Parade. Rain. Friends and family

Sunday around 1:00 I walked down to the park to catch the pride parade, camera in hand. Great fun. Nice folks all around. The main theme of the parade was equality in marriage laws. Many floats and costumes featuring weddings. The weather stayed beautiful and sunny for the entire parade. In almost perfect timing about 10 or 15 minutes after the parade passed through midtown the skies opened up and it rained for the rest of the day and evening. Monster and I hung out at Asada, which was nearly empty because of the constant downpour, drinking, eating and chatting with Liz at the bar. It was a chill-out night after the funeral saturday. The large part of his father's departure is over and the sorting out of his life and possessions will be going on for the next few weeks.

a long day

Last night, around 9PM, Mom phoned and said she was going with me and Dad to the funeral. She gave me a wake up call this morning at 7AM. I still managed to roll over and sleep another hour before getting up. Still made it to the house in good time to leave.

We showed up a bit early and ate lunch at the old family restaurant just up the street from the funeral home. It was an unchanged 60s style southern restaurant. Game trophies all over the walls and ceiling. Very clean, but the tables, cabinets and fixtures were obviously the same ones that had been there for the last 30 or 40 years. Very worn and with that patina from years of use. Mom and I got the vegetable plate. Dad had the smoked sausage dinner with lemon rice pudding for desert.

We went into the funeral home, signed the book for John's family, and looked at the family scrapbooks laid beside the casket. Then we waited on the divan in the hall for John and his mother to arrive. The funeral was conducted by the pastor of the Stephens family southern baptist church. A bit long winded and very fundamentalist. Dad nodded off twice during the sermon. Fortunately, when my father falls asleep, his head goes straight forward he's silent enough to make you think he's in prayer or meditation. I saw other nodding head that sorta went off to the side. It was a military funeral and graveside service. The most touching part to me was the folding of the flag. Mom said she was the most moved by hearing taps played. It is amazing how much my mother can talk to absolute strangers. As we got into the car and headed back, she seemed to know the complete history of the family and their friends. Dad did really well on the trip. I was quite happy to see how well he was for traveling. Once we got back to Smyrna, we stopped and went out to eat again for dinner before finally returning to their house. I changed into jeans and visited a while longer with them before heading home.

Talked to John a while on the phone when I got in. Made plans for his arrival tomorrow. Took a benedryl after being around the pups so long at my parents house. And now, with any luck, sleep will come soon.

It's a strange week here. Getting stranger.

Yesterday morning, John's father passed away. He'd been suffering from numerous illnesses for a long time. I told John last night I'd go to the funeral with him. I planned to get up early Saturday morning, drive to Pell City, Alabama to be with him and his family and drive home after the funeral to be back in Atlanta before dark. It's a two-hour trip each way.

This morning my father phoned apparently not long after he'd gotten up and informed me that he was going with me to John's father's funeral in Pell City, Alabama. I had not told my family I was already planning to drive there for it so that was not a influence in my father's thoughts. Personally, I don't really know if Dad is really up to four hours on the road in one day. He's been a bit out of breath these days. Taking a road trip alone with my Dad, something we've never done, at a time when his health is already delicate is really going to be a task.

Slow Day

Had two interviews scheduled this week, today and tomorrow. The interview today was for a marketing company in a sales trainee position. It was a long shot but might have been a good thing to learn about. The interviewer for Wednesday cancelled on me, unfortuntately. Hopefully more will phone and schedule me for later this week and next.

Hung out a home puttering around. Went out to EyeDrum in the evening to see the ongoing exhibit as well as live music performances. It was a good decision to get out and go where I could see something new and people present know me.

Thankful for a cool breeze

Fortunately, Saturday was much cooler and pleasant than I feared. We were under a shelter beside the lake and a cool breeze kept up all day. My grandmother had a great time. She was all smiles for everyone who came to celebrate her birthday with her. The family had the usual fare of fried chicken (though now from the grocery, not home fried - too many of us for that), deviled eggs, those strange hard sweet little pickles, fruit trays, etc.

Went by the new restaurant later that evening. Nick seems to be really enjoying working there. Joy was working her last regular night but planning to still come in occasionally. Ian is working the bar now. The whole Grateful Gluttons family is involved with the place. It 's really sweet and beautiful now.

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Happy 90th Birthday to my Grandmother

I've just been hanging out with old people and puppies and cable television. Spent most of today hanging out with my family, watching cable TV and doing laundry. Went out to eat at the Olive Garden and came back to the house stuffed on salad and grilled tuna. Came home. Checked email. Got a phone call from Murray in N.J. He's planning to come into Atlanta on or around July 4. Wants to start a business here with Larry, who is going to hell in a handbasket right now living with two other 40-something mooches in a sad middle aged version of the teen bachelor pad. Murray joining Larry: maybe something good - maybe something bad - we just don't know. Should be interesting. I have not bothered to tell him about my favorite Monster now taking up large portions of my life at the moment. I'll deal with listening to his usual response if he really does come down here. I am not taking him seriously nor do I want to at this point.

Speaking of ghosts from the past trying to suck the life blood out of decent folks, I wonder how J (who is still haunted by B) is doing lately. I really need to get in touch with her. It bothers me when she doesn't check in and let me know she's okay. I miss our coffee chat.

Happy Birthday today to my Grandmother Crowe, who is 90 years old.
Lets hope the outdoor family party my uncle and his wife have planned for her doesn't cause her or anyone else to die of heat-stroke this Saturday.

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Heat Stroke Weather

This has been the hottest day of the year so far. Its been that sort of unrelenting heat that promises to stick around all night long. I started wilting so badly today that Monster had to keep giving me iced water to drink and douse myself with. That did help a lot.

Last night we made it to Michael and Liz's new restaurant. It was an insane and incredibly sweet at the same time. Great food. Good atmosphere.

Makes a pretty good drink

For my after dinner refreshment I tried a mixture of red wine, orange juice and sprite. Actually pretty good. I wanted to make "Sandria" but I couldn't open the last bottle of orangina, left unopened by Monster in my refridgerator. I gotta have something in there for him to come back to.

Last week was insane. After a steady decline all week long, Big Daddy had a meltdown at work and was fired for insubordination when he decided to make the vice president of the company the object of his vent, at one point apparently following him into the press room to verbally abuse him.

This week has been unusually quiet and the workload has been lighter than usual. Makes you wonder where the problem was. Or if there's a storm of work and discontent brewing in a far away office.

My Memorial Day weekend

This weekend was mostly spent sleeping and eating. Alot. With very little physical activity inbetween. The sun drains all my energy and I could go out for half an hour and come back home to go comatose for an hour or two.

Tonight, Monster decided to stay in the city one more day since he was pretty drained today and probably not physically or mentally up for the drive. Cool with me. We fixed a big home-cooked meal together and he joined me tidying up things inside and outside the fortress of solitude tonight.

mimosa blossoms

This weekend every mimosa tree started blooming at once. By Saturday afternoon, trees that were invisible the previous day were covered with "cotton candy" flowers.