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What a Trip
16 years ago
General
Be it ever so tenuous, it's good to be home.
It was a long trip, and I'm glad to be back. As I mentioned in a previous journal, my parents make a nearly annual trip to the Tattoo Rendezvous in Kansas City (http://www.safe-tattoos.com/2009booth.html), and they decided to take me along with them this time.
Also, since Nebraska isn't that far away, we took the opportunity to visit family on the way. I was especially keen on going this year since my Grandpa Jack and my Aunt Shari are both in declining health and it's not certain whether we will have another chance to see them.
The drive from Tucson to Nebraska was a long, and mostly numbing one; empty desert and wide fields are about all you see along the way. While I welcomed the fields as an improvement over the desert, they don't really keep the interest during a drive.
Most of the time my father drove (he is a notoriously bad backseat driver, so it was for the best) so I spent my time reading and watching videos on my iPod (hallelujah for the iPod).
Of all the country we passed through, Texas and Oklahoma take the prize for being the most boring to drive through. There is absolutely nothing on either side but dirt. Occasionally you'll pass through a few scattered buildings which make up a town, or a few grazing cows, but it's mostly miles and miles...of miles and miles...
Albuquerque was the first major stop. There's a diner there called "The Owl Cafe" which has become a traditional stop each time we go past. It's a old 1950s diner that's still up and running and still has some of the greatest ham and cheese sandwiches...complete with chocolate malts and cherry phosphates. Mmmmm....
But undoubtedly the most interesting place we passed through was Greensburg, Kansas. The town had been hit by an EF5 tornado in 2007, which leveled at least 95% of all structures in the town. But tenacity took hold and they're rebuilding as best they can.
Evidence of the tornado was still plain - groups of trees all leaning in the same direction, a large amount of portable shelters, and many, many empty plots with hints of concrete foundations poking above the grass.
But we survived the trip and made it all the way to Madison, NE to visit my mother's side of the family.
Lots of good farm food, no TV other then "The Price is Right" and awkward questions about why my wife wasn't with me.
Overall it went good. My grandmother didn't chastise my mom too much for not staying at home, and my Aunt Jeanette didn't stick her foot in her mouth up to the knee this time. My eldest cousin apparently has gained an interest in computers (the only person in the family to have one). He's on Steam, he plays Eve Online, and he's built his own rig. I have to say - I'm proud of him!
After a couple nights in my Grandmother's basement (which is still infested with spiders), we made our way south to Beatrice to see my father's side.
My Grandpa Jack will be 90 this year, but he's still on his feet, although he's using a walking stick. My Aunt Shari is still her same old self in attitude, but the dialysis really frustrates her. A while back, she went into the hospital with kidney failure and died on the operating table twice and then slipped into a coma. My father, her younger brother, got "the call" to be ready to fly up for her funeral, but fortunately that never became necessary. She came out of her coma, is on a transplant list, and doing very well. Although she's a lot thinner then she use to be.
Her younger daughter Katrina is also doing surprisingly well. Her husband is a cook at the only fancy restaurant in Beatrice and feeling it a family obligation, we ate there. Fancy food, pretty expensive, but it was good and it was a fun time.
We jaunted up to Lincoln to visit my brother as well. He's apparently doing well, although he doesn't seem to recognize me anymore.
Then there came the tattoo convention.
In lieu of a traditional birthday present, my dad donated the two hours of work he had scheduled with Shahn Anderson to me so that I could get a piece done that I've been planning for a while.
It's my third tattoo, and was by far the largest. It's the only one I have that's in colour, and like the other two, represents something that I'm extremely fond of.
I'll be posting pictures of it after this.
My mother got some more work done on her Ganesha portrait (http://www.essaysbyekowa.com/Zoomorphic/ganesha.jpg), and got a seahorse on her foot with some coloured seaweed to tie it into the rest of her leg.
My dad was the only one who didn't get inked this time around (usually that's my place), but he was compensated by winning the award for "Most Unique" tattoo. I had entered mine into "Tattoo of the Day", but didn't win. I can't complain though, there were a whole bunch of fantastic entries this year.
My cousin Katrina, her husband, and two of their friends showed up at the convention Sunday, and it was neat being able to show them around. One of her friends had already been teaching himself tattooing, and Katrina was thinking of getting some herself, so it was hopefully a great learning experience for them both.
After the convention however came the long trip back... Pretty much the same as before. Lots of fields, and lots of desert. Another stop at The Owl Cafe, and back home at last. At lest now I have something to show for it; a brand new, gorgeous tattoo as an early birthday present.
Mucho thanks to Kwan for looking after my cats while I was away. It seems strange to me that a rat would want to watch a gaggle of cats, but hey, it seems to have worked.
I had close to two thousand journals when I got back last evening, so I went ahead and nuked them. If anything of super-great importance happened that I should know about, then please let me know! The submissions I'll try and slog through a bit today, but most of the day will be spent trying to get bills back in order, and reordering the house.
And that's the way it is.
D.O.P.R
It was a long trip, and I'm glad to be back. As I mentioned in a previous journal, my parents make a nearly annual trip to the Tattoo Rendezvous in Kansas City (http://www.safe-tattoos.com/2009booth.html), and they decided to take me along with them this time.
Also, since Nebraska isn't that far away, we took the opportunity to visit family on the way. I was especially keen on going this year since my Grandpa Jack and my Aunt Shari are both in declining health and it's not certain whether we will have another chance to see them.
