis #52 jersey, you wear the jersey!
I’d like to start off by thanking everyone who took time to wish me well on my birthday. It may seem like a small gesture, but I truly appreciate the thoughtfulness.
Oh… and let’s take care of the comic elephant in the room: DC used “The New 52” as their banner for their umpteenth reboot universe. And… it wasn’t… great. Different? Sure. Were there some decent things that came out of it? I’ll grant that, too. But, on the whole? Meh. But, using “The New 52” as a starting point for the next year? Brilliant. So, I’m liberating it in the name of the people! Sorry, Jim Lee. #sorrynotsorry
It’s been a good birthday extended weekend; I took Wednesday through Friday off. I mean, it’s one thing to take your middle-of-the-week birthday off, but who wants to turn right back around to go to work for two days and then get a weekend? Besides, that’s what vacation days are for, right? I also received two of THE BEST gifts ever from Team Diva: Vanessa painted a Green Lantern and Diana made a piece of embroidery
The most productive thing I did with most of the time was get back into something of a gym routine.
Three straight days in – and my usual Saturday morning two mile walk with Evie. It was good. And painful. And a little humbling – I can see what I used to be able to do in the gym; it’s going to take some work to get back there. The biggest hurdle is going to be figuring out how to fit gym time into the rest of my day. The nominally “best” thing I’ve come up with so far is to start my days about an hour earlier and hit the gym first thing in the morning. We’ll see how that shakes out.
Friday, Sara and I had 1-on-1 night with the ladies. This week was my time with Vanessa. She wanted to go bowling. So, I broke out my bowling bag and off we went. We bowled 2.8 games before our time was up. More importantly: We both had fun.
Saturday saw us getting a jump on weekend chores, errands, and other housework things. We also had friends and family over for cake, ice cream, and conversation. It was a great way to spend the evening.
Sunday, we headed to The Kinlands to pick pumpkins. Despite being the day before Hallowe’en, they had a great assortment of pumpkins and gourds from which we were able to select.
Back home for football… and installing a new porch light… and then, off to the in-laws’ for dinner and cookie decorating! And, next, home again, home again, jiggety-jig for pumpkin-carving and setting up a few decorations in the yard.
Tomorrow, it’s back to the grind… but I had a fantastic weekend, with just the right kind and amount of recharge to power through the next few weeks.
I look forward to seeing what the coming year brings.
News spread yesterday of the passing of Neal Adams, at the age of 80.
For those who don’t know, he was a legendarily famous artist and writer for both Marvel and DC, as well as his own studio. He championed creator rights and diversity in the field of comics. You may have seen some of his iconic work on such titles/characters as:
The X-Men;
Batman;
Superman, including:
Superman vs. Muhammad Ali, and
“Kryptonite Nevermore;”
Green Lantern/Green Arrow, including:
The controversial “My Ward Is a Junkie” comic (Issue 85), and
The creation and introduction of GL John Stewart (Issue 87);
The Avengers;
and dozens of others.
I had the fortune and privilege to meet him, while he was in town for that winter’s Salt Lake FanX. He did a signing even at Dr. Volt’s Comic Connection. I had a couple of comics signed and bought three prints of his work. The whole story can be read here.
The comics world has lost one of its great ambassadors and advocates. And, the world at large has lost a good man.
Happy Easter / Resurrection Sunday to those who celebrated it today. Wishing you all the peace, joy, love and hope that the day promises.
Today was the first holiday without my uncle.
Which means that it was also the first holiday on which he did not call to wish us well. There was a little bit of melancholy attached to that fact. But, that did not mean that it was a bad day. Far from it, in fact…
I spoke with my parents and two of my siblings.
There was an Easter egg hunt for the ladies.
We had a lovely late lunch/early dinner with Sara’s side of the family.
And Mario Kart. Because, with the advent of the newly-released – or, at least, recently-released – tracks, there’s a renewed enjoyment of the game for Team DiVa.
For those who are interested, below is the tribute I wrote for my uncle’s memorial.
I meant to post this a week ago, when I got back from North Carolina, but Life, the Universe, and Everything (along with a heaping helping of “I just forgot”) conspired to keep me from doing so.
