So, my sister actually rang me--twice in 7 days! I may faint from the shock of it all--hasn't rung me up in over 3 months...now bang, outta' the blue, twice in one week's time...maybe there really are miracles, ey?
We talked for a bit...she was saying she was sorry she couldn't do anything for my birthday this year (end of October)..I held back the snort...she's not "done" anything for my birthday in nearly five years...so what's so different about this year? Guilt over mum's passing? No clue. She asked me what mum usually got me--I said clothes, or a piece of jewelry or a horseback ride, or just a pizza, or whatever she'd think I'd like or what she could afford. Last year, she was in hospital, but she'd bought me a pair of jeans early on, that were on sale. Still wear 'em, as a matter of fact.
Year before, it was an antique decorative horse bridle rosette, that had been made into a pin--a scene on painted glass of horseback riders, with a glass dome over it...very unusual, a lady with an antique shop in Poulney, VT, just across the border, sells them, sometimes. It's one of my favourite things. Wear it only to church or special occasions. Mum always gave me neat stuff, as a rule. My 16th birthday, I went to see the National Horse Show at Madison Square Garden in New York City. My 18th birthday, it was a 15 minute plane ride in a little 4-seater Cesna. That was way cool!
If she could afford it, mum always tried to do something special for my birthday. She was a really great mum. And, for dinner, she either made her special pot roast--or we had pizza. One time, we even drove the 50 miles back to our old stomping grounds, to Watervliet, NY, to the pizza place we used to order from when I was a teenager--Papa's. I adore their 12 cut sliced sausage pizza. Best I ever had. I still know the phone number--even though I've not been there in nearly 5 years...and not called in an order in over 20 years! (518-273-3270) My sister laughed when I told her the number...but wasn't surprised...I live for a really good pizza. As a matter of fact, right now I'm dreaming of a nice greasy dripping pepperoni...ha-ha.
Of course, I think she just wanted a sympathetic ear for all her troubles she's having with my nephew...I bite back the old "what comes around goes around." I know mom would have had no such compunctions. She would have said it--and, had the right, I reckon. Didn't my sister just get into it, all the time. Poor mum was running ragged with her--family court, mostly. Sis ran away at 12, got pregnant at 14, dropped out of school at 16, married at 17, on the road a lot, hitchhiking cross country most other times...and people wonder why she and I are not close? She was never around...drugs, drinking...yikes! We were never sure if she'd make it to 30, let alone 40. She's been in knife fights, dealt drugs...man. I dinn't need to get into trouble, poor sis got into enough of it for the both of us. I don't think it helped that dad was always rubbing it in that she was adopted, "Oh, my sweet adopted daughter." Don't get me half started on him...dad was a bit of trip, himself, sometimes. Don't get me wrong, I really do love my siter--don't always like her much--she's always been super-sensitive about everything, and is naturally confrontational---but I do love her. It's just weird, hearing her complaining about taking her son to family court--after all the nonsense she put mum thorough, year after year. But...I listen, try to comiserate with her. Still...it is a bit of an irony, isn't it? Somehow, though mum would sympathize, I think, up in heaven, she's just sitting there, nodding her head, and thinking about poetic justice. I don't mean that to be petty...just how I see it, in my head.
So, looking at Doctor Who news. No Rani comeback...to some people's relief. I dunno' though, I think maybe the writer's and producer's may have written themselves into a bit of a corner, when they had Chris Eccleston's Doctor mention that if there were any Time Lord's left, he would have "Felt it" inside his head. To qoute: "It just feels like there's no one." Oh, I know they can likely just write themselves out of the corner at any time...but why do that in the first place? And, if there is no one inside his head, how can he have this "son" everyone's rumouring about that he has? (A mere rumour born out of boredom or sheer fantasy, I reckon--but, you never know, ey?) Personally, I'd love it if he weren't alone...even wrote a couple of stories where he wasn't (gave him back Romana, in one (unpublished) and, just to be perverse, a sister in another story) alone.
Anyway, I am so glad I found Doctor Who again...you know, Doctor Who, in 20 some odd years, has given me more happiness and more friends than anything else I've encountered? Even college! Amazing...and even more so, when you think about how much I hate most television programmmes. I'm very, very picky about my tele...has to be good, or nothing at all. I don't mean that in a snobbish way--I watch junk sometimes too..got hooked on Top Chef this past spring, on Bravo network. It's that life is short, without me wasting it watching a lot of garbage (Sorry, think Survivor is just that...and a lot of other American shows). Okay, I admit, I loved McGyver, and like other stuff...but, I do think most American programmes are garbage. I like Queer Eye, and Antiques Roadshow..but, little else. Of course, I don't have cable, so I don't get TV at home, anyway. So I guess this whole paragraph's a bit of a moot point. I really miss Remember Wenn though...now there was classy, well-written, superbly acted American TV..and, it was truly funny.
Of course, I still like a good book too. Just read Louis LaMour's "Ferguson Rifle," not bad. Read Oliver Twist a second time 'round and Kathy Reich's "Bare Bone's" again. LaMour's book's the first new one I've been able to get since early June. One of my frieds' has been reading Doctor Who books--envy her. Got one in June, by my favourite Who author, Terrence Dicks--fantastic writer--brillant! I wish I could get my hands on the books, but even if I had the cash, can't get to the bookstore 30 miles away in Saratoga Springs to get one. (Can't order online, no credit card.) Anyway, that's probably the number one reason I write Doctor Who stories--'cause I can't read them...so, I might as well make up some of my own--and I read the fan fiction as well. There's a Doc Who story online by that great writer, Mark Gatiss...haven't gotten round to it yet, hope to this week, seeing as I'm not working (huge sigh). I did find a bit of a story that I "wrote" (mostly notes, not really a story) that mom saved for some reason. I re-worked it a bit tonight, and put the first, short chapter on the Galaxy of Fiction website..no one reads it, but hey, at least it's out there, ey?
Well, it's 2 in the morning here, that'd be 7 in the morning in England, so I suppose at least some people will be up and about at this hour...I'm going to bed soon, myself. Too depressed to do much else...besides, have an interview tomorrow...I need this job desperately. I don't get it...I'm, pardon the language...screwed.
