Normalcy

Saturday, Oct. 04, 2003 - 8:38 a.m.

Normalcy seems to be within my reach.

John went out and got peanut butter for me. It's only the second time in three years I've had any in the house; the last time was when my father died. In my opinion, peanut butter turns anything into a comfort food.

My muse returned; almost everything I'm playing is still in a minor key, though, but that's changing. Just so the creativity is back in place and it's not scary to go over to the keyboard and sit on the bench and switch on and vent.

Yesterday, Paul Schultz called me a smartass. It sounded so nice. Business as usual. I was seriously considering doing that 'fish the candybar out of the toilet with a fork and take a bite of it' trick for Jon's kids when I go up there tomorrow; I asked Paul which brand to use, and he said Payday.

Scott Hysmith returns home today. He's spent an awful lot of time interacting with me since Hurricane Isabel, and I'm grateful for it, because we swept a lot of cobwebs out of a lot of corners, and rediscovered a very nice friendship, and it was good of him to let me call him with the news about Gran -- but I'm glad he's gone home.

And my brother Jon is having a cathartic time of it as well, especially where the telemarketers are concerned.

No, she can't come to the phone. She's dead.

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I called and left a message with Dan Roben. I have known him for twenty-five years. He was the first boy I ever kissed on top of a Ferris wheel, and he was the -second- boy I ever... ANYway -- Dan called back, and we spoke for nearly an hour; I didn't even think to call him right back and get off of his telephone bill. He remembered Gran well.

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One of Gran's neighbors, Luis Viarruel Jimenez -- whom Gran always called Louie -- is about a week younger than Jon. They grew up together; he's been over there at Gran's house with Jon almost constantly since this happened. I don't know what Gran -- or we -- would have done without Luis and his family.

He never asks us for anything, but yesterday, he did. "Remember their fiftieth wedding anniversary picture? If you have any extras, may I have one?"

So last night, and for the rest of today on and off, I will be using Photoshop and the color printer and some really good photo paper to make sure everybody who wants one can have a picture of my grandparents.

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Jon's wife Shelley made me laugh out loud yesterday. I was prattling on about my theory that there's only three really big ways to express emotion in a cathartic manner: Laughter, Crying, and Orgasm. Then I tried to make -her- laugh by saying, of course at least two of those aren't appropriate in church -- and she said "Don't be so sure about that -- The family -I- came from is Pentecostal."

I guess you had to be there.

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Normalcy. I never put much store by 'normal' before, but I'm sure glad there's enough of it around right now.

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