Birthday Wishes

Today is my maternal grandfather's birthday.  For most of my childhood my maternal grandfather existed only as a snoring noise in the dark of my grandmother's house when I was there over the summer months, or as a newspaper at the far end of the table.  He had moved out of the house by the time I was ten and by the time I was in college he and my grandmother had divorced.

I do not know when my paternal grandfather's birthday is.  In fact, I know very little about my paternal grandfather beyond his name and that he was married to my grandmother.  He died before I was born and was never discussed, except in vague references or half-memories when my father was in the right mood.

It's interesting having a real, though for practical purposes non-existent, grandfather.  It always made me nervous to discuss my grandparents with my friends.  They all seemed to have happy, idyllic grandparents -- the Hollywood kinds of grandmothers who have warm welcoming houses full of good smells, and grandfathers who smelled deliciously of pipe tobacco and taught them things like whittling or fishing.  My grandmothers were not cooks, and their houses were functional but little else.  And for all intents and purposes, my grandfathers were sperm donors and that alone.

As I said, today is my grandfather's birthday, so I have been thinking a great deal about him.  He was born as the Great Depression was beginning and grew up in a very poor, very rural county of Arkansas.  He was the younger of two children of my great-grandparents.  His father worked as a roofer, when he could find work, and his mother was a teacher.  I learned all this when I re-discovered my grandfather.  As strange as it sounds, the truth of the matter is I did not know my grandfather until about 12 years ago.  In those 12 years I have developed a relationship with him that I never thought possible before.  I have enjoyed getting to know him and developing an adult relationship with him.  And I know that he has enjoyed discovering his grandchildren.

But as today is truly his birthday, I should have called him on his birthday -- even though his children, grandchildren, and other family members gathered earlier this month to celebrate his birthday.  By the time I thought about it, it was too late.  I feel a bit guilty about that.  I feel that maybe we are falling into the old patterns of not remembering the other is there.  I know he does not mind me not calling, but we went so long not calling that the idea is foreign and unusual to both of us.  I do not think he will mind if I wish him Happy Birthday here.  And I know he did not mind celebrating his day early.

Happy Birthday Granddaddy.

Things I Learned Today

I know that United Breaks Guitars but really, 12 carry-on guitars on one flight is a bit much.

Stating the Obvious

It is much easier to keep a secret if you don't tell anyone.

Things I Learned Today

Counting while traveling is very different from counting at other times.

If Wishes Were Horses...

the TSA lanes at the airports would have more seats and table space.

Pausing for a Moment

to be thankful I do not have children with whom to travel.

Giddy with Anticipation

I am just about ready to head to the airport for the first real adventure of 2010 (which is not not an everyday thing).  I am heading out to San Francisco to meet my friend as he arrives on his first ever visit to the US.  I am so very nervous and excited, all over jumpy and bouncy.  I am giddy like a schoolgirl.  I am so excited about this.

With the winter storm that is brewing across most of the US, my biggest worry is flight delays, but since he is not arriving until tomorrow morning, I think I'll be okay even if I am delayed.

My tickets are in the suitcase, the suitcase is in my hand, and I am ready… for whatever adventure is beginning… 

If Wishes Were Horses...

science would develop a silent vacuum.

The Sweetness of a Game Well-Played

Sitting on my sofa, watching the Allstate Sugar Bowl, I am ruminating on College Football.  I will never be a rabid football fan, and certainly not the kind of fan who actually goes to games, but in watching my fourth Bowl Game of this New Year's Day, I have some interesting observations.

One day several years ago I watched the major college in my home state play another team -- I forget which team they trounced.  And at the end of the game, I watched as the winners ran off the field, not even gentlemen enough to shake the hands of the losers or congratulate them on a game well-played.  The coverage then switched to the tail end of the game between one of the US Military Academies and Notre Dame.  As the drama on the field as that game ended, not only did the Military Academy team shake the hands of the entire Notre Dame team, coaches and players both, but they went and stood, silent and reverent as the Notre Dame band played the famous fight song.  The Notre Dame team then returned the courtesy.  It was an indelible moment for my sports-watching career.  After years of watching a team that believed it was better than its opponents, I had a revelation:  these players were honorable combatants; they respected their opponents.  There are honorable teams out there.  Teams that understand that in the end, the battle on the field is a game and when it is over, it is over, and tomorrow the outcome may be different.

This year's Sugar Bowl discussions were not so much about the game or the teams as they are about Florida -- namely Florida's senior quarterback and coach.  I have great respect for both of them, as gentlemen and as competitors.  By all accounts, both are the same men in person as the men you see on the field.  Florida, who rightfully should have been in Pasadena next week, did not play this game as a consolation prize.  But neither did they play it with the only goal to be a punishing the other team for not being the #2 ranked team in the country.  They played this game to be the last game of a storied career -- they played this game to be a good memory.  The score ended up lopsided, but that was not because either team played badly.  In the pre-game and post-game interviews, both the coach and the senior quarterback said they wanted to play a good game.  And they did.  The game was fairly and honestly well-played on Florida's part -- and for this non-sports fan, that is all I have ever asked.   I appreciate a good, well-played game, contested by honorable players.

And yes, as I watched in anticipation, the Florida team did go and congratulate their opponents on a well-played game after the final whistle sounded.  Sometimes there really are good guys out there.

2009 -- Annual Reads

1. Hail to the Chef -- Hyzy, Julie
2. The Big Ask -- Maloney, Shane
3. Just Jane -- Lavender, William
4. The Musketeer’s Apprentice -- D’Almeida, Sarah
5. Nine Days a Queen -- Rinaldi, Ann
6. Death on the Lizard -- Paige, Robin
7. The Case of the Ill-Gotten Goat -- Bishop, Claudia
8. The Diamond Cat -- Babson, Marian
9. Innocent Traitor -- Weir, Alison
10. Hallowed Bones -- Haines, Carolyn
11. The Anatomy of Deception -- Goldstone, Lawrence
12. Cat on the Scent -- Brown, Rita Mae
13. Pawing Through the Past -- Brown, Rita Mae
14. Spanish Dagger -- Albert, Susan Wittig
15. Acid Row -- Walters, Minette
16. The Sweet Far Thing -- Bray, Libba
17. Indigo Christmas -- Dams, Jeanne M.
18. Claws and Effect -- Brown, Rita Mae
19. Ragtime in Simla -- Cleverly, Barbara
20. Murder on Waverly Place -- Thompson, Victoria
21. Thunder on the Right -- Stewart, Mary
22. Julie & Julia -- Powell, Julie
23. Dewey -- Myron, Vicki
24. Christmas at Stalingrad -- Beevor, Antony