Parentland
So after another awful trip to Nof&ck (and is there really any other kind), I drove back to DC, had lunch with Lawyer X, and then caught a plane to Colorado Springs aka Parentland.
I hadn't seen my parents since Christmas and they are getting up there, so I wanted to go visit and check in on them. I arrived on their 49th anniversary, so I scored the bonus points there. Of course, I can't believe they are still married since sometimes they snip at each other pretty badly. But if you've been living with someone for 49 years, no doubt some of it will rub you the wrong way.
Anyways, they are doing okay for their age and I'm really happy about that. But coming back to the Springs is a weird experience for me. Most of my high school friends have moved on, so there's no one there for me to hang out with. So it's the parental units, 24 hours a day, seven days a week.
And first thing Firday AM, it was time for the chores. Oh yes, I had a long "honey do" list to accomplish. Mom was certain that Dad had wired the new VCR incorrectly since she couldn't program her shows. And after a good half hour trying to figure the thing out, I finally realized that the VCR/DVD combo doesn't have a tuner. So it can't record her shows. So we get saddled up and head to Sears where she had bought it. And why Sears I have no idea. And the nice guy at Sears basically confirms that you can't buy an old style VCR anymore. They sell the types that will play VHS tapes, but they can't record shows. Unless you want to shell out $300+ bucks. Pass. We're off to Best Buy. Where the strangely thin and overly tattooed "geek squad" helper explained that technology has moved on and it's all about DVR now. They did have a VCR recorder, but again it was in the $300+ range. And really, isn't it time for my parents to wake up and smell the Tivo? So we purchased the Tivo despite my Mom's fear of any new technology and headed home. Now the real work began. I had to move the VCR from the downstairs den to Mom's bedroom. The VCR from the upstairs den to the downstairs den. And then install the Tivo in the upstairs den. Quite the drill of musical VCRs. But I got it all working and I think Mom even understands how it works. I hope so, it is really easy to use!
Friday night, I joined Mom and Dad at the Martini club. It's a group of their friends that get together once a month for drinks and "heavy horses" as my mother says (hor d'ourves). I was easily the youngest person there, except for one lady who may have been a trophy wife. Not exactly sure. Anyways, it was very pleasant and I played the dutiful son quite well. When asked about my family, I just replied that I was single. No need to go into the whole gay thing. It would definitely make Mom and dad feel weird and just not something I needed to go into. I didn't lie about it, I just didn't talk about it.
Now, one of the highlights of the trip was that I was going to get a chance to catch up with Lawyer X's sister, Agent K. She lives in the Springs and so we had planned to get together for drinks and dinner on Saturday night. So she came over to my parent's place where we had a drink with my Mom and Dad. It was all very civil and very nice. So that was good. Afterwards, we hit this cool new restaurant (well new to Agent K and I) in the Springs called Blue Star. It's in a part of town that I would call sketchy, but it was really nice. Of course, we open the door and the little lobby area is packed with the prom set. Wow. Do I feel old or what? But we made our way to the bar and sampled an adult beverage before we got our table. Had a great time eating, drinking, and just chatting. So much fun and Special K is just great. After a very filling (and yet oddly cheap (well by DC standards)) dinner, Agent K dropped me off back at my folks.
Sunday was interesting. I know have a glimpse into what divorce kids have to go through. On Sunday AM, Dad and I went to the Episcopal church and Mom went to the Anglican church. There's a huge back story there that I won't go into, but needless to say, it's all very odd. After the service, we drove up north to an Italian restaurant for brunch which was good. I'm now now shy at all about ordering a cocktail at brunch. If I'm not driving, why not. After a post brunch nap, I climbed up on the roof to try to caulk the skylights over the deck. (I called Lawyer X on Saturday to tell him I was cruising Homo Depot looking for caulk. I thought it was funny, but he was not amused!) Anyways, I climb up to the roof to try to caulk around the skylights which I guess leak during rain/snow melt. It got rather cold up there and when I was done I looked towards the mountains and they were gone. The storm was rolling in and the mountains were no longer visible. A clear sign that I needed to get off the roof.
When I woke up this AM, it was actually snowing! Friday, sunny, 70s degrees, shorts weather. Monday, snowing! Yep, that's Colorado for you.
Anyways, with the exception of some missing luggage (details!), the trip back was uneventful. Lawyer X was waiting for me and it was great to see him again.
I think that's my last trip till Paris at the end of May, but Lawyer X goes into trial mode so I'm not sure how much of him I'll be seeing. Kind of a bummer, but I'll deal. I seriously need to get back into my gym routine.
