Tuesday, November 30, 2004

Dogged Determination…….

I had a whirlwind of a past few days. I have not had time to post to this blog. My life has grown so busy lately and sometimes it is hard to cope. A few months ago, all I did was go camping, fishing, and sit in front of my computer. Now I have a lot of responsibility on me and it can grow tiring. I want to romanticize about my earlier days of wanton laziness. Sometimes I just have to sit down and take a break for my mental health. It helps me to organize and collect my thoughts.

I had a crisis yesterday where my college advisor called me and told me there was a problem with my transcript and they were dropping three of my courses. I scrambled into action and took care of the problem. Apparently, their records were old and they now keep the transcripts in a computer database. My grades for all my classes I took at Montevallo were not posted in the computer. I had to drive to Wadley, Alabama to the records office on the main campus and get a hard copy of my transcript for my advisor to see. She then approved the three courses. Why she couldn’t just call and get the grades I do not know. Maybe it was for legal reasons and they were covering their bases. I find college to be highly bureaucratic. There is a highly complex hierarchy and it can be frustrating and difficult to deal with sometimes. I am doggedly determined though and will jump through any hoops that need to be jumped through.

The plumber aka roto-rooter came yesterday and cleared my drains. YES! I can now go back to taking showers and using the toilets. I am officially spoiled now with these modern amenities. When I was homeless, I would drive over to the truck stop on the interstate and pay to take a shower like truck drivers do. I learned this trick from my truck driving days. The only catch was that it was expensive and I could only shower every four or five days. I am now accustomed to getting a shower everyday in the morning and feel I cannot get going with out it. Yes, I am spoiled.

As you previously read, the accusation for the clog in the sewage pipe was placed squarely on me and my old habit of smoking a cigarette in the bathroom with the vent fan on while I read a book. The idea that a couple of cigarette butts could stop up a foot diameter sewage drain was preposterous to me. The plumber ran a camera down the drain and the clog was due to an abnormality in the pipe and very sharp ninety degree curve towards the road. I was vindicated and exalted. This little deal did cost $110 dollars though and it only took the guy 30 minutes to unclog the drain. I wish I got paid $220 an hour. I would be set for life.

As far as my family goes things have been kind of hard lately. My father is in some kind of post surgery depression and hyper scared of his heart. He thinks that the littlest murmur or heart burn is foretelling a heart attack. I hate to see him this way and it makes me uncomfortable around him. He has acted really surly and distant lately and I fear that I have done something wrong and tend to internalize it. My father is usually tough, resilient, and cocky. I hope he will return to his old self.

My mother, on the other hand, uses me as her psychiatrist and constantly talks of her and my father’s problems. This makes for touchy situations and I, quite frankly, do not want to get caught in the middle. My mom treats me more as a peer than as a son and it is weird for me to deal with. She is often like a small child that needs to get constant attention and affirmation; most of the time I just listen and do not comment. I am the only one in the family she can talk to about these issues as I understand her point of view and how her mental illness affects her.

Well, enough rambling. I sometimes use this blog to organize and collect my thoughts and did so today. You are more than welcome to read along with me as I ramble. If you find this kind of everyday kind of stuff boring than stop back in later to catch a Piggly Wiggly groupie post or ramblings about homelessness. I am now off to take my father to the doctor once again. Good day.

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