wee hours of dawn

well, more pre-pre dawn. it's about 145 and i'm just NOW home from the airport.

had a good weekend; cari was down, so we bummed around at the mall, had some fabulously fresh vietnamese food, and hung out on the sofa reading people magazine and eating pickles and mint oreo cookies. lovely. people mag was full of the usual celebrity mumbo-jumbo, pictures of horribly dressed but in style skinny bodies, and one of my coworkers.

surprised? tell me about it. we're flipping through--angelina jolie, brad pitt, brooke sheilds...dray?

dray's been having issues because of the city he moved to. his family consists of his girlfriend and their two kids, and his girlfriend's daughter from a previous marriage. they've been together for 13 years, just never tied the knot. anyway, they moved to Blackjack, Missouri, and found a home. bought and moved in. and THEN found out that they were being denied an occupancy permit because they weren't considered a family.

huh?

they're fighting it. the city stated that it was up to them to have unearthed this small code. whatever! who goes looking for something that's going to keep you OUT of a neighborhood? ridiculous. the notoriety has been hard on the kids--you know how kids are--and the principal actually suggested that perhaps they keep their eldest home until things "smoothed over."

the mere notion of it had my office up in arms. and apparently people magazine, too. go dray go!!! we're all behind you up here!

so tonight my dad and uncle flew in from palm springs, ca, where my dad's middle brother jed is recovering from a massive stroke from last april/may. he's got very limited mobility--can roll backwards in his wheelchair, write a little bit with one hand, and speak slowly and with lots of frustration. but at this point, anything is better than the original prognosis last year that had him not making it until the end of june. behold, the power of a stubborn irishman. (;

anyway, their plane was supposed to land here at 959 pm. i tracked it online; dad called and said that the changeover in houston would be late, about half hour, and that they were being forced to check their carry ons, because the overhead compartments were full--more time consumption.

i track it again. plane gets closer and closer...and then veers off and flies about 30 miles west of the cities. it finally lands about 1145. i drive out to meet them at the baggage claim...circle the airport a few times, because you can't wait outside in your car by the claim area. finally park and go in around 1215. dad's luggage didn't make it. my uncle's did, but minus a bunch of electronics. he'd brought a portable dvd player to show jed my cousin's wedding, and the family reunion pics from last summer. of course that was missing, as was his camera, his electric shaver, his cell phone...all kinds of fun stuff. we waited a little while, so that he could cancel his cell phone and file a report, and to see if dad's bag would show up. no such luck. finally gave up and drove them up to my cousins house, about 30 min north of my house. dropped off and drove home.

aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaarg. frustrating! i think this week so farhas been all about frustration and aggravation and annoyance. you don't sit up typing at the wee hours unless there's something fueling your fingers.

at the same time, the frustration i'm feeling--on behalf of my coworker and his family, my dad's missing luggage and lateness, and my uncle's stolen articles, my late arrival at work tomorrow morning (inevitable at this point)--it's all things that i can live with. that they can live with. yeah, they're all frustrating. but they're frustrating because it's all based on things that gave joy.

dad wouldn't be frustrated with his missing luggage if it didn't have pics of jed and the boys on the camera, which is awol. my uncle wouldn't be put out if he didn't know what he had lost. and dray wouldn't be so hurt by the town's reaction if he didn't care about his family and his neighborhood. i wouldn't be awake so late if i didn't have a working vehicle.

i suppose it's all about definition, and reminders. kalhil gibran wrote that what brings you sorrow is often what brought you joy, and what brings you joy sometimes brings sorrow. double-edged sword, this life. sweet and sour.

course, it could just be that it's the wee hours of the morning, and i'm chilled and typing while my pillow is singing its siren song down the stairs...