November Update

So.

My father dies. I get into gear to get everything ready to leave, because I don't know yet when I need to be back east. I go to the newspaper office and start doing all the work I need to get done. I call my boss and ask her to stop in. My brother sends me a text to let me know the funeral is Thursday; I get plane tickets for Tuesday; Andy gets things arranged at the hotel so my shifts are covered and he is able to take me to the airport. My boss shows up and I tell her what is going on. I grudgingly accept a small hug from her. I practically beg her not to tell anyone what is going on until after I am gone; I don't want fawned over, nor do I want meaningless platitudes.


Random photo of the sunset in Lander, Wyoming. 11/5/12.

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We made small talk for awhile. My brother and I communicate better now than we ever have in our lives, but that does not mean we communicate well. Each time we meet again, we stumble through conversations, exploring boundaries and how willing each of us is to talk about what subjects. Even though we grew up together for 18 years, it's like we have to renew our relationship whenever we meet, to see what person we've each become in the time that has passed since we last saw each other.

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Later, my brother and I headed to his church, and I think this is where I will end for the night. More tomorrow.

November 2012 Column: Party Hardly!

Going to a party at someone else’s house means putting up with people you don’t know, listening to music you don’t like, and the choice of either wearing your coat the entire evening or tossing it on top of a bed to mingle with the coats of everyone else in attendance that you’ll have to waste time searching through when you try to escape.