Whew

Okay, I finally have a little free time. Last week was just crazy busy.

First and foremost, Granny Caffeine passed away. It was sad, but not unexpected. Today would have been her 90th birthday and she hadn't been doing real well the last couple of years. On the other hand, it was sudden. They took her to the hospital last Sunday (I think) with severe stomach pains. She was then taken to another hospital where they performed some sort of surgery. Though she had a few brief moments when she almost came out of it, she never really woke up after that.

Of course when your family is as large as mine and the hometown as small, funerals tend to be big affairs. I saw family members I haven't seen since the last time someone died (I think that's a Lyle Lovett line) and I even "reconnected" with some of the cousins I don't normally talk to even at reunions and such. I ended up making my cousin who does missionary work in Asia very suspicious. He primarily works in former SSRs (Soviet Socialist Republics) so I was asking questions about the languages, customs, and even alphabets of these countries. I thought we were having a nice conversation, but he stopped and asked, "How/why do you know this stuff?" I explained that I did NOT know this stuff; that's why I was asking. He said he understood that, but he was surprised that someone was even asking these questions. I told him I was just a naturally curious guy who liked to read a lot. That seemed to satisfy him, but I'm still thinking he might have reported me to the proper authorities by now. Yep, I'm not going to be surprised if I get asked to go to the special line the next time I try to fly.

Of course I also spent some time with the cousins I usually hang out with. As usual, we tried to make tentative plans to get together more often. As usual, I don't think it'll work. Still, it's important, I guess, to go through the motions. On a related note, I'm now convinced that Cousin Becca will be the responsible one for our age cohort. She arranged and collected the money for a big floral arrangement from the grandkids. I wouldn't have thought of it, but even I could have made the call to get some flowers. What impressed me, though, was Cousin Becca put enough thought into this that she came up with a reason for selecting the style and the number of flowers the grandkids sent. I was impressed.

Did I mention there was food? God was there food! It seemed sinful to waste it, so I ate until I could eat no more. It seems an odd custom, but I find it touching how people, many virtual strangers, respond to deaths in small towns.

On a happier note, I also got to see my old pal, and sometimes commenter, Ang last week. She was in Birmingham for a conference so I drove down to meet up with her. Though we're a good bit older, it was like the old days. We went to dinner and a movie. I know that sounds boring, but Angie and I spent much of our years together (well, not "together", but living in the same town) doing one or both of those things. It was fun.

Though the basic game plan was familiar, we did discover one thing that has changed -- our discretionary incomes! See one of my favorite Angie stories involves my 21st birthday. Being as that is a biggie, Angie decided she wanted to do something special for me. Essentially I had a weeklong birthday. Each day I'd come home to find a present she'd left for me in my apartment. One day it was a scale model Ferrari with a note about how she would have parked it in the driveway, but she didn't want it to get scratched up. Another day there was a baseball theme. One day it was a stack of legal pads on which I was to write the Great American Novel (back when I had aspirations). Anyway, there was a week of that stuff. It all culminated in a room FULL of balloons, streamers, and a banner of sorts on the actual day. It was nice.

To wrap up the "week of St. Caffeine", we decided to splurge and go to dinner at a "fancy" steakhouse in the Oxford area. It wasn't much to look at, but once we were seated and opened our menus, we were in for a shock. I don't remember the exact prices, but I distinctly remember Angie's reaction. One word. GWAH (okay, I can't spell what she said, but I can hear it)! Needless to say, I'm pretty sure we ordered the cheapest entrees and water to drink. [Whoops, Angie drank nothing but Coke (the real stuff) in those days.]

So, anyway ... As we were having dinner the other night in Birmingham I commented on how life has changed. As I said, I don't remember the prices at the Oxford steakhouse, but I'm pretty sure P.F. Chang's was a good bit pricier. Yet we never batted a lash. Heck, we even ordered an appetizer. Of course I'm glad things aren't so tight as they were a decade-and-a-half ago, but I do sometimes miss those simpler days. Sigh.

Okay there's my maudlin reminisce. I'll try to stay more "up to date" this week.