2007-11-05 - 1:16 p.m.
SEE YOU NEXT FALL
I am a terrible person. I fully realize this and I'm pointing it out myself so that you don't feel the need to. I leave you hanging on not one but TWO different "to be continued" stories and then I don't post for upwards of 4-5 months. What kind of soulless, heartless fiend am I? It boggles the mind.
It's kind of funny, though, because I titled my last post "HAVE A NICE TRIP", which you typically follow up with "SEE YOU NEXT FALL". I'm referring to a situation where someone trips and falls, that's when you say that. And, indeed, if you were following where I was going with those titles, from my last post until now, "see you next Fall" turned out to be accurate, since it would be Fall before I would post again. Haha! Isn't that funny? Isn't that a hoot?
I guess I should just finish off those two stories, huh? First, our vacation. It was very nice. We got to see our new nephew and everything. Actually, he's not so new anymore. He's like 5 months old now. But he was new at the time. I fully plan to be his cool uncle who gives him sips of alcohol and teaches him dirty nursery rhymes several years before such things are appropriate for him. Well, assuming Charity doesn't leave me by then. I'm only related to this kid through marriage, so if she ever has enough of me then I'll probably never see him. That's kind of depressing to think about. Let's not talk about that anymore.
After we saw him, we got to the beach and stayed at my Nan and Pop's house for a few days. We even got to stay in the master bedroom with the big bed and the hot tub and the great view, because not only do my grandparents sleep in different beds, which they've done for years, they now sleep on different floors on different sides of the house. Old people are weird. Anyway, we had a very nice time and came home rested and relaxed. And tanned!
That brings us to the Grease story. Aw jeez.
To try making a long story short, when we last left off with that tale, Charity had guilted me into trying out for our high school's production of Grease. I gave in and did it just to appease her, thinking it was unlikely that anything would come of it. I'd just embarrass myself in front of everyone else who was trying out, that was about it.
Well, as you surely deduced several months ago, it didn't work out that way. About a week later I came home from school around 6:00 pm and Charity was there with my mom. It seemed the drama teacher, who was directing the play, had called my house after school and left a message for me. My mom heard it when she got home from work, she immediately called Charity to tell her the news, and Charity rushed right over. The news being that I'd been offered a role in the play.
But not just any role, oh no. The LEAD role, for the love of God. The Danny Zuko role, made famous on the big screen by the immortal John Travolta.
I thought maybe, in a worst-case scenario, they might offer me a small part as one of the background greasers or something. Not because I was any good, but because I played football. By this point I was our team's starting running back, kind of a high-profile position. And sometimes if a student was notable for something, they might get a little part. Like the year before, this girl got a perfect score on her SATs or something, and she had a few lines in whatever the musical was that year. I think they asked her to be involved, rather than her trying out.
So for a football player to just fall into their lap, I thought maybe something like that could happen. But I didn't actually expect it to because I did not think I was good enough even for that.
Instead, they offered me the lead. I say "offer" like I had a choice in the matter, but I didn't. Not between Charity and my mom working as a tag team. When I got home and found out what was going on, I said flat out that I wasn't going to do it. Both of them just flipped out, Charity using the "you're doing this for me" guilt and my mom using that whole "I'm your mother and you'll do what I tell you" junk. I tried to fight but I knew perfectly well that both of them had the power to make my life miserable. Even more miserable than it'd be having to do the play.
And, oh, it was miserable. There was constant rehersal, I had to memorize lines and routines, it was more involved and took up more of my free time than football season did. And getting the lead was a complete shock. Not only because I didn't think I was any good, but also because there was a big crew of drama nerds who always tried out for the plays and such and always got the main parts.
But the main male drama guy was this fellow named Michael, and... I'm not sure how to phrase this politely. He was a bit... effeminate. And perhaps when they were going over their candidates for the lead role, they decided they didn't want Danny to speak with a lisp. "Oh, Thandy! Those thummer nights!" Not that there's anything wrong with that.
So that's pretty much the story. I did it and apparently I did an okay job, but I pretty much hated it the entire way through. Perhaps you were expecting an ending where I eventually came around and really got excited and into it, but that never occured. Perhaps you're thinking that it's one of those things somebody would look back on years later and be glad they took part in, but it's not.
It does have the benefit, though, of being able to trump anything Charity can use against me in a tiff. Like if I'm leaving the house and she asks me to pick up something at the store on the way home and I forget, she'll still bring it up months after the fact. "Remember when I asked you to pick up one little thing and you didn't do it?" "Yeah, well, remember when you made me be in Grease?" I win every time. She can't beat that. Not yet, at least. But I'd have to screw up pretty bad to give her one to top that with.
So. We're all caught up, I do believe. What should we talk about now? Hmm. HMM.
Well, I'm sure this goes without saying, but I got another jury duty request in the mail the other day. What can I say about this that I haven't already said a dozen times? I think my jury day is the day right before Thanksgiving, which is crazy because if I actually get on a jury and the case lasts longer than a day, I'll have it having over my head for that whole long weekend. Why do they keep doing this to me? WHY?
In other news, we just got a new car. That's kind of interesting, I guess. It’s really Charity’s car, not mine. She got, of all things, a 2008 Dodge Magnum. Or a Nitro, I forget. Whichever is the more expensive one. I guess it's kinda like a station wagon, but modern and cool looking. I was very surprised by her choice, but she looked into it for a while and made lists and comparison charts and everything, and that's the one she wanted to go with.
It's so big, though. When we first started driving she had this old white Nova, I forget what year it was. Late 70's, maybe. It was pretty old. It was a neat car, though, and it never gave her any problems. And it had a great backseat, really cushy and comfortable.
Back in high school I would occasionally get her keys from her during lunch, and then during our last class, this study hall type thing, I'd go out to her car and climb in the backseat and take a nap. Oh, it was grand. I wish she still had that car today, there's a few other things I'd like to do in that backseat, if you know what I'm talking about. Like eat, she never let me eat in that car. Or read. Maybe take a laptop in there and surf the internet, I couldn't do that 10 years ago.
But that car was fairly big, and every car Charity's had since has been a little sporty type thing. So while this new one isn't an SUV or anything, it's pretty big for her. It's got all kinds of cool stuff, though, it's got GPS and a DVD player for the backseat. It actually has satellite TV for the backseat, so you can watch TV and not just DVDs. It comes with a year of satellite radio, too.
Perhaps coolest of all, it's got volume control for the radio and such on the steering wheel. You don’t even have to reach over to the radio to turn the sound up or down, it’s right there on the wheel. The future is now, my friends.
And it's got a good engine and high safety rating and a lifetime warranty and all that, but let's be honest, it's the bells and whistles on the interior that really matter. Did I mention the glove compartment acts as a cooler for drinks and such if you turn on the A/C? Well, it does!
Right off the bat, it makes bringing groceries home from the store a lot easier, what with all the extra room we have. And taking our dog to the vet should be an easier process. Mainly, though, she's obviously thinking ahead with this car, as it will certainly be good when the time comes that our little family expands. With this vehicle she's one step closer to her ultimate goal of being an alpha soccer mom. Next comes the short haircut and then she'll start wearing those high-waisted mom jeans. I can see it all unfolding.
I don't really have anything else to say at the moment, I'm afraid. I'll update again in a few weeks and tell you all about my trip to WWE SMACKDOWN (and ECW!), since I neglected to do so last year. Won't that be exciting? I can tell you're already looking forward to it.
BYE
