I started writing a post about this weekend, but it wasn't coming together, so perhaps this more non-specific title post will help me move things along. So far so good...two sentences already.
I went out to Geneva, IL this past Saturday to celebrate my Aunt Gert's 90th birthday. Ninety years. That's a long, long time to be alive. I'm 37 now and it feels as if my life is just about over, so I'm not sure how one gets through 90 of these years. I suppose if I'd stop looking at the half empty glass every now and again, that could mean that I still have 53 more years before I'm that age. That's a lot of time to figure out what to do with life and possibly there will even be some leftover time to start doing whatever has been figured out.
Anyway it was a fine, fine birthday celebration and nice to spend some time with the family. Unfortunately I was a bit out of sorts due to a long night of gin and tonics and winning at various board games. Okay I only won the 1986 board game edition of Wheel of Fortune , but I also won two games of catchphrase as well...along with some help from my excellent teammates. What I'm trying to say is that I dominated, but I was certainly feeling it in the morning when I forced myself out of my warm, cozy bed only to find the cold reality of life facing me square in the face. I stared back at it for a minute and then started the shower.
But enough with all that...
So my Aunt Gert is my Godmother, and has been ever since my parents bestowed that grand honor upon her. Guess that would have been back in 1974, which was just about 37 years ago. It was nice to sit and chat with her for a while as I haven't seen or heard from her in the three and a half years since her husband, Bill (my godfather) passed away. Shame on me for not communicating with her, but half of the blame must lie with her as well, correct? Incorrect actually, I was just trying to make myself feel better.
Anyway I ended up telling her about when I was in grade school and they bought me a little pocket calculator for Christmas or my Birthday perhaps. Now you may not think a little kid would be all that happy about a calculator for a gift, but I was pretty darned happy as I had previously spent some time using the one my Uncle Bill owned. The thing was pretty tiny for those days and gold and well, it reeked of power and money and luxury. Okay I probably didn't really think that, but it was cool. Needless to say I brought it into Chicago the next weekend and due to my Father's persuasion left it there with him to use while I was back home. That was the last time I ever saw that calculator. On my return trip into the city, I was told that it was lost or some other stupid bullshit excuse. Several hours were spent that first weekend combing up and down the alley hoping to find the "lost" calculator. All for naught. It was gone and a lifetime of disappointing math test scores took it's place.
So I'm not sure what my Aunt thought of the story, but for some reason I wanted to tell her. Actually that reason was because I don't know if I ever told them what happened to it in the first place. I can't recall if I just tried to pretend it wasn't missing or if I let them know my Dad had thrown it out in some sort of manic depressive rage. I'm guessing I didn't tell them that, and the guilt has been weighing on my conscience for many, many years. Needless to say I almost never let my Dad borrow anything from me these days. His loss as I have some cool stuff that I'm sure he'd like.
Well that was my Saturday. Well it was only about 5 hours of my Saturday, but that was the most interesting part. Perhaps you won't agree after reading this blog post, but whatever.
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