Thursday, May 22, 2008

I like to party with octogenarians



I was going to New Orleans this weekend to celebrate the grandparent’s 60th anniversary.

I had so much fun at their 50th, carousing on expensive booze with all their friends, singing drinking songs all night while we all walked through the French Quarter… We were all looking forward to going back. The g-parents even offered to get me my own hotel room… (The last time I traveled with them they insisted a separate bed was good enough. They have a freaking YACHT and I couldn’t get my own damn room?! Or could I even pay for my own room?! Nooooo, that would be an unthinkable waste of money.)

But, in case you didn't figure it out from the past tense, we will not be drinking to 60 years of marriage in New Orleans this Friday.

Nannie broke something in her back (Nannie is what I call my grandmother. Honestly, how many times do we have to go over this?) Again. And it was totally preventable- I was standing less than 15 feet away when she tried to move a 100 pound potted plumeria and heard something pop. I’m trying not to feel guilty.
“Why on earth would you feel guilty” yelled my aunt (did I mention we’re all disappointed and worried and crabby?). I know why Nannie would idiotically try to move something as big and twice as heavy as she is, and if I had been thinking I could have prevented it.
We had just been talking about the plumeria and how it doesn’t like to have wet feet- I’ll translate that if you really need me to- and I know she walked over to it- well, shuffled over to it -saw its saucer was full of water and just had to get rid of that water so the stupid-fucking-plant could have dry feet. And I’m sure she was thinking it would be so much easier if she just did it herself rather than ask me. Urrgg.

And now there is a new, beautiful Japanese Red Maple planted in my yard. Which also came briefly with my crabby, disappointed family who would much rather be drinking in New Orleans.

Just in case you didn’t already feel sorry for me or figure out this is a post where I do nothing but bitch, today I also treated myself to the yearly pleasure of a pap exam. Too much? Soooo sorry. And if you are wondering why you would ever feel bad for a gal whose grandparents have a yacht I will be forced to tell you about how I was once made to wax the damn thing for 20. measly. dollars. Not impressed? Think about waxing your car. Now think about the size of your house. Now think about waxing a car as big as your house for 20. freaking. bucks.
yeeeessss, I can see you now understand my grandparents better.



And now, the word I had to look up this week:


Ersatz: German; substitute or imitation- usually artificial and inferior.

So instead of saying
"What is this shit you're trying to get me to eat?! I know it isn't food."

I can exclaim
"This is diet cream cheese?! No wonder it tastes like ersatz paste".

6 comments:

Anonymous said...

Okay, I've done the math and apparently you were drunk and partying in New Orleans when you were 15. You have pretty cool grandparents. Sorry about your grandma's back.
Looking forward to using that new vocubalary word. That's the kind of blogger I feel like I am - the ersatz kind.

Sarah P. Miller said...

Ohhhhhhhhh nooooooo, Nannie! So sorry to hear it.

I have a Grammie. She's 87 and my BFF for real. I get upset when I hear she she like, stubbed a toe. So I hope you're hanging in.

Ersatz is excellent indeed.

BatSpit said...

Yeah, my grandparents are very cool. They can still out drink, out sing, out party and generally out class me.
They come from a very hip generation. I should post the picture of Nannie at my age- my skirts are NEVER that short.

I knew it was bad when she asked for a pain pill and not a bourbon and diet coke.

Kitt said...

Eh, I explain it as "Our grandparents are rich, we aren't".

The plant thing sounds like Nannie. God damn it.

I'm sorry. Can I help at all?

Anonymous said...

I'm sorry to read about your grandma, I hope she recovers soon.

One thing I've learned about my grandma is she's ridiculously stubborn. She wants to do everything on her own, if only to prove to herself that she can still do it.

Maggie, Dammit said...

Ohhhh, no! Oh. no.

I'm so sorry.

This is why I don't have plants.

I hope you've gotten over the guilt, but if you're anything like me, you haven't.

Oof.

Hope she and you are well, party or no.