valley of the dolls

finally, i made it up north to visit my nana. This is a turning point. this means i have made it to the north, and i've seen my nana, which means i can now seriously consider just about anything else i would like to do with my time.

It was something to get up there. Kept the top down the whole way up and the whole way back, and i tell you what, there is a difference between 30˚ and 10˚. I mean, sure, they're both below freezing, but you really can feel the difference.

It was great to see the nana. And a lot of other things happened while i was up there too. Hung around with one of my brother's from growing up in The Connor House. It was enlightening. I mean, he's a neat freak too. He says, "Could be hearing, "CLEAN YOUR FUCKING ROOM!" all your life..." ah. i had a good laugh at that one. I sure did hear that a few times. So, i'm going to share with you the innards of the connor house, but bear in mind, this is not the house i was raised in. This house is something i was never a part of. However, there are details from my history which i will point out. For instance, that little twin bed you'll see, well. That was one of the beds i had in my childhood, and i tell you another thing, i was jumping on it one day and got a hell of a black eye when i slipped and landed on the headboard eyeball first.

And those dressers you see from time to time in the background, those are where we kept our clothes. I couldn't tell you which was mine. And those dolls? I have no idea where those all came from, but my god, the house is lousy with dolls. They're coming in the windows, and i can say this, they're some creepy dolls.

And i went to a little like, corner store, you know, the country store, and they sell the dolls in there even. Right up there with the ketchup, but a row or two forward of the porno mags. (???)

Another thing that happened, is i learned about plastic windows in convertibles. I didn't know this. But apparently, if it's really fucking cold out, and you put the top down? The windows just shatter. So, you know, i bought a new one of those today. It wasn't the kind of thing i could just let slide, because as it turned out, there was a snow storm about 4 hours after the incident.

My Nana spends most of her time sitting in her chair watching the TV. She's very organized too. Drinks her coffee on schedule, and eats very specific things at meal times. She also owns a Swiffer Max, which i'd never seen in real life. They're pretty sweet. Fucking BIG swiffer. Very tight.

What else? well. i made some (sort of) ammends with my step mother, Evelyn, which, if you know me, you know that's a pretty big deal. I figured while i was at it, i'd bury the hatchet so to speak, and try and build a bridge back to the relations with my father (not the dead one, the biological one...).

That worked out too.

so all in all, it was a fully rounded family homecoming experience. You might also take note of the two blue chairs and the beige plaidish couch. When i was a teenager, it was so against the rules for me to even SIT on those lest i was wearing something nice, jeans were out of the question. In fact, i wasn't even really supposed to be in the same room with that furniture. When i look at it now, i can't imagine what was so special about it, but back then? i was petrified of it. Well, not of the furniture, but of the consequences of getting caught near it.

I am now home and fairly wind burned in the face from the ride back to NYC, but i feel alright. Aside from being spooked by some dolls, i got to read the last letter my mother wrote to anyone before killing herself, and i got to watch the finale to "Dancing With The Stars" on television with my Nana.

All in all? pretty good times.

more soon,

dTown | 27˚ | Listening to Nirvana