29 January 2001
A lively weekend. Sortof.
Friday evening, Matt and I arrived at my parents' house for dinner to find my father sitting on the couch with a look that was both bemused and startled.
He had only just in the previous few hours, he said, come to the realization that really, if he and mom were willing to do without a few luxuries they'd been planning on - like a new car and a cruise vacation - they could probably get by pretty well on Mom's retirement pension and his unemployment check.
Of course, they'd still like those luxuries, so he's still looking for a job - but at least now he can be a little choosy, and he doesn't feel like he has to take the first shitty job that he's offered. (Perversely, the lack of desperation around his edges probably makes it more likely he'll actually find something.)
I'm relieved he's feeling a little more positive about his future.
Saturday was Matt's 7th Sea game. We were all feeling a little silly and punchy, and I was beginning to think we'd never actually get started, but we even actually finished the adventure. We even managed to defeat the final Villian without any of us getting killed! (Matt told me later he didn't even fudge any rolls for us - but it was getting pretty close!)
During the game, the mail arrived, and in the mail was a package from my brother. It contained a silly computer game - parodying (is that a word?) Star Wars. There was no note explaining why they sent it to us. No other letter in the mail, nothing jotted on the mailing envelope... But the handwriting was definitely John's.
Early Sunday afternoon (giving John time to sleep in a little and then get up, since he's three hours behind us) I called him. It turns out that he and Sam had duplicate copies, and since it had been purchased at a dollar store, and they'd enjoyed it quite a bit, they thought they'd send it to us as a surprise.
Wotta guy, my brother.
We chatted for about half an hour - it probably would have been longer (my brother and I both like to talk a lot) but his gaming group had started arriving, and I had to get to work making chili for our Super Bowl party. But while we were talking, I wished John luck on his job interview this week (everyone please keep your fingers crossed for him - I think he's getting awfully tired of living with his in-laws...) and reassured him about Dad, and told him about my contemplation of teaching as a profession. He made some suggestions and gave me a little bit of an idea of what to expect from the licensure exams.
The Super Bowl party - such as it was - started around 5:00. Jeremy and Elizabeth arrived first, and Braz and Kris followed soon thereafter. I'd invited K.T. to join us, but she rarely does anything social when Kevin can't come (he was working; I didn't deliberately snub him) and I suspect she doesn't like coming to our house much anyway.
It's probably just as well. The football was boring, and aside from one or two glimmers, the commercials were pretty awful. (If you're going to pay two and a half million dollars for thirty seconds of air-time, don't you think you'd come up with something a little more captivating or amusing? Sheesh.) Kris, who was tired and had a lot of work to do, had Braz take her home early. Jeremy and Elizabeth confessed to being sleepy and left before Braz came back.
Oh, well. Everyone seemed to enjoy the part of the party we actually had any control over - which is to say, the chili.
Once Braz came back, the three of us decided to give up on the game - the good commercials are always pretty early, anyway - and watch a couple of Muppet Show episodes.
This stomach problem is starting to irritate me. It came back Saturday during the 7th Sea game - I spent a whole round of combat with my arms over my head, panting like a woman in labor. And it returned again this morning while I was in the shower, and lasted a little longer this time, maybe fifteen minutes.
If it was two inches higher, I'd think it was heartburn. Maybe it still is, though I took two Tums before I went to bed last night. I'm worried that it's an ulcer. But of course, worrying about an ulcer is sortof like pouring salt on a wound.
I tripped over the weekend and slammed my injured finger into the edge of the couch, and it didn't seem to have healed much at all for ten days of taping, so I suspect I'll be back in my doctor's office in another week anyhow - I guess I'll ask about these pain then.
Jeez, I'm not even thirty yet!
Word of the Day:
plaintiff - a person who brings legal action
Currently Reading:
- The Macintosh Bible by Sharon Aker
- Taliesin by Stephen Lawhead
Current Projects:
- Kris' afghan
- placemats