(no subject)

[austin_tycho]

Me back from Sweetwater. Me had good time.

We drove up Saturday morning, after stopping at Fry's to get an (shudder) AOL CD and a device whereby I could plug my mp3 player into my car's tape player. The device worked fairly well, though there were periods where the fake tape part rattled loudly, which was irritating. Anyway, we got up there by around 2pm. The drive is pretty quiet, and things are that August golden color with splashed of green here and there- mesquite, mainly. I was really impressed to see gigantic windmills on the top of a mesa outside of town; apparently they generate quite a bit of electricity, and the city has decided to pay to have more installed. If there's one thing that area has a lot of, it's wind- if there was a cheap way to collect solar power they'd be set.

It was fun hanging out with Dad. He rolls out his war stories like every other dad, I guess, but he has a knack for it. He still seems pretty spry, despite pushing 70- for that reason, I feel like a jerk, but he's easier to hang out with than Mom. He's recovered from his prostate cancer fairly well, to all appearances though he did have to jump up to go to the bathroom every 15 minutes (a side effect from the surgery that should pass). We watched a Kevin Spacey movie that was okay if a little glurgy- The Life of David Gale. A lot of it was shot in Austin and I recognized plenty of the scenery. They did make it look like Texas was much rainier than it is. :p

We also watched and discussed a lot of Fox News. Damn, I'd heard they were bad, but I had no idea! They totally suck! They are so transparently biased, it barely qualifies as news! What happened to crusty old journalists bending over backwards to appear objective... there were little perky blonds gushing about how buff W is, after he passed his physical ("he weighs 5 pounds more, but since his fat ratio stayed the same, it's all muscle!" *dreamy sigh*), and endless shit about Kobe effing Bryant. Who gives a crap?! We (Dad and I) skirted around several political arguments; he still thinks the Dems are inexcusably tainted because Clinton spooged Lewinsky and lied about it, and they supported him. He did admit that it wasn't anything he hadn't done in his lifetime though. Better that than lying to send a bunch of troops over to get killed in a grudge-war. Blar.

We slept fairly well, and chatted more about politics and the job situation. Hub made the computers very happy, and Dad's wife Elaine got home from a week at a hospital in Muleshoe. They've offered her a job there, but it looks like a much worse deal than what she has now though she's tempted. Dad's hoping she gets a clue; I am too. Muleshoe is a lot father away, and they don't even have mesquite. Just dirt and small rocks. Ecch.

The ride home was fairly uneventful, though hub and I had some fairly deep, emotional discussions covering personal philosophy, sociology, childhood pain, politics, and plans for the future. It was nice to get home and watch Adult Swim and pet the cats. I love that we can have talks like that; I feel closer to him every day.

Now, of course, I'm at work. Oh, well, nothing's perfect.

Comments

[starcrossedlady.livejournal.com]

I hope you don't mind my saying... but it's ok that your feelings are different about the parent you hang with.... they are different people, who have different levels of connectiveness with you. They see you in their own perspective; and it's ok to have the reactions that you have about those things.

but good to hear that the weekend seemed well :)

[mielikki.livejournal.com]

Yeah, I guess I feel like my dad needs me less, which leaves more room for friendship. I don't feel the same pressure from him I do from my mom, who seems to feel like if I'm happy it means she's a good person. He got remarried and has his own life. Here's where I really feel like a turd- Dad's easier to be around because he doesn't seem as 'old.' Getting old scares me a little.