The month of December apparently didn’t appreciate me speaking ill of it this past Monday, so it decided to give me a Round 2 rematch because it’s sadistic and could. It’s not enough there have already been fatalities in the last couple of weeks or that we’re expecting another passing in the next couple of […]
Keeper of the Flame
Keeper of the flame. It sounds important, doesn’t it? Well, I’m the keeper of the flame. Sort of in an unwilling way. Mom is HUGE into family history. I’m not. Mom is HUGE into printing it all out and putting it into books. I’m not. Mom is HUGE into talking about it. I’m not. And […]
The Recognition Admonition Explanation
Recognition is one of those oddities in life. Some people crave it, some people won’t give it, and some take it when it doesn’t belong to them. I’ve had jobs where my boss has taken credit for everything the staff has done, then not shared it, and I’ve had jobs where the boss has always […]
Discovering You’re Doing It All Wrong
Mom and I have been reading some books on Alzheimer’s and realizing these would have been helpful long before now. Oh, yes. I love reading up on suggestions from people who’ve already gone through this with loved ones only to discover we’re doing almost all of it wrong. How so? Because, as the book rightly […]
The Beautiful Lie (Or How To Get A White Guy To Shut Up)
Ever wonder how we’d live our lives if we knew from very early on everything we know now? Admit it. We’ve all thought about it. “I’d have gone to see this…I’ve have gone to do that…I’d have spent more time with this person…I’d have slept with all these people before they got old and ugly…I’d […]
Things I Learned Taking A Road Trip With An Alzheimer’s Patient
“Would you take me for a walk?” and “I’d appreciate it if we could go for a ride” are the two most common things I hear from my father these days. And like Richard Marx, he won’t give up until he’s satisfied. That’s a reference to a song by Richard Marx for all of you […]
It Seemed Like A Good Idea At The Time
My father may not have stormed the beach at Normandy like Teddy Duchamp’s dad allegedly did in Stand By Me, but he did serve in the military. I bring this up because there was a reunion this past weekend in Nashville for folks who served back then at a base in Germany. Mom really wanted […]
Confessions Of A Recently Semi-Finely Aged 42 Year Old
Birthdays have always been a big thing in my family. It would be easy to chalk it up to me being an only child and my parents overcompensating a bit, only my mother’s side of the family has always done them up with style, class and fun. I believe, perhaps, it had to do with […]
Excuse Me, Sweetie? You Look Like A Stuffed Sausage.
My father used to enjoy taking me to the mall when I was a teenager only because he didn’t feel the need to keep his sarcastic comments to himself. “Look at all these teenyboppers,” he’d mutter just loud enough to for me to hear. “What is up with that hair?” It was the eighties and […]
There’s One Thing You Didn’t Know About Me…
They move among you, quietly and not so quietly, breathing the same air, eating the same food, shopping at the same stores, watching the same TV shows and movies, working out at the same gyms, being managed by you, managing you, and pretending to be your neighbors, friends and/or family. You’ll never know that they’re […]
