The Aftermath and other ramblings

I don't like the word "aftermath." I think it is a stupid word, but sometimes that's the right word to use. It probably isn't the right word to use in this case, but whatever.

I do like the phrase "but whatever."

Graduation weekend is over! I survived! We all did, actually. The visit with the in-laws went well. We were all on our best behavior. Superman says he felt the disapproval from his dad, but neither of them said anything. They didn't say anything critical to me. I tried not to say much of anything at all to them. I smiled. I answered questions. I excused myself from the gathering, went to my room and took a nap. That was the best part of all. When I finally woke up at 9:00 p.m., they had gone back to their hotel.

The visit with Mama was mostly nice. As I mentioned in a previous post, she was mildly annoying, but only because I allow myself to be annoyed at some of her little quirks. She didn't intentionally annoy me, as far as I could tell. We didn't really do much. It was a very laid-back visit. She brought a book and read a lot. I blogged some while sitting in the living room with her. That is sort of like spending time with her. We're in the same room, and if I see something particularly interesting I read it to her.

Mama has always been a very active person. She is in her mid 70s now, and beginning to slow down. I have never been active. That woman has run me ragged for years, dragging me here and there to see things that should interest me. Some of them do interest me, so I guess I'm better for it. Now that she's slowed down so much, I can keep up with her. I actually am waiting on her now. I like this better.

She told me about a time when I was 4 years old. I had a favorite baby doll that I carried around a lot. I took the doll to preschool one day and gave it away to another child in the class. Mama was upset that I'd done that, but evidently I didn't think anything of it. I can see both sides of the situation now, as a mother and a generous person. As a mother, I would be frustrated if my child did that, especially if I had spent time and money buying the doll specifically for my child. I can also clearly understand my desire to give a toy to another child if I felt that the child would be comforted by my action. Mama has no recollection of why I felt inclined to give the toy away. She doesn't think that way herself. As nice a person as she is, generally, she isn't into sacraficial generosity. I don't know why, but I am. Evidently I always have been.

Let me tell you the incident that sparked this conversation. We were on the interstate on the way to the airport for her flight back home. I was in the right lane, and traffic was moderately heavy. An 18-wheeler was entering the highway from an entry ramp with a fairly short merge lane. I was in the way, and couldn't get into the left lane. The truck was rapidly running out of lane, so I slowed down to allow the truck to merge. As soon as I got clear of the back of the trailer I flashed my headlights and waved him over. Mama said something about me being nice, but with a tone that suggested she thought this was not a good thing. I'm too nice, or perhaps she wouldn't have been so nice.

But that's who I am. It's what I do. As for trucks, I've always had a lot of respect for truckers on the road. As I have learned rules of the road that make driving easier for truck drivers, I've adapted my driving behavior to accomodate them. Now that I've spent over three years as a professional driver myself, I have even more respect for anyone who drives a large vehicle. I know how tough it is to move a big long vehicle into another lane. I also don't usually mind driving behind a truck, but I understand a lot of people do. I hate being behind a school bus, ironically. Most bus drivers do, especially if they are driving a school bus at the time.

Did I mention that my "F" key still isn't working well? That is so fffffrustrating!

There's more, but I'll save it for another post.

I'm coming up for air

So far so good.

I must amend the previous post and say that my mother-in-law is usually not as bad as she was that day. That was one of her worst episodes.

Somehow we ended up rushing around frantically cooking as the in-laws arrived today. I hate that. This time, though, there were four of us cooking. Light did most of it, really. Twitch grilled the London broil. I made two lemon meringue pies. I was the one pulling stuff out of the oven at the last minute, though, because everyone else was busy with something else. Whatever.

I sat in the living room with all the parental units and the children for about fifteen or twenty minutes. I smiled. Then I excused myself. When Light had the table set and ready for the meal, I ate with everyone. Then my mother and I went to the graduation venue early. I wanted to be there with her when the doors opened so we could get a seat close to the doors. She can't walk very far, and I didn't want her to climb a lot of stairs in the arena. This is the arena where Lander Univesity plays basketball. So we got there early and got a good seat very close to the entrance.

The graduation ceremony was dreadfully dull. There were four or five different student speakers. None of them spoke for too long, but they all said practically the same thing. They all used the "turn the page," "this chapter of our lives" metaphor. The dispensation of the diplomas was tedius. The chorus sang a couple of pieces, and that was the best part. I also enjoyed watching this huge black man directing the graduates to their seats when they processed into the arena. The guy was head and shoulders taller than almost all the students, and was a massive wall of very dark manhood. It was funny to see the tiny teenage girls standing beside him. If he sneezed he'd have crushed them.

Mama and I did not sit with the rest of the family. After the ceremony Mama went back to her hotel to lie down. She is tired and doesn't feel well. The rest of us are at home. We served the pies (pecan and lemon meringue), and now Light is showing the in-laws her artwork. I am hiding in my office, doing this. I'm tired and slightly dehydrated and grumpy. I think I'll go lie down for a while. The ordeal is more than half way over. I feel good about that. If I can avoid the people for another few hours, we'll be golden.