I hadn't seen my parents since Christmas and they are getting up there, so I wanted to go visit and check in on them. I arrived on their 49th anniversary, so I scored the bonus points there. Of course, I can't believe they are still married since sometimes they snip at each other pretty badly. But if you've been living with someone for 49 years, no doubt some of it will rub you the wrong way.
Anyways, they are doing okay for their age and I'm really happy about that. But coming back to the Springs is a weird experience for me. Most of my high school friends have moved on, so there's no one there for me to hang out with. So it's the parental units, 24 hours a day, seven days a week.
And first thing Firday AM, it was time for the chores. Oh yes, I had a long "honey do" list to accomplish. Mom was certain that Dad had wired the new VCR incorrectly since she couldn't program her shows. And after a good half hour trying to figure the thing out, I finally realized that the VCR/DVD combo doesn't have a tuner. So it can't record her shows. So we get saddled up and head to Sears where she had bought it. And why Sears I have no idea. And the nice guy at Sears basically confirms that you can't buy an old style VCR anymore. They sell the types that will play VHS tapes, but they can't record shows. Unless you want to shell out $300+ bucks. Pass. We're off to Best Buy. Where the strangely thin and overly tattooed "geek squad" helper explained that technology has moved on and it's all about DVR now. They did have a VCR recorder, but again it was in the $300+ range. And really, isn't it time for my parents to wake up and smell the Tivo? So we purchased the Tivo despite my Mom's fear of any new technology and headed home. Now the real work began. I had to move the VCR from the downstairs den to Mom's bedroom. The VCR from the upstairs den to the downstairs den. And then install the Tivo in the upstairs den. Quite the drill of musical VCRs. But I got it all working and I think Mom even understands how it works. I hope so, it is really easy to use!
Friday night, I joined Mom and Dad at the Martini club. It's a group of their friends that get together once a month for drinks and "heavy horses" as my mother says (hor d'ourves). I was easily the youngest person there, except for one lady who may have been a trophy wife. Not exactly sure. Anyways, it was very pleasant and I played the dutiful son quite well. When asked about my family, I just replied that I was single. No need to go into the whole gay thing. It would definitely make Mom and dad feel weird and just not something I needed to go into. I didn't lie about it, I just didn't talk about it.
Now, one of the highlights of the trip was that I was going to get a chance to catch up with Lawyer X's sister, Agent K. She lives in the Springs and so we had planned to get together for drinks and dinner on Saturday night. So she came over to my parent's place where we had a drink with my Mom and Dad. It was all very civil and very nice. So that was good. Afterwards, we hit this cool new restaurant (well new to Agent K and I) in the Springs called Blue Star. It's in a part of town that I would call sketchy, but it was really nice. Of course, we open the door and the little lobby area is packed with the prom set. Wow. Do I feel old or what? But we made our way to the bar and sampled an adult beverage before we got our table. Had a great time eating, drinking, and just chatting. So much fun and Special K is just great. After a very filling (and yet oddly cheap (well by DC standards)) dinner, Agent K dropped me off back at my folks.
Sunday was interesting. I know have a glimpse into what divorce kids have to go through. On Sunday AM, Dad and I went to the Episcopal church and Mom went to the Anglican church. There's a huge back story there that I won't go into, but needless to say, it's all very odd. After the service, we drove up north to an Italian restaurant for brunch which was good. I'm now now shy at all about ordering a cocktail at brunch. If I'm not driving, why not. After a post brunch nap, I climbed up on the roof to try to caulk the skylights over the deck. (I called Lawyer X on Saturday to tell him I was cruising Homo Depot looking for caulk. I thought it was funny, but he was not amused!) Anyways, I climb up to the roof to try to caulk around the skylights which I guess leak during rain/snow melt. It got rather cold up there and when I was done I looked towards the mountains and they were gone. The storm was rolling in and the mountains were no longer visible. A clear sign that I needed to get off the roof.
When I woke up this AM, it was actually snowing! Friday, sunny, 70s degrees, shorts weather. Monday, snowing! Yep, that's Colorado for you.
Anyways, with the exception of some missing luggage (details!), the trip back was uneventful. Lawyer X was waiting for me and it was great to see him again.
I think that's my last trip till Paris at the end of May, but Lawyer X goes into trial mode so I'm not sure how much of him I'll be seeing. Kind of a bummer, but I'll deal. I seriously need to get back into my gym routine.