Good day and, on behalf of our family, thank you for your thoughts, your prayers, and most importantly: your time. We appreciate that you have come to share with us as we celebrate the life of Dr. Ronald Joseph Smith.
Many tributes will tell you of the accolades of the recently departed. This is not that tribute.
Instead, I am here to tell you about the MAN behind the DOCTOR.
Ron Smith was my uncle. My Godfather.
But, more than that: He was my friend.
He had a magnetic personality and knew no strangers. And, if you knew him, you also know that his laughter filled rooms.
He was a man of faith. He served many roles in and was beloved by the congregation and clergy in his home church. This was no more evident than when word of his passing reached a former priest – now a bishop – he said that he would clear his calendar to attend his memorial in New York…. coming from his current post in Africa.
He believed in and strove for excellence. In his life. In his work. He also sought it in, from, and for the people around him.
He loved the works of Beethoven, finding perfection in the structures of his music.
He is the man the one who suggested – in the middle of the eye of a hurricane – that we go out to pick up a pizza.
He’s a man who faced and embraced his fears. He called me after completing a drive down California’s Route 1. He was audibly shaken. He set aside any pretense of ego and asked me to meet him in California and help him drive across country. I don’t recall “why,” but I didn’t. And he also enjoyed never letting me live that down.
He would call me and my family every couple of weeks, to make sure that we never lost touch with each other and that our family bonds remained strong. And, depending on when he called, he might also rub in a Steelers’ win over the Ravens.
He may be gone from us, but I also know that he is still here.
There is a saying that my Jewish friends use upon the passing of a loved one: “May his/her memory be a blessing.”
There are many phrases in the Jewish tradition that address death in different manners, but they also focus only on the dead or only on the living.
“May their memory be a blessing” speaks to both. It comforts the mourners and honors the memory of those they mourn. It is an active statement that people offer to one another, wishing something for the dead while at the same time acknowledging and maybe easing the pain of the living. It’s not a descriptor. It’s not a sharing of information. It is, itself, a kind of blessing. It’s a kind of injunction. It wishes not only that when the living think about those who have died, they do so with warmth and joy. It also offers the possibility that the lives of the dead serve as a blessing, marking the ways those lives have mattered and continue to matter in this world, even if they are no longer in it.
In closing, I challenge you to embrace your fears. Laugh and bring laughter to others. Keep your faith. Strive for excellence. Keep and be strong in your faith. Love your family.
December is two-thirds over. It’s almost time for a visit from a certain figure who has been called “jolly” and classified as an “Elf,” although almost all of the Frost Elves I’ve ever seen have a slightly more pale – almost bluish – complexion.
But, let’s face it: All racial types have outliers. So, I guess it isn’t really “a thing.”
Speaking of which: If you’re not familiar with Neil Gaiman’s short story “Nicholas Was,” go find and read it.
Today started with brunch with some of the Clitorati. We were originally going to go to Prohibition, but as we didn’t have a reservation – and didn’t want to wait for 60-ish minutes for a table, we wound up at the Factory of Cheesecakes. And there was coffee. And mimosas. And coffee.
Our conversation covered many topics, including (but not limited to):
Movies.
Television.
Alcohol.
Politics.
The Politics of Alcohol in Utah.
Parenthood.
I’ve missed these conversations – even when we disagree on points – because we tend to have our perspectives broadened by entertaining different viewpoints.
After that, I tried to track down a battery to replace the one in our garage door opener. It was a failed attempt, despite the all-knowing Google telling me that a vendor near home had one. BAH. Fortunately, I found another vendor that carried it and Sara was able to pick it up while running an errand.
The afternoon wrapped up with me watching an NFL battle between the Green Bay Packers and the Ravens. The Packers won… by one point… marking the second time in three weeks that the Ravens have lost by trying to win on a last-ditch two-point conversion. Not the call I would have made, but there’s probably a good reason (or dozens of them) that I’m not coaching in the NFL. And it is surprisingly easy to coach from the safety and comfort of an armchair.
Stray Toasters
I’ve been watching Arcane: League of Legends over the past couple of weeks. I have not played LoL, so this was an introduction to the world of the game. I was taken by the animation style and the world-building they did over the course of the nine episodes of the first season.
