I still love Jimmy Eat World's album Chase This Late. I don't think I've found anything of theirs I don't like, but lately I find myself just craving to hear various songs off this album. Also, it's one of the few albums I listen to completely without skipping any songs. And that my favorite song keeps changeing, because they're all so good. That, in and of itself, is a huge recommendation.
So after a month of stony silence on both sides, I finally heard from my delinquent friend. She'd gotten fired from her server gig at a corporated chicken wing chain. She had called me last night, and my bitterness prevented me from answering. Then I saw this morning on Facebook (how did we find anything out before? Were carrier pigeons involved?) what had happened. I immediately called her. We've played phone tag. I've expressed my sympathies and offered an ear. I think my obligation is done. If she wants me, or needs me, she knows where to find me.
I loved A Visit From the Goon Squad so much, I'm listening to the audio book currently. The narrator is really excellent, but I've come across a few mispronunciations that threw me off. The one that comes to mind now is 'desultory', which was pronounced like 'de-sultry.' Oh well, I knew what she meant, right? It's interesting how listening to the book has given new layers of meaning to the vignettes. Highly recommeneded. And it was Slate.com's pick recently for their audiobook club.
If something is so minor I don't even getting around to bitching about it here, it's pretty minor. Although, truthfully, I'm kind of suprised this hadn't been mentioned before: My 20-year-old cousin has had to appeal to our grandfather twice since her highschool graduation for help to buy fund her transportation. The specifics of repayment, I am not privy to. But I won't lie, it irked me. I bought both of my cars, paid for all the repairs, and the thought that I could call Bank Grandpa had never crossed my mind. But I conceeded that due to differences between my grandfather's relationship with my father and my aunt, my relationship with him was very different than my cousin's. I mentioned this to my husband and my parent's, and then let it go.
Imagine my surprise when I got a letter in the mail today from my grandpa. Enclosed was a brief note and a check for $500. He said that he had helped my cousin with her car, and her brother with his resent wedding bills. Although I hadn't asked for anything, consideration was owed and he was happy to give it to me, his eldest grandchild. Hot tears sprang down my face, surprising both myself and my husband. Gratitude, relief, joy all washed over me. I called my parents immediately; had a single breath of my frustration in the situation reached my grandpa? If so, I would have been mortified. But they didn't think so. and on further reflection, neither do I. A depression era, retired vet like my grandpa would have written a very different letter if that were the case.
Despite the relative distance of our relationship, I love my grandpa. Many things have been said about him: that he's terse, stubborn, and stingy. But no one's ever said he's unfair.
