Double the Cups, Half the Balls

There’s nothing like being confronted by a phone call from a bawling sibling at damn near 2:30 in the morning.  But, for sooth (heh…), it was nothing bad.  Indeed, it was news of the fantastic variety.  My sister finally, finally, finally passed her dental hygenists certification exam.  It was the fourth time she’d taken it.  The first three times, she came so close it wasn’t even funny.  Two of them were only a single point off, if I remember rightly.  So she’s just beyond thrilled, relieved, and all those other euphoric type of emotions.  This is Jenny officially getting the thing she’s always wanted.  Bully for her, I say.  Bully for her.

And speaking of that part of the family…  Boy, are there issues amongst the Ohio brood.  The kind that completely fracture families for good.  And, in this case, that appears to have happened.  There’s too much history to this to relate it all, but I’ll do what I can.  Three Christmases ago was the genesis of it all.  Randy (the stepdad) made a point of going to visit his family in Ohio the day after Christmas.  It was our family tradition.  Seven hours up, stay a couple days, seven hours back.  Well, three years ago, there was a mere disagreement over what restaurant we were going to eat dinner at the night of the 26th.  Gene (Randy’s stepdad) and Rick (Randy’s brother) were being dicks about it because they wanted to go to a certain place they like.  Randy made the point that he’d like to go somewhere else because it’s a place he likes and can’t exactly go whenever he wants.  That’s how it all started, I swear to God.  Trivial, stupid shit, right?  Well, three years on, it has degenerated into Gene, Donna (Randy’s mom), and Rick probably not coming to Jason’s wedding next weekend.  Nevermind that Jason will be the first of this generation of children to marry.  Nevermind that Randy, and my mom, and myself, and C.J. have made tons of seven hour trips up there for stupid, silly shit……sometimes even on very short notice.  And nevermind that the wedding is only 90 minutes from where Rick, Gene, and Donna live.  None of this matters.  Somehow.  This is a pattern, really.  None of the Van Wert crew bothers to attend any function of this branch of the family (and I don’t count myself since I’m not they’re blood, though that’s never mattered with Randy and his sister Nancy’s stepkids).  Somehow, a long time ago, we all became the outcasts.  Jason seems to think it’s simply because we don’t live in Van Wert…..that we’re too good to live there, so we’re not worth knowing anymore.  And I think he just might be right.  But Jason emailed Rick and Gene a very, very scathing email that voiced all the things he’s held in for years.  Pretty nasty stuff, but well deserved.  Jenny ended up firing one off too after being dragged into it by Rick.  Randy won’t talk to any of the Van Wert crew anymore, except his mother on rare occasion.  But I think the emails will be the last straw.  None of them will attend the wedding, I believe……and if they do, it will be a mere cameo appearance.  Jason doesn’t even want them there now, and I don’t blame him.  Fuckers.

Now Playing in Dave’s Mental Jukebox:  "Civil War" by Guns N’ Roses, "Viberate" by Joydrop, and "My December" by Linkin Park

I get to work a nice thirteen hour shift Monday to get ready for inventory, which begins at six in the morning on Tuesday.  And, yes, I get to attend that, too.  This is my penance for getting to be off for the rest of the week.  What’s it to me that I’ll be working like 23 hours in two days?  Exhaustion is a state of mind……..and as long as I keep telling myself that, I’ll be jolly good.

There will be a Game 7 again this year.  Edmonton crushed Carolina 4-0 tonight, thus taking the series back to Raleigh.  And I think Carolina is done.  Seriously, just flat out done.  They looked horrible tonight, and really weren’t much better in Game 5 (even though it did go to OT).  The Oilers are so confident right now, and the ‘Canes are just shellshocked.  I think Edmonton will win an offensive shootout 5-3 and hoist the Cup on Carolina’s home ice.  Fernando Pisani will win the Conn Smythe Trophy as the Playoff MVP.  But that’s just me.  I’ve probably jinxed it now.  Oh well.

I also want to publicly acknowledge the fans in Edmonton.  Yeah, they’re loud and rabid, but it’s for something else I wish to recognize them.  In the NHL, the national anthems of both the US and Canada are sung before most games.  It is common (especially in the US) for the anthem of the other country to be booed loudly (I’m looking at you, San Jose).  The Oiler fans, however, treat both songs with incredible respect.  The crowd sings both anthems.  Yes, that’s right.  Canadians sing "The Star Spangled Banner", and they know the words…….which can’t be said for a lot of US’ians.  Of course, the singing of "O Canada" is light years more passionate, but that’s to be expected.  It has given me chills before all three games played in Edmonton in the Finals.

There was some US pride going on in Kaiserslautern, Germany today as well.  In what was a wildly entertaining game (for good and bad reasons), the US earned a 1-1 draw against Italy in the World Cup.  The US deserved far, far better, but the Uruguayan referee had his own ideas.  He dished out three red cards (ejections), only one of which was truly deserved.  So by the 48 minute mark of the match, the US is playing a man down, at 10 on 9.  Keep in mind soccer is played at 11 on 11.  The referee then disallowed a potential match winning goal by DeMarcus Beasley of the US because of a questionable (but probably correct) offsides call.  The officiating was just pathetic.  Some of the worst I’ve ever seen.  For the first 50 minutes of the match, he was calling (and issuing cards for) damn near any contact.  Then, inexplicably, he lost his whistle.  He didn’t call anything the rest of the game.  I like to think he took someone’s advice and shoved his whistle up his ass, thus rendering it inoperable.  Also, there must’ve been snipers in the stadium.  Everytime a US player layed so much as a finger on an Italian player, the Italian would drop like he just got shot.  Fucking diving.  It is ruining the game, especially at this highest levels.  Players are willing to trade surefire scoring chances (even 1 on the Goalie breakaways!) for the possibility of getting a call.  That’s just retarded.  The Italians would get touched, fall down, roll around like they’d broken a bone to milk it, get stretchered off, then run back on the field like nothing happened.  It was a pathetic display. 

I’m sure I could go on about this and more, but it’s now three in the A.M. and I grow weary of rambling.  Hard to believe, isn’t it?  Who knew I could actually grow weary of rambling.  But here is the proof.  Or is it?  Because I do seem to still berambling.  So I guess that makes me a liar.  Or just tired as hell.  Yeah, that’s the one.  So, for the 500th time, I say…….

Sayonara.