Hey there! It’s been a minute, right? I know, but as I said before, April kicked my ass and May is starting off with a bang.
First off, my dad got released from the hospital and I had to hightail it down to NM in a hurry. Luckily I had a free ticket on Southwest or Dad might have been SOL. Dad getting released from the hospital is a good news/bad news kind of a thing. I am glad he is home, where he feels more comfortable, can rest well, and has resources…like a phone. On the other hand, he is still really wobbly and not entirely with it, making me nervous. I don’t need to air my dad’s dirty laundry on the interwebs, but his condition is entirely of his making and has given a 67 year-old man the health and stamina of an 80 year-old. It was really hard to watch him struggle to remember, struggle to walk, be uninterested in everything, and try and concoct a story in his mind to make all of these now permanent changes okay. And, selfish daughter that I am, I was happy to help him, but happier to get home.
Okay and New Mexico? I know it is beautiful but I really have no idea why he moved there. It was freezing and he is always cold. Everything is 45 minutes away by car at least, and he hates driving, they are a vastly under-served population medically and he needs some really good medical care, and there is not much to do (especially for an old dude with a hip replacement and no athletic ability or a young lady in her 30’s, for that matter). I had to go to Walmart to buy a shower stool and some stuff for dad (I know, Walmart=evil. I am totally with you on that.) and the “greeter” referred to me as Mrs., as in “Good-bye, Mrs.!” with a big friendly wave while I was exiting the store. WTF? What happened to Ma’am? I am used to that at least. The feminist first second or third waves haven’t reached NM I guess.
I had to come home after only a few days because my trial for my taxi accident was yesterday. It was much sound and fury, signifying not a whole heck of a lot. They settled. They could have f-ing settled in 2008 and I wouldn’t have had to pay for two taped depositions and a bunch of lawyer stuff. But I will get a little less than half of what they settled for (after my lawyer takes 30%, I cover his fees, and we pay back my insurance company some of what they paid out) and that may cover my high interest debt, a laptop, and a small vacation. Yeah! I had to adjust my expectations because we started the day talking about $137,000 and I got nothing near that.
And then, last night! My cousin Brian came to town with his band Luce. He is the drummer. He is by far the coolest family I have and one of the nicest and coolest people I have ever met. He lives in San Fran and we don’t see each other much but it was great. And the band was awesome. They are very tight. Go to the website and download their new acoustic album. It’s one of those pay what you want, things, like Radiohead. He is getting married in 2011 in Tahoe and I JUST CAN’T WAIT! I offered him to Big A like a prize because after all the kerfuffle with my father, I wanted to show that I had some really fun and not sickly family. They seemed to dig each other.
My reading is this Sunday and Monday. I am excited but way behind on my responsibilities. I have two rehearsals and tech this week and then two readings. If you see me, offer me an espresso. I will need it.