Watching Mad Men from the beginning. Finding it very thought-provoking. I remember some of that time. My dad traveled a lot. At first, I remember we took him to the airport, and my mom would cry. People would have us over for dinner because my mom was alone. Eventually, we stopped taking him to the airport. And my mom stopped crying. And either the invitations stopped coming, or we didn't go. My mom was left alone during some real crises - the Hurricane Agnes flood in 1972, for example. She learned to handle things.
The periodic absences of my father really had an impact on the family. He would sometimes be away over a birthday and send me a telegram. As my brother and I got older, it seemed there was more and more to catch him up on when he came home.
He always reminded me of the Rocket Man in the Ray Bradbury story. When he was home, he wanted to be traveling. When he was traveling, he wanted to be home.
Postcards, letters and telegrams aren't the same thing as watching your children grow up. Producing presents from your suitcase doesn't make up the time you've lost.
I'm not sure which trip was the "one too many" that pushed my mom to take on both roles, but she's still a very strong, independent woman. And sometimes, that's not ideal. Now that Dad's semi-retired, she's having to learn to actually live with him,and it isn't easy.
Strange how a television show can bring all of this stuff to the surface....
Sunday, October 31, 2010
Monday, October 25, 2010
Evening At Giant - A Play in 3 Acts
Who knew going to the grocery store could be so stressful?
Act 1: I was following a guy down an aisle when a woman comes up to him, accuses him of avoiding her, and demands money. Not sure what it was about - I suspect it was some kind of child support thing. I managed to get past them, and moved on with my shopping.
Act 2: A domestic that I suspect was over a cell phone - I don't remember a whole lot of the details to that. It was very loud and occasionally profane.
Act 3: I was taking my cart out to the car through the vestibule and I hear yelling. There was a group of mostly Asian kids standing outside. Two of them were store employees. They weren't causing trouble. A woman was standing there screaming at them that they should go back to their f---ing countries and stop taking all of our jobs. And if they want to be here, they should speak the f---ing language and on and on. Her husband finally pulled her away. One of the kids was recording the incident on his cell phone - good thinking. That's the kind of woman who would claim the kids attacked her. I was afraid to go out there - I was really afraid that they'd think I agreed with her because I'm white. This is why kids turn to drugs and gangs. People like her who let them know that's what's expected. If you're going to shop in a neighborhood of mostly Hispanics and Asians, you should EXPECT them to speak other languages. It's like going to Chinatown in any US city and expecting to see all of the signs in English. I thought diversity was what this country is all about. Isn't it?
Act 1: I was following a guy down an aisle when a woman comes up to him, accuses him of avoiding her, and demands money. Not sure what it was about - I suspect it was some kind of child support thing. I managed to get past them, and moved on with my shopping.
Act 2: A domestic that I suspect was over a cell phone - I don't remember a whole lot of the details to that. It was very loud and occasionally profane.
Act 3: I was taking my cart out to the car through the vestibule and I hear yelling. There was a group of mostly Asian kids standing outside. Two of them were store employees. They weren't causing trouble. A woman was standing there screaming at them that they should go back to their f---ing countries and stop taking all of our jobs. And if they want to be here, they should speak the f---ing language and on and on. Her husband finally pulled her away. One of the kids was recording the incident on his cell phone - good thinking. That's the kind of woman who would claim the kids attacked her. I was afraid to go out there - I was really afraid that they'd think I agreed with her because I'm white. This is why kids turn to drugs and gangs. People like her who let them know that's what's expected. If you're going to shop in a neighborhood of mostly Hispanics and Asians, you should EXPECT them to speak other languages. It's like going to Chinatown in any US city and expecting to see all of the signs in English. I thought diversity was what this country is all about. Isn't it?
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