I also recently finished Masters of the Universe: Revelation. I watched episodes of the original He-Man and the Masters of the Universe growing up, but it was more “something to have on” than “I LOVE THIS SHOW!” And, the old cartoon was also part of the “Every show has to have a poignant lesson for kids” cavalcade of shows.
Revelation, however, was a solid, well-written and well-cast show. That didn’t pull punches. Nor did it try to be the original show… much to the obvious chagrin to many old-school die-hards. (What I really wanted to say there was “People who can’t get out of their own way and past their own head-canon to enjoy something new.” But that would have been a little harsh. Not as harsh as “Whiny people – mostly guys – who are mad that it isn’t exactly the same as their power-fantasy childhood nostalgic favorite cartoon,” but you get the gist.)
A commercial for the new Matrix movie just came on, and I’m wondering why it wasn’t just called Matrix: Rebooted.
I guess that I should also mention that I saw Spider-Man: No Way Home last week. There was A LOT to take in. Yes, there is something that I wasn’t 100% happy with – and have found that a friend agreed with me on that point – but I really liked the movie. It hit all the right beats and lived up to its hype. And more importantly, it surprised me in places. Well done, Sony and Marvel. Well done.
Tuesday – 09 November 2021 Today, I had the opportunity to volunteer/chaperone for Team DiVa’s class, as they participated in the Junior Achievement City “BizTown.”
JA BizTown combines in-class learning with a day-long visit to a simulated town. This popular program allows elementary school students to operate banks, manage restaurants, write checks, and vote for mayor. The program helps students connect the dots between what they learn in school and the real world.
There was an additional bonus: The girls had NO IDEA that I’d be there.
That was a definite #win.
Both ladies were the CEOs of their respective businesses:
Diana…
…CEO of Smith’s Marketplace
Vanessa…
…CEO of Zion’s Bank
I didn’t work with either of the ladies. I was assigned as a volunteer in City Hall. I worked with the Mayor (CEO), Town Treasurer (CFO), Attorney, Two Account Executives, and a DJ.
City Hall
City Employees
Twenty businesses were represented, ranging from retail, food services, utilities, a school district, news and television outlets, and even sports. Each business started the day by taking out a loan from one of the two banks; kids were then responsible for making sure that their businesses made money, paid payroll, created and/or paid invoices, and more. Businesses could also create ads to run on the radio or television – which created revenue for the media outlets and hopefully turned into awareness – and sales – for the business featured in the ad.
The morning opened with an opening meeting and remarks from the Mayor, along with speeches from a few of the business’ CEOs. Diana, gave one of the opening speeches.
Diana’s Opening CEO Speech
One of the things that I wasn’t aware of until the day was over: She didn’t have a script for her speech. (There WAS a script for her speech, but her volunteers didn’t tell her to bring it. *facepalm*) She ad-libbed her entire opening, based on things she heard from some of the CEOs who spoke before her! She was so calm and cool about it that I – and I’m sure no one else, aside from possibly the JA staff – had no idea that she was going completely off-the-cuff with her remarks.
After the speeches, it was off to the proverbial races!
At first, it was a little like herding cats – this was largely due to the amped-up energy of the kids, trying to figure out what to do and how to do it. (As volunteers, we were there to support and guide, not to do the jobs for them.) Some things were done “a little” out of order. Some things got overlooked, until someone realized that something was missing. But, after a while, they got the hang of things and the day, while hectic and a bit frenetic, moved along nicely.
The day ended with a closing meeting, during which Vanessa gave one of the CEO speeches.
Vanessa’s CEO Closing Speech
In all, it was a great event and I was glad to have been part of it. I was also incredibly proud of not only the ladies, but also of the City Hall employees and how well they did.
Tuesday – 13 July 2021 This has been an interesting day.
I woke up this morning to the sound of the coffee maker making coffee. However, the thought process that accompanied hearing that went more like this:
Why is the coffee pot on so early… on a Saturday?!
I decided to let it go, rather than to get up and stop it and restart it later. We’d just have to deal with twice-baked coffee.
Reality settled in a few moments later, a little sadly. I got up and started the day.
