(no subject)

[la_belle_laide]

I wanna tell you something funny about my Dad.

When things look really bleak, my Dad tries so hard to be comforting by way of turning philosophical in his own particular way. I can just about recite the things he says. The thing is that it always does cheer me up, and today on the way home from dropping Haku off, I nearly had to laugh. Even though one would think that what he's saying is really depressing.

When things like this happen, and everyone is assuming the worst (and indeed, the worst looks more and more plausible,) this is the speech that my Dad gives, paraphrased:

"You know, no matter what happens, you gotta understand that you're doing your best. And that (whoever is the subject of worry) had a good life, and part of that is because of you (or Mom, or whoever else is involved.) And I know it feels really bad and everyone's going to cry if the worst should happen, so you cry and then you get over it, because what can you do? You have to get on with your life. Everybody has to go sometime. And when you're crying, it's not for (whoever,) it's because of you, not having them around anymore."

(And here's where my Dad's own brand of philosophy comes in.)

"I mean, look at these two women a few years ago, right? There they were, walking down the street, when a drunk driver jumps the curb and his car pins them to a brick wall, and they're both dead. Or that poor girl, who was walking downt he street selling girl scout cookies, and a brick falls on her head. These things just happen! So you have to live your life. Because you never know. You never, ever know."

They all end just like that: "You never, ever know."

"Cheer up. You could die." Still, when you're right, you're right.

An update on Gran:

She has a massive infection, electrolytes all messed up and some other systemic problems. They think that if they can clear up the infections, then she can regain some of her speech and recognition. So, that is one good thing! However, she is also in congestive heart failure. This can be controlled with diuretics, however the use of diuretics will also screw up her already screwed up electrolytes, so that's going to be difficult to figure out.

Also, they think she does have Alzheimer's, too.

Still. I will be happy with some improvement. She'll be in the hospital for the rest of the week, however.

Comments

[spatterdash.livejournal.com]

Why is it always a brick falling on someone's head, those "you never ever know" stories? Because my dad tells those too, and it's always something totally randomly retardacious. "Look at Carol, she was doing fine, top of the world, ate a peanut at a dinner party and UP AND DIED. So you know, you never ever know."

More good thoughts, and ongoing, for you lil fella and your granny.

[shonagonchan.livejournal.com]

Again, thank you very much. :)

Okay, what is it with Dads and their stories of sudden, random death? And each time he tells it, he seems more and more appalled by it. He's obsessed with brick-girl with the cookies.

Now I want to look that story up. O_O

[spatterdash.livejournal.com]

My favorite one, my dad likes to tell about his friend Bill who passed away a few years ago from cancer. I guess you have to understand my dad's morbid sense of humor (which Bill had, too), but he always tells it in this really exaggerated hillbilly accent, and it goes like this:

"Take Bill f'rinstance, professor at the you-nee-versity, wife and kids, drank-eem some Drambuie, caught the brain tumors an' DIED. YOU NEVER EVER KNOW."

I think it's the utter randomness of inserting the fact that Bill liked Drambuie that kills me every time, as if that somehow led to brain tumors.

[shonagonchan.livejournal.com]

Wow, that is an awesome cautionary tale.

My Dad tells one about himself as a child, and a broken Christmas tree ornament. "It went into my foot and traveled up my blood stream. They had to cut me open in twenty different places while they chased it around, BEFORE IT GOT TO MY HEART."

For years I was terrified of glass ornaments. Christmas can kill you.

[(Anonymous)]

Actually, the cookie selling girl was hit by a Cadillac that was out of control and went off the road and hit her. The brick girl was a college student, walking on the sidewalk when a brick hit her. At least that's how I remember them. So, really you just never, ever know.

[shonagonchan.livejournal.com]

Oooh, okay. I looked up "falling brick death" and there was a 16 year old girl who died after being hit my a falling brick a few years ago in the Bronx.

I think you are right about the cookie selling girl.

He also told me the recent one about the two ladies and the van.

"Cheer up. You could DIE."

But the thing is he's right.

[silverhawthorn.livejournal.com]

I don't know why, but hearing your dad's stories secondhand like this still made everything better. Wow.

(And btw, my mom was actually hit in the head by a falling brick as a child. If it hadn't landed on the little metal barrette in her hair, the corner would have embedded itself in her brain, and she would have been the girl in your dad's story. Srsly, you never know.)

[shonagonchan.livejournal.com]

Yeah, you have to imagine my Dad saying all this in that old school Queens accent for the full effect. :)

Oh my gosh, that's so insane. Saved by a hair barrette! Her parents must have been frantic. And how odd is it that ONE PERSON who has the same story in her family would be one of my friends reading this journal?

[silverhawthorn.livejournal.com]

She told me that before she even cried, she looked up at the boy she had been playing with (assuming he had thrown it at her) and yelled at him: "Georgie! I hate you!"

That cracks me up, actually.

Maybe weird is mutually attractive? *heh*

[shonagonchan.livejournal.com]

Aww! It's funny in retrospect but she (and he!) must have been so horrified.

Nowhere near as dire, but kind of amusing: When my cousin lived with me, about fifteen years ago, I had one of those big clips in my hair. It snapped undone and popped me in the back of the head and I thought she'd thrown something at me and I turned and yelled at her, "OW! What the hell is wrong with you!"

She was just like, " ... O_o ... "

I felt pretty dumb. Good times. :)

[silverhawthorn.livejournal.com]

Oooh, I did not like those clips. Did. Not. Like.

(But the mental image of the scene is making me lol)