Quand le jour se leve
May. 17th, 2008 07:29 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
jawnbcHaving finally go to sleep around 03h00 this morning (midnight Vancouver time), I awoke at 10h groggy and a bit out of it. But I was resolved to not loaf, so popped out of bed, said hi to Da and abluted. After a light breakfast (english muffin and banana), I wrestled his wifi to the floor: it had WEP turned on...when there is no one in range of his home and he only used AOL for bandwidth. Then we drove over to my Uncle K and Aunt N's place. Aunt N is from this area from when it was a rural mining and manufacturing region. Before either of the two interstates (80 and 81) came through.
I did some math today too. Dad turns 73 in June, Kath 48, Mike 47. Ma will be 70 in August. Tommy 46 in October. And Ma and Da will celebrate 49 years of marriage in June too. Holy muthafuckinsonofabitchbastard!
The rolling hills and stunning forests somewhat obscure the fact that for much of rural Eastern Pennsylvania times are tough. Jobs are hard to find above entry level retail and services. Infrastructure is in rough shape too. And for every nice house (like my parents' and uncle's) there are as many run down one. It's sobering to think that the price my parents "only" paid for this place--this large, well built 1970s home--is still wholly out of reach of most families in the area. And apparently a lot of the "affordable" ones are in towns where coal mine-related subsidences make property a dicey investment.
But I digress.
When we got to the hospital Ma looked....very very sick but not as bad as I feared. She still have the light in her eyes and boy did they light up when I came in the room. She loved her prezzie (a 2010 track suit). And Tommy was there as well! So we quite happily put on the Jomby & Tomby show for her. "Like a coupla retards" as Tom put it so delicately. And then like all visits with the 'rents eventually sport took centre ice and we 4 watched the Mets/Yankees baseball game. Tom and I briefly cut out for a coffee run, but we were there most of the day and it pleased Ma very much. And me.
Da insisted on taking us boys out to dinner with Aunt N and Uncle K. The Powerhouse Eatery is a converted coal-fired electrical plant turned into a nifty chop house. I had a great filet mignon, but in true Egan style we did the whole meal in about an hour. Then we bid adieu to Tom (back to Longue Oiland), Auntie and Uncle, and Da and I went back home.
Just had a lovely chat on Skype withquerrelle, who said "give my lunch to everyone." Yet one more of several big belly laughs today. Now I've work to do.
I did some math today too. Dad turns 73 in June, Kath 48, Mike 47. Ma will be 70 in August. Tommy 46 in October. And Ma and Da will celebrate 49 years of marriage in June too. Holy muthafuckinsonofabitchbastard!
The rolling hills and stunning forests somewhat obscure the fact that for much of rural Eastern Pennsylvania times are tough. Jobs are hard to find above entry level retail and services. Infrastructure is in rough shape too. And for every nice house (like my parents' and uncle's) there are as many run down one. It's sobering to think that the price my parents "only" paid for this place--this large, well built 1970s home--is still wholly out of reach of most families in the area. And apparently a lot of the "affordable" ones are in towns where coal mine-related subsidences make property a dicey investment.
But I digress.
When we got to the hospital Ma looked....very very sick but not as bad as I feared. She still have the light in her eyes and boy did they light up when I came in the room. She loved her prezzie (a 2010 track suit). And Tommy was there as well! So we quite happily put on the Jomby & Tomby show for her. "Like a coupla retards" as Tom put it so delicately. And then like all visits with the 'rents eventually sport took centre ice and we 4 watched the Mets/Yankees baseball game. Tom and I briefly cut out for a coffee run, but we were there most of the day and it pleased Ma very much. And me.
Da insisted on taking us boys out to dinner with Aunt N and Uncle K. The Powerhouse Eatery is a converted coal-fired electrical plant turned into a nifty chop house. I had a great filet mignon, but in true Egan style we did the whole meal in about an hour. Then we bid adieu to Tom (back to Longue Oiland), Auntie and Uncle, and Da and I went back home.
Just had a lovely chat on Skype with
querrelle, who said "give my lunch to everyone." Yet one more of several big belly laughs today. Now I've work to do.
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Date: 2008-05-18 06:21 pm (UTC)That's so sweet!