Fast forward to noon: We’re having a Teams-based training session, that I had to support. #LifeInIT About thirty minutes before the meeting, I went to Crown Burger (local, family-owned chain) to pick up lunch. Since it was National French Fry Day, potato-y goodness was in the forefront of my mind. And a pastrami burger seemed like a good counterpart for it.
I got back to the office, joined the meeting, muted my mic, and made sure that my camera was off. And then began to eat.
In order to make things easier to organize on my computer’s desktop, I lifted my laptop lid to rearrange screens. Almost immediately, I received three (3) messages, all basically saying the same thing: I want french fries, too!
Nine Hells…
I’d neglected to check to see if opening my laptop screen would cause the camera to automatically activate. (It did.) And, thus roughly two-hundred people had the opportunity to watch me shoveling french fries into my mouth. (It wasn’t quite that gluttonous an event, but you get the gist.)
Once I realized what happened, I ran through a short and semi-panicked checklist to see if I’d done anything untoward after opening my laptop (I hadn’t) and shut down the camera. Mischief managed, I resumed eating. And quietly thanked God and the rest of the Heavenly Host that I hadn’t leaned in for a bite of my burger. My big thought – after realizing that I hadn’t done anything truly embarrassing – was: If people watching me stuff fries in my face was the worst thing that happens to me today, I’m fine with that. And, let’s be honest: All things considered, it was a fairly innocuous thing to have caught on camera. And it actually makes me laugh, when I think about how it must have looked to everyone.
Fast foward again to this evening… We’ve extended Team DiVa’s bedtime to 9:00 PM in the past couple of months, with a caveat: They can stay up until nine, but they have to be in their room and can read in bed. Typically, one of them will ask Sara to join them. Tonight, I got called up to the big leagues! Vanessa asked me if I’d read with her. I was delighted to do so. It also gave me the opportunity to finally start in on a book that I’ve had for months: Ta-Nehisi Coates’ The Water Dancer. I’m about twenty pages in, but I’m liking it.
Hopefully, Sunday Wednesday won’t be quite as eventful.
Sunday – 06 June 2021 Kids can delightful, laughter-inducing angels of joy.
They can also be emissaries from the deepest pits of Hell.
And sometimes they can be both, within a matter of minutes. Seriously. The change can be as fickle and swift as the direction from which the wind blows.
Something that people – usually those who’ve had a kid or two before you – neglect to tell you is about the vigor with which kids sometimes glom onto new things, like toys, games, TV shows, or music.
Our ladies are BIG FANS of the L.O.L Surprise Dolls line of toys, for example.
And, NO, I’m not giving them flak for that, given that I have an ever-growing collection of dollsaction figures “photography subjects.” I’m self-aware enough to realize how hypocritical that would be.
Likewise, they have become big supporters of our Nintendo Switch, especially when they ask me to play The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild.
And when I say “ask me to play,” I actually mean “get me to play so that they can tell me what to do/where to go in the game.”
I won’t even go into how they’ve binged TV shows that catch their interest, but I will say that I had NO IDEA how many “magical girl,” Sailor Moon-esque series there were and I’m sure that we’ve only barely scratched the surface there.
And, music…? Same brand, different flavor.
I should have known that something was up when I started listening to Jungle’s Busy Earnin’ and they effectively put it on solid repeat on our smart speaker.
But I didn’t.
Perhaps I should have gotten a clue when they did the same thing with Just Loud’s Soul Train.
Nope.
Ghostbusters (I’m Not Afraid), by Fallout Boy? Still nope.
Sucker, by the Jonas Brothers? I might have started to get an inkling of an idea. Maybe.
What can I say, I’m a slow learner sometimes.
The Weeknd’s Blinding Lights?
Okay, by this time, I finally managed to find two brain cells to rub together and come up with “a clue.”
Their latest infatuation has been Dua Lipa. Mostly Levitating…
…but they have branched out a bit and will just tell the smart speaker to shuffle her songs. And it’s not just playing her songs, but randomly breaking out into song, like they’re on Fame or in Enchanted. Repeatedly.
At this point, I might as well just save some money and quit my Spotify and Amazon Music subscriptions because I have in-home, stereophonic singing. On repeat. Sometimes with the added benefit of dancing.
