Clean and Sober

Last weekend the Kellers laid low at home and watched two movies about addicts, Clean and Rachel Getting Married. Generally I’m not a fan of addiction and recovery themes, too much like real life, I guess. But I found these films to be engrossing. Both center on addicted women, played by Maggie Cheung and Anne Hathaway, who are very unsympathetic characters. Alienating all around them with their destructive and self possessed behavior, these human train wrecks seem to be destined to lose everything to their addiction, and not have anyone left to care. In Clean, Cheung’s character, Emily, is cleaning up after a stint in prison and is trying to reunite with her son, who is being cared for by the parents of her overdose victim husband. Hathaway’s Kym, is on a furlough from treatment to attend her sister’s wedding, and soon makes it obvious that she thinks everything is about her and about her problem. She turns her toast at the groom’s dinner into a twelve step amends, going on and on about how sorry she is for everything, without ever mentioning the bride and groom. That wouldn’t qualify as making amends at the meetings I went to.

It was the former behavior that bothered me the most. I’m a recovering alcoholic, or as my father who shared the malady called it, a dehorn. That must have been stockyards lingo. I’ve gone 24  years without a drink, if you don’t count the time this summer when I grabbed the wrong beer bottle off the counter at a family gathering. It wasn’t O’Doul’s. I’m not counting it. I try to stay pretty low key about it, I get uncomfortable when people call attention to it. I’ll cop to it if the situation calls for it, but I always hope the conversation goes elsewhere quickly. Continue reading Clean and Sober

Low Impact

lowimpactSaturday night we attended a cultural milestone event. The wedding of the youngest and last unmarried daughter of close friends. The cultural significance of this event is that the fun level of weddings is going to drop significantly now. These folks really know how to throw a party. Unlike the Kellers who have been advising their daughters to elope since they were marching their Barbies down  the aisle. There’s no money here for big weddings! But I’m sure our friends will continue to find excuses to party.
During the dinner, we sat at a table of friends and neighbors, the two other men at my table are that kind irritating fitness enthusiast (I diplomatically avoid the term “nut”) that likes to talk about there last marathon or that nice easy three hour ride they went on last week in the rain. The conversation got around to biking and I was encouraged to get out and start riding. It’s the best exercise with the least impact on the rest of your body! It would be great for your knees! There’s those great trails just over on the other side of this golf course that it seems to take me a half hour to drive to.
Don’t get me wrong. I could use a good workout routine. I’m in terrible shape.

Continue reading Low Impact

RIP Captain Lou

OK, I didn’t even know who Captain Lou Arbano was until today, but this has always been one of my favorite NRBQ songs. It all comes together now.

Today I feel like the victim of a Captain Lou pile driver. I’ve pretty much slept all day, my body is possessed by some foul demon.

Different

CrabbyBobI haven’t been behind a retail counter for 31 years. Until today. Last time I was slinging drinks, the cash register had real buttons with numbers on them. You rang up the prices, took the cash and made change. God forbid someone gave you a credit card, you had to get out that crazy slider thing. Change jumped into my hands, I didn’t even have to think about it, and a lot of the math I did in my head. Now each product  has a menu button and the array of buttons is mind boggling.

But that’s not the interesting part of my new job experience. Maybe I’m just self conscious but I think I noticed a little bit of reaction among the customers to the new guy. Which of these does not belong. The old person! I fancy myself as being pretty good at reading people and I definitely saw a range of interesting responses. There was, “This poor old fart is having to work behind a counter, must have gotten laid off somewhere,” to “We need to be extra nice and encouraging to this poor old man who has to do a young person’s job.”

It doesn’t bother me. I know what I left behind, which was for me insanity. I know it’s an opportunity to get out among people and make some extra dough to take some of the pressure off as I try to get my graphics gig up and running. But I think I get a little bit of insight into what it must be like for people who constantly see that “you don’t belong here” look on peoples faces.

You know what hasn’t changed though? You still have to smile and say, “Thanks for comin’ in!”

Brand New

early snowNew snow, new job, new carpet. There’s a theme here. It looks like a day of cleansing. As much as I hate to see snow in mid October, a new snowfall, one with “big hunky flakes,” is a beautiful thing. It looks clean, and even smells clean. New carpet, well it probably will smell like a chemical spill for a couple of weeks, but even that beats the cat pee stench that we’ve been living with for months. If we’ve entertained you at our house in the last three months, it means we are very comfortable in our friendship, or we don’t give a dam about impressing you, or both. And then there’s the other smell of newness, fresh brewed coffee! I start my new career behind the coffee shop counter today. I’m not going to make any comparisons  to my old job and cat pee though.

A little art, a little name dropping

springfall_1_775Yesterday’s StarTribune featured some personal connections of note. In the OP-ED section, long time friend Susan Cushman wonders about the role doctors play in the last days of life, if they need to be more forthright with families and patients when confronting the inevitable. Based on recent personal experience Susan, a Doctor herself, inspires us to give thought to what we least like to think about.

medalLucia Watson, chef and proprietor of Lucia’s, who I’ve swapped Walleye recipes with and named a daughter after, is being awarded the prestigious Chevalier du Merite Agricole. “…one of the highest honors from the French Ministry of Agriculture. It’s akin to a knighthood, and recognizes her culinary expertise and focus on locally grown, sustainable food products.” Congrats, Lucia. Oh and if  you’ve haven’t been to the restaurant, you must. You might just name your firstborn after it as well.

Finally may Alma Mater, Carleton College was written up for it’s new sparely appointed student housing. Apparently they’re bucking a trend of schools attracting students by building very posh accommodations. They feel that the more draconian digs will attract a greener thinking matriculate. Although in Minnesota, not having air conditioning between September in May doesn’t sound like a huge sacrifice. Anyway, what’s the big deal? Musser Hall has been there since the sixties!