PERFECT STORM

  It started before mom died. I was already forgetting shit. Between the house and the church, many times, I would forget why I was leaving one for the other, stop, wander around, then backtrack only to remember....oh yeah a beer, a pick, a piece of paper, my guitar, some eye medicine. I ran this by my sister-in-law Nurse Ginger with concern and she assured me as long as I didn't try to start the car with a pen, I was OK. It was just the stress of mom going through what she was going through causing my forgetfulness. I wasn't totally reassured. It seemed to be getting worse.
   One of the last things my mother told me was "Take your medicine." I have no idea whether it was her doped up confusion that was directing me or the sincere intuitive knowledge that only a mother knows her son is NOT taking his medicine. In either case it guilted me into going to the pharmacist and purchasing my $100 ti-i-i-i-innnnnnny bottle of eye medicine. Three days of tearing my house apart later, I realized I must've pocketed the empty bottle and thrown out the re-fill. This, compounded with the fact I had none of the "other" kind of eye medicine, and I was not only forgetful, I was a raging, angry old (don't forget got a birthday coming up), medicated by only booze, man. Then I left my wallet in the bank. Something had to be done.
   Shewho, in all her wisdom, suggested that trying to stop smoking eye-medicine so close to my mom's dying, a church service, the gallery thing, and a birthday/memorial my sister dreamed up, combining my 60th birthday party with our mother's sendoff (cake and crying), was maybe not a good idea. So just before I was to drive to the city I copped. Phew! I don't think I could've lasted another day.

The gallery opening was fun and I made it back with Chuck and the Cardinal in tow. After some extreme back seat driving ala Chuck, I dropped them off at WSSP II and made it home in between thunder storms. Pulling in the driveway I heard a horrible grinding. The brakes were shot. Two days before the starter had acted up. I took it in stride and switched to the truck. That lasted about a day. Then the truck brakes seized up. I could go on, but I've already forgotten most of the other shit thats been happening. Last night I relented to my sister's birthday/memorial weekend idea and started telling people to come to the lake Sunday for my birthday party. Then I realized it was not this Sunday, but next Sunday. You know at this point I think it may take a couple of weekends to celebrate. Come to church this Sat. 8pm for DOGGIN' DAZE PUPPY LOVE TEMPLE and we'll talk about it. I just hope I don't show up in dog costume for my mom's funeral.