Monday – 26 April 2021 As I write this – 34,000 feet above… wherever I am… I am reflecting on the whirlwind of the past weekend.
A few weeks ago, I received my second COVID-19 vaccination. At the time that I had scheduled it, Sara suggested that I should go visit my mother. I couldn’t fault her logic and that’s what I did. Among other things.
I flew into BWI Thursday afternoon, arriving much later than planned, thanks to a mechanical issue with my outbound flight.
I had made plans with three of my Godparents’ kids – and my three oldest friends – to meet up at our aunt’s house as a surprise to her. It’s been over 15 years since the four of us have been in the same place at the same time. Unfortunately, my flight delay caused me to miss seeing one of them. But, the surprise for my aunt worked all the same, as she didn’t connect the dots as to why three of “her kids” just showed up so unexpectedly. (I later found out that she had attributed the arrival of two of them to having recently talked with their mother.) When I showed up, she was surprised. Again. She even asked if I knew that the others would be there. I smiled and simply told her, “I told them to be here.” It was great to see everyone.
Leaving there, I took “the back way” from her house to my father’s. I knocked on the door and my father answered. I told him that I thought I might have taken a wrong turn somewhere. He laughed at that and ushered me into the house. Surprise #2: CHECK!
Years ago, when my paternal grandmother was alive, I’d occasionally drive from North Carolina to West Virginia to visit her for the day. I’d often arrive unannouced, so that she wouldn’t go to a lot of trouble preparing lunch for me. (Surprising no one, she still wound up feeding me well whenever I did that.) Since I’d showed up unexpectedly in Baltimore, I figured that I could get away with a light something to eat. My father is most definitely my grandmother’s son. Within minutes, he’d prepared a meal of mashed potatoes, green beans, chicken, sweet potatoes, and rice. Again, I ate well.
The next morning I woke up – perhaps a bit more leisurely than I had originally intended – and watched the finale of “The Falcon and the Winter Soldier.” I had some speculation as to how the series might/should end and had decided to prepare the day’s #CapesAndCoffee Instagram post to reflect that. I also posted it Thursday night, so that they were still firmly in the “fan speculation” camp, rather than the “Spoilers, Sweetie…” camp.
After getting ready, I stopped by my Godsister, Tammy’s, house and basically told her “Get in, Loser. We’re going to North Carolina for the weekend. She needed some time away, after dealing with the recent loss of her mother. She fought me for a while, but eventually decided to go, after her husband agreed that a change of pace might do her good.
The drive to NC was good. And slow. Construction traffic slow. Extra hour-and-a-half construction traffic slow. Fortunately, I had Tammy with me. We gabbed the whole way down.
We arrived at my mother’s just as they were getting ready for dinner. The look of surprise on her face as she saw the two of us at the dinner table was priceless and easily worth all the Secret Squirrel-like efforts it took to keep my trip a secret.
Saturday, I drove into Greensboro to meet my friend, Don, for lunch. While waiting, I stopped in to visit my old comic shop stomping grounds, Acme Comics. It was fun to be in familiar (though updated and different) surroundings. When Don walked in, the manager immediately recognized him and we all chatted for a bit.
Our original lunch choice had a longer wait than either of us wanted, so we went to Mac’s Speed Shop – a barbecue place. The food was good, but again, the company was better. Over lunch, I noted to Don that we actually met 31 years ago (plus or minus a couple of weeks) from this weekend. At Acme Comics. Trippy.
After we parted ways, I ran an errand for my sister and headed home. On the way, I called William, a friend with whom I also hadn’t seen/spoken with in a while. As we chatted, I remembered that he lived on the way back to Mom’s… if I changed my course a little. So I did. As I got nearer to the address that I remembered, I realized something: He’d moved in the past few years. Bugger. I didn’t remember “where” that was, although I knew that it was in the same rough area. I pulled off the road I was on, into a cul-de-sac, to get the new address. As I pulled further into the circle, I saw a truck. With the logo of the company William works for on the side. That’s right, serendipity and/or dumb luck put me at his front door.
