New York State of Mind

Spend enough time driving around the Midwestern expanse of Dayton, scrolling through the radio and I promise that within an hour you'll find yourself reluctantly (or not) singing along with at least two of the following:

Bob Seeger 'Turn The Page'

John Mellencamp 'Cherrybomb,' 'Jack & Diane,' or 'Pink Houses'

Steve Miller Band 'The Joker' or 'Take the Money and Run'

Nickleback 

Garth Brooks

Gladys Knight

Aretha Franklin

Melissa Ethridge

Guns N' Roses

Billy Joel

Nine Inch Nails or

Alabama.

I usually find myself parked on WDPS or one of the NPR stations but sometimes, I just need to scroll, to be surprised. Plus Alabama was my first Stadium concert. I'm not embarrassed to say that is still love 'Dixieland Delight.' of course, my first 45 was Billy Joel's 'Tell Her About It,' of which the B-side was 'An Innocent Man.' I mean, c'mon. I'm all about the schmaltz.

And these drives are my sanctuary, especially as the artist known as my father get's strength back. Today's ire was provoked because he can't go outside to smoke. Friday's rant was over the inferior quality of the cake Donuts I had purchased. I left him tonight, gumming on thin Reeses' cups, having cut up his chicken for him as though he were a child. 

I do not remember any of this being in the finw print of my Birth Canal contract. And Peggy was in labor 53 hours, so I pretty sure I would have read the fine print.

Turns out raccoons and a skunk moved into the basement in November. That isn't a euphemism;  an actual family of raccoons and a skunk made the Mexican-themed basement their home, digging into the sheetrock and making a whole hot mess of the electrics. Why Mexican themed? I don't know...next time I break out the Ouija board, I'll ask Peggy. 

It's okay to be tired, right? Like, it would be weird for me NOT to just want to drive the 2 hours up the highway to check into another anonymous hotel room and fall into bed until get up to check into yet another flight to check into another hotel room, to get on another plane, right? I'm asking for a friend. 

What have I been up to? Let's see

*Registered powers of attorney for the dad

* Paid property taxes and utilities that have lapsed

*Cleaning up of dirty needles

*Filing eviction notices

*Sorting out estate attorneys 

*Palliative Care conversations

*Removing firearms and ammunition from the house

*Making sure I find the right cake donuts because the ones I brought on Friday were apparently not at all the right ones, as my dad was quick to point out 

One thing I haven't yet been able to sort out are new teeth. I know. I know. I mean, when you think of sentences I never thought I'd say much less journal, 'Have you seen my dad's teeth,' is definitely on my list. I have visions of them chattering across the faux wood floor, maybe chattering their way to a dance hall.

I'm not sure why, but the skunk is what pushed me to tears this morning. I meant it almost darkly humourous to think that this guy came dangerously had his face eaten off by wild critters. Almost. Oh, Daddy. 

Of course, next week the real my lifting begins...good thing I have amazing friends and I happen to like New York.