Wednesday, January 23, 2008

a few random things...

I have a few serious posts I've been meaning to write (in all my spare time - ha! My entire life right now revolves around the Jan. 31st deadline by which we have to clear all this stuff out of my grandmother's apartment), but there are a few little frivolous things I want to get off my chest at the moment...

Thing 1:
HDTV is really pretty amazing. I had no idea! Johnny & I haven't had cable since 2003, and haven't had a TV at all since December 2006, so obviously, I haven't been watching much TV for the past few years. When we did have a TV, it was a mid-late 80's set which had been obsolete since about 1993. So, hearing all the hoopla about HDTV, I was kind of like, eh, what's the big deal? I barely watch TV anyway, so who cares if it looks so much better?

Nana got a flat-panel TV not too long ago and upgraded her cable so she got HD channels. I watched it a bit when I came to visit her, but since regular TV looks a little shitty on such a high-res screen, and since most of the shows she wanted to watch weren't broadcast in HD, I wasn't so impressed.

But now that I am here by myself, I'm watching a lot more TV, just because I have it on for background noise so much. And I'm watching more and more shows in HD. And now I understand just how much better it really looks than regular TV, and why it's so worth the upgrade that the government is mandating a switch in broadcast standards. It just looks so faboo! It's almost distracting sometimes. Like, I'm watching the NewsHour with Jim Lehrer (here is how you know I'm old: I almost called it the MacNeil/Lehrer NewsHour), and I am only half listening to the interview because I'm so dazzled by the anchor's tie. You can see so much detail in the fabric, you can tell exactly how it feels to the touch! That is nuts! I would give up this TV in a second if I could have my grandmother back, whole and healthy... but since I can't have that, at least I can enjoy the bitchin' TV I've just inherited. Thank you, Nana!

Thing 2:
It's been about 24 hours now since I first heard of Heath Ledger's death. I was truly shocked when I first heard about it, but now I'm already sick of hearing about it. It's tragic, but it's really not that much of a story. The poor kid is dead. We don't know exactly how he died yet, but it sure looks like a drug overdose, accidental or not. Yeah, it's a shame, and no, we're probably never going to know all the details. Can we move on now? He had a lot of potential as an actor, but honestly, I can only think of two good movies I've seen him in, and one really terrible one. Based on that track record, I can't say I cared too much about him one way or the other, and his untimely demise doesn't change that. I'm sorry for his family and loved ones, but if I hear any more speculation about the pills in his apartment or his mental state in the past few months, I'm going to stick a knitting needle in my eye.

Thing 3:
Whoever brought over the boxes of Russell Stover chocolates, my expanding waistline, skyrocketing blood sugar level, and I curse you.

And now I'd better end this post before I get interrupted yet again.

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Thursday, January 17, 2008

what I learned from my grandmother

My grandmother died on Monday. The funeral was today. It was, appropriately enough, grey and rainy, with a bitterly cold wind.

Even though Nana drove me crazy sometimes (ok, most of the time), I loved her a lot, and I will miss her more than I can say. I've been thinking about this quite a bit lately, since I arrived here to stay with her a month ago and it was confirmed that Nana had congestive heart failure and she obviously wasn't going to be with us too much longer - she had a deep and enduring influence on me in somewhat less than obvious ways. I didn't get up and say anything at Nana's funeral, mostly because I figured we should try to keep it short for the many elderly guests in attendance (and the stinging, wind-whipped rain and numbing cold of the cemetery mausoleum cemented my decision). But if I'd been forced to say something, I probably would have mentioned a few things I've learned from Nana over the years:

- There's a story behind every thing.
Nana's house was chock-full of stuff (still is, actually - and now it's all mine to deal with - but that's a post for another time), and she could tell you a story about all of it - what it was, when she got it, where she got it, if it was a gift, who gave it to her, how much it's worth, the whole deal. Her things were precious to her, just as my things are precious to me, not just for their monetary value, but for the memories they held. It's not just a bunch of stuff - it's reminders of people long dead, links to bygone eras, tangible connections to the past.

It's largely thanks to Nana and her stories that I'm so interested in my genealogy, and that I really, truly understand that, once upon a time, the way people lived was very different from the way things are now. You really used to be able to get a Coke and see a movie for 20 cents, total. Back in the day, you could get KDKA from Pittsburgh on the radio here in Virginia, but you had to share the earpiece to the radio with your whole family - only one person could listen at a time. In colonial days, you locked your tea in a chest like the one Nana had on a table in her living room, and you served it on tea tables like the ones she used as end tables. They also used to serve salt out of little bowls, with tiny spoons.

I could go on - just little, random stuff like that. Things that kids today have absolutely no clue about, Nana explained to me. Sure, it was a little irksome, as a kid, to have to be so careful around the museum pieces that adorned my grandparents' living space - but it taught me respect for other people's things, and that some things are worth respecting and treasuring. Not just for what they are, but for the stories they prompt, too. Nana was a storyteller extraordinaire.

A few other quick little things I picked up:
- Never leave the house without looking good
You never know who you might run into.
- Don't be afraid to do anything for a laugh
It's more fun to be the goofy one. :)
- Have lots of pictures of your loved ones all around the house
They'll make you smile whenever you see them.
- You can never have too many spoons in the kitchen
- You can never have too many pairs of shoes, either
I'm serious, my grandmother was like the Imelda Marcos of her retirement community. And a shoe fetish? Is totally something I got from her.
- Wear your good jewelry and use your nice china and silverware often
What are you waiting for? Life is short.

For all that we had very different personalities and perspectives on life, I will always admire Nana's style and attention to detail. The kind of relationship she had with Pop-Pop is what I aspire to in my marriage, and the standard she set in her life is what I aspire to in terms of gracious living. She made it all look easy and fun. If, by some miracle, I manage to become even half as charming as she was, I will really have accomplished something.

I love you, Nana. Rest in peace.

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