I went in and saw William, his wife, and his youngest son… whom I hadn’t seen since he was roughly Team DiVa’s age. I also noted to William that we’d met 31 years ago, when he worked at Acme. William then called his daughter, my Goddaughter Britney (so named long before Ms. Spears became a household name) and turned the phone in my direction. She told me to hold on, she was coming over, as she only lived a few miles down the road. I hadn’t seen her in about the same number of years. She also introduced me to her husband and toddler. (I told William that he must be getting old.) It was yet another good reunion.
Back home to hang out with the family. I also installed a new shower head (the errand). We watched part of the memorial for DMX, which was something of a hot mess. And by “something,” I mean “totally.” We used Mortal Kombat as a palate cleanser. It was, as Don had called it, “big, dumb fun.”
Sunday afternoon saw Tammy and me back on the road, heading home. She admitted that she didn’t realize just how good that was for her and how much she needed it. She even told me that I won that round. I told her that I wasn’t trying to win, I was just trying to help.
The drive back was marred by the revelation that my old familiar stop in Richmond – Friendly’s Restaurant – was no longer there. (There are actually NO Friendly’s in Virginia these days, apparently. Mood: CRUSHED. I was able to ease the pain with a chocolate-dipped cone from the Dairy Queen one exit further up the road. Traffic then got a bit dodgy, not because of construction, but because of a couple of accidents. It wasn’t as stop-and-go as the construction traffic on the way to North Carolina, but it did go from freeway speed to 45 MPH more than “a few” times.
After dropping Tammy off, I called a cousin with whom I hadn’t spoken in far too long. He was at his sister’s house, not far from my father’s… so I stopped in to see them both.
Turns out that we haven’t seen each other in over 15 years! This was also made evident as I was introduced to two of my second cousins, both of whom had been born in that time.
Back home. More food.
This morning, I got ready, packed, and took my father – my stepmother wasn’t up for it – out to breakfast at Miss Shirley’s. I had a delicious omelet with lump crab meat. Crab. Not Krab. Straight out of the bay. Did I mention that it was delicious? Because, it was. I dropped Dad back at home, said “Goodbye” to the parents and headed back to the airport.
But, wait! There’s more!
My flight to Salt Lake City had a stopover in Detroit. I got to see Amy – former Utah resident and Evie’s breeder – for the first time in five years!
She brought a very tasty gyro and coffee(!) with her. We didn’t have a lot of time to spend, but it was great to see her.
Back to the airport and on to SLC. At this point, we’re about forty-five minutes from landing.
To say that this was a good weekend would be a horrible understatement. Seeing my mother was the main point of this trip. Sure, I’ve been able to see and talk with her online, but to BE there and talk with her was on an entirely different level. Add to that the fact that I was able to:
Surprise BOTH sets of parents…
AND surprise my aunt (not just me, but also with the others!)…
AND see so many other family members and friends…
AND be able to give my grieving Godsister a couple days’ respite and breathing room?
All of these things together were a great balm for the mind, body, and soul.
Saturday – 23 January 2021
I spent a bit of last evening chatting with my brother-in-law, John, and my nieces. We hadn’t chatted in many months, possibly not since before the pandemic hit.
It was fun to be able to see/hear of my Niece 1’s advances into geeky nerd-dom, which I fully support. During one part of our chat, she asked about the action figures visible on shelves on the wall behind me. There was a lot of “Wow…,” as I showed her those and explained to her that there were even more in the bookcase below the shelves. At one point, she noted that Black Widow was her favorite figure; I went to pull out two figures (classic comic and Endgame versions) and with a total pre-teen deadpan, she said, “Uncle Rob… don’t flex on me.” Which cracked me up.
Niece 2 perked up at this point, asking me if I had THIS figure and THAT figure. I showed her the ones she asked for. She was happy.
The Niece 3 was delighted just to show me her Baby Yoda and to inform me that it was “Upside-down Day,” as she rotated the iPad they were on so that she would appear upside-down. I also got to explain to her where Venom came from and how he was “related” to Spider-Man.
Niece 1 may have gotten a bit of flexing revenge as we were closing out our conversation and I was talking with John. She asked if I played “Breath of the Wild” and I told her that I didn’t have a Switch. She just walked away with a grin. I’ll give her that one. This time.
It was nice to have an opportunity to see and chat with them, as they are far away and schedule alignment doesn’t always work out.