The drive from Tucson to Nebraska was a long, and mostly numbing one; empty desert and wide fields are about all you see along the way. While I welcomed the fields as an improvement over the desert, they don't really keep the interest during a drive.
Most of the time my father drove (he is a notoriously bad backseat driver, so it was for the best) so I spent my time reading and watching videos on my iPod (hallelujah for the iPod).
Of all the country we passed through, Texas and Oklahoma take the prize for being the most boring to drive through. There is absolutely nothing on either side but dirt. Occasionally you'll pass through a few scattered buildings which make up a town, or a few grazing cows, but it's mostly miles and miles...of miles and miles...
Albuquerque was the first major stop. There's a diner there called "The Owl Cafe" which has become a traditional stop each time we go past. It's a old 1950s diner that's still up and running and still has some of the greatest ham and cheese sandwiches...complete with chocolate malts and cherry phosphates. Mmmmm....
But undoubtedly the most interesting place we passed through was Greensburg, Kansas. The town had been hit by an EF5 tornado in 2007, which leveled at least 95% of all structures in the town. But tenacity took hold and they're rebuilding as best they can.
Evidence of the tornado was still plain - groups of trees all leaning in the same direction, a large amount of portable shelters, and many, many empty plots with hints of concrete foundations poking above the grass.
But we survived the trip and made it all the way to Madison, NE to visit my mother's side of the family.
Lots of good farm food, no TV other then "The Price is Right" and awkward questions about why my wife wasn't with me.
Overall it went good. My grandmother didn't chastise my mom too much for not staying at home, and my Aunt Jeanette didn't stick her foot in her mouth up to the knee this time. My eldest cousin apparently has gained an interest in computers (the only person in the family to have one). He's on Steam, he plays Eve Online, and he's built his own rig. I have to say - I'm proud of him!
After a couple nights in my Grandmother's basement (which is still infested with spiders), we made our way south to Beatrice to see my father's side.
My Grandpa Jack will be 90 this year, but he's still on his feet, although he's using a walking stick. My Aunt Shari is still her same old self in attitude, but the dialysis really frustrates her. A while back, she went into the hospital with kidney failure and died on the operating table twice and then slipped into a coma. My father, her younger brother, got "the call" to be ready to fly up for her funeral, but fortunately that never became necessary. She came out of her coma, is on a transplant list, and doing very well. Although she's a lot thinner then she use to be.
Her younger daughter Katrina is also doing surprisingly well. Her husband is a cook at the only fancy restaurant in Beatrice and feeling it a family obligation, we ate there. Fancy food, pretty expensive, but it was good and it was a fun time.
We jaunted up to Lincoln to visit my brother as well. He's apparently doing well, although he doesn't seem to recognize me anymore.
Then there came the tattoo convention.
In lieu of a traditional birthday present, my dad donated the two hours of work he had scheduled with Shahn Anderson to me so that I could get a piece done that I've been planning for a while.
It's my third tattoo, and was by far the largest. It's the only one I have that's in colour, and like the other two, represents something that I'm extremely fond of.
I'll be posting pictures of it after this.
My mother got some more work done on her Ganesha portrait (http://www.essaysbyekowa.com/Zoomorphic/ganesha.jpg), and got a seahorse on her foot with some coloured seaweed to tie it into the rest of her leg.
My dad was the only one who didn't get inked this time around (usually that's my place), but he was compensated by winning the award for "Most Unique" tattoo. I had entered mine into "Tattoo of the Day", but didn't win. I can't complain though, there were a whole bunch of fantastic entries this year.
My cousin Katrina, her husband, and two of their friends showed up at the convention Sunday, and it was neat being able to show them around. One of her friends had already been teaching himself tattooing, and Katrina was thinking of getting some herself, so it was hopefully a great learning experience for them both.
After the convention however came the long trip back... Pretty much the same as before. Lots of fields, and lots of desert. Another stop at The Owl Cafe, and back home at last. At lest now I have something to show for it; a brand new, gorgeous tattoo as an early birthday present.
Mucho thanks to Kwan for looking after my cats while I was away. It seems strange to me that a rat would want to watch a gaggle of cats, but hey, it seems to have worked.
I had close to two thousand journals when I got back last evening, so I went ahead and nuked them. If anything of super-great importance happened that I should know about, then please let me know! The submissions I'll try and slog through a bit today, but most of the day will be spent trying to get bills back in order, and reordering the house.
And that's the way it is.
D.O.P.R
As for contributing - I've already given it some thought, and think I have an idea. :-D Next time AC comes around, I might just have to feel your needle (giggity).
D.O.P.R
I'm glad to be back!
D.O.P.R
The cats were gracious hosts as I played on your PC. Gilly was a very thoughtful companion, who notified me regularly that there is an Outside.
Izzy decided he could trust me enough to pet him, then he became a scritch whore!
Constantly wending about my feet, crying "Mew! Mew! Mew--wweewww!"
translation: "Pet me! Pet me more! MORE! NO, don't try to pet Khan, he'll only sniff your hand. NO, don't pet Gilly, he gets all the attention! Pet MEEEEEE!"
Then I did something unforgivable & was shunned, until Izzy succombed to his scritch whore urges again on Sunday.
Very happy to have you back!
D.O.P.R