it’s been so terribly long, i haven’t the foggiest idea about where to begin and where to end, so i’ll do my best. or maybe just what i will call my best, but just merely what i consider adequate. or even just mildly acceptable. or just something written down here so people won’t complain. if anyone still reads this nonsense.
i guess that last time i posted, i was quickly approaching a vacation trip to the planet of my birth. so the Loops (she gets no links because the refuses to post anything, ever. well that and it looks like her blog was shut down for inactivity.) and i went to Seattle to visit people on both sides of our familes. She – her father, and me – every crazy relative i have that was close. my mother was there waiting for us at the airport. joy! she even took pictures of us in exciting postions, including pictures that could be labelled “getting the luggage” and “eating dinner”. yeah, because i know that personally, as a fat guy, i love seeing pictures of myself eating. it makes my year. thanks Mom!
we rented a pretty decent little s.u.v. that got around pretty well and proceeded to trek to ‘the isle’. of course, when we left the airport it was storming (surprise!) and the gps we had was on the fritz. after spending 15 minutes driving around, we stopped and got a map, and then the gps started to work. yay. at this point, my sister was driving, and only slightly tense and irritable. my mother was navigating, i was in the backseat smiling, and the Looper was busy with me in the back getting carsick. after too much stress, the sis let me take over, and for my hour plus behind the wheel, the skies cleared and the heavens smiled upon us all the way to paydirt.
i hadn’t seen my grandmother in years. when she saw me, she lit up and cried. and not the way people or small children normally cry when they see me, she was happy about it. the house was kind of crowded with an aunt and uncle there also, and more people in and out of there throughout the week. it was alot of people to handle, so i wasn’t too shocked when Loops started feeling overwhelmed. i felt bad, but there was not a lot i could do about it. just take here somewhere quiet, or away from the house, and let her breathe for a few. i found myself making many a trip out of the house for anything i could think of. not that i wasn’t itching to spend time with my family, but because that many people all at once was sensory overload.
everyone seemed to get along with and like my better half, which i knew wouldnt be a problem. i was pretty nervous about meeting her dad a few days in, but i tried not to think about it until it was there. which came soon enough. she and i went there, i bringing a gift of a OKC Thunder hat, which he seemed to like well enough. he even gave me a hat to take back in some sort of hat-swap. we later took a car ride to the top of a mini-mountain there, and i somewhat endeared myself to him when i ‘accidently’ tormented my better half momentarily with some fish. he was quite the knowledgeable tour guide, as was very sharp.
i also noticed a similarity or two between him and i, and not necessairly in a good way. without going into any detail, i decided i was going to try and watch myself, just to make sure i wouldn’t act in a certain way that would make me apologetic later. i stayed the night and tried to work through what allergies i was being tormented by. seriously, i’ve never had problems. the last few years, my sinuses explode. like bukake explode. it’s not pretty. we sat down and watched Hot Fuzz, and everyone seemed to have a decent time. in the morning, i had some coffee, watched some talk shows with her dad, and left to get back to my grandmothers house (leaving Loopy there for another day).
this was election day. and i can’t tell you what a relief it was to be somewhere friendly on it. people were generally in a good mood, with everyones eyes on the tv to see what was happening. much better than the panic in the streets that was no doubt happening in oklahoma. i think the final count was something akin to 66%-33% here for McCain. i think we just narrowly avoided a riot when people thought they’d have to take down their rebel flags. anyway, my family spent the night huddled in my grandmothers house, watching the end results and listening to Obama’s speech afterwards. i, being a giant raging pussy, got a little misty and had to walk around a little bit.
without Loops, my sister and i went-a-shopping the next day while there were doctors appointments. she was in the midst of trying to get a house sold from halfway across the country, and i was just trying to stay sane away from the older people in my fam. bought a few things that made me smile. a socktopus for Loops, a local newspaper and a st. anthony (the patron saint of bacon) figurine. i’m getting way too detailed here for no reason. my bad. i really have no clue what happened the next day or two before we spent a day in seattle shopping and being driven crazy by the family. the only ones that were constantly cool were my uncle and my cousin, the latter being good for a laugh when i needed it.
thankfully, i got to spend quite a bit of one-on-one time with my grandmother, which i was happy for. we discussed a few things i’d never thought to talk with her about, including religion. the moment we left is one i’ll never forget, and still try not to cry over. i was pulling us out of the driveway to make way to seattle and the airport. as we were pulling out, my grandmother went to her front door and just kind of watched us leave, looking heartbroken. it’s killing me to relive this long enough to type it. i stayed upset for quite awhile over that. i’m going to have that image burned into every memory of her.
we spent a day shopping in seattle before we flew back, complete with my mother. it was one of the most stressful, annoying days i’ve had in a long time. i was ready to go back home and to work after that day. it was a day where the kids had to don the mantle of adult, and the elder family members decided to show that even a little time spent together can be too much. the only real highlight for me was that i was lucky enough to visit the pro shop at quest field and stock up on seahawks gear.
ok, this is too much. i’ll end the update now.
