Wake @ MindSay

Tasha's brothers wake is this friday she sent me a text message.  It's during my lunch hour, and I'm scared to go alone (maybe my mom will go in too since Tasha calls her her second mommy), but it's across the street, and I know that Tasha will appreciate it if I go.  I figure I wont stay too long, just give my poor Tasha a big hug.  This whole things been very rough on her, of course.  And tomorrow will probably be the worst, it will make it real. I just hope I can keep my head when I go....I hate going to wakes...

Yesterday was good.  Well, I was stressed out during the school day because of all the work I had.  In AP Music Theory, I was put in charge of instructing my row on how to do four part harmonies with chord changes (and transposition).  Then in problem set was due in AP Chem, but I ended up getting a 23/24, which I was pleased with.  In AP English, we had multiple choice (like the AP exam) on a passage from Richard III (it's Shakespeare).  I actually did alright on that on.  I got 11/14, which isn't as good as I did last year, but considering how little attention I actually had focused on the assignment, I was happy.  In Calculus, we had a test.  Yes, my favorite.  We get a few minutes of extra time to finish it up on Monday.  It kicked my ass.  Well, maybe not as much as the one I got an 82 on did, but it was not an easy test.  I'm going to do a lot of "thinking" about it this weekend.  Then Jamie needed a ride to his house to get his car, which meant Matt took him and we couldn't go out to eat.  I wasn't very happy about that, but it was out of my control.  I met back up with Matt at Reagan, though.  We had our hallway conversation without actually facing each other (I don't actually mean this sentence... it relates to something we did in Psychology).  In Civics class, I had just enough time to scribble down 20 psychology definitions that were due the next period.  I got them all thanks to a little help from Mr. Kirby.  Psychology was fun because Chandalae and I make it fun, plus Ms. Allen's been sitting back there with us, which makes it even better.  Our presentation on Tuesday will be great.  Or we will at least try to make it great.  Then band ended up being the entire band together in a blazing hot auditorium, playing music that sounded like crap.  I like the way Candice and I always count down the minutes until it's over.

 

After school, Matt and I headed over to Wake for the Wachovia Winds rehearsal with the composer Erik Morales.  The rehersal was very long and tiring.  The guy's a genius when it comes to composing, but I'm not so sure how I feel about his skills as a clinician or whatever he was yesterday.  Plus, our group was not playing up to our potential, which made me pretty sad.  But soon enough (except it really wasn't soon at all), it was over and we (Kate, me, and Matt) went out to eat.  We had Wendy's..  Yes, that was the 3rd time I've had Wendy's in 5 days.  Kate and I went inside to change, Matt had changed by the time we came back, so I guess he just changed in his car.  We ran into Jocelyn, Jared, Carrie, and Stacy inside and talked for a few minutes to ensure that Matt was all ready to go when we came back.  I ended up winning a small argument with Matt over this hideous bowtie that he wanted to wear.  It wouldn't have been so bad by itself, but he was wearing a pink shirt and wanted to wear a blue and white striped bowtie.  Yeah, they were not working together.

 

Anyway, back at Wake, we got ready for the concert, which included Anthony and I rehearsing the thing I had to read for the concert.  It sounded pretty good when we were doing every other word there for a while.  Then Brandon and Carmon got to make fun of me, which is pretty usual for them.  Soon enough, the concert was starting.  I can't say it was exactly great, but it was better than what Reagan is going to sound like on  Thursday.  And Anna (my oboe teacher) came!  I was pretty surprised to see her there.  I wish I had known beforehand, but it was good to see her afterwards.  My speech-ish thing went alright, I think.  At least I managed to get through it without laughing.  I went with Matt to talk to his parents for a few minutes after it was over, then I watched as he dragged his tuba out to his car. 

 

Then, the best part of my day happened... we went to his house and watched Frosty the Snowman.  I had a wonderful time.  I'm not going to elaborate.  But I really like him.

 

And today, I get to work on those horrible college applications.  Help me...

I used to have this friend at school with whom I lost contact with in about year nine. We were friends since we were five years old.

After I lost contact with her, I'd have this dream about her everynow and then. Not very often, maybe twice a year. Including this year. In most of the dreams when I'd see her, (except maybe the first time I dreamt about her), I'd say, "I had a dream about you." And the moment I'd say that I'd realise that I was dreaming and I'd wake up.

In one dream I even said, "I keep having these dreams about you, and in the dreams I say, 'I had a dream about you', and the moment I do I realise I am dreaming and I wake up." But then I realised I was dreaming and I woke up.

Anyway, I recently found this friend, after about nine or ten years of having lost contact with her, on the internet.

I'm tempted to tell her about my dreams just to see if I wake up.

Well Granny started her joruney this morning.  She never woke up since they put her in the hospital 3 days ago.  But she waited till all her kids including inlaw kids and a few grandkids where there to begin.

 

My mom waited till she was home to call me and my sister about 7:30 am, to give us the news.  I am not sure how my mom is handling my brother.  If she is going to call his base stateside to get a hold of his commander over in Iraq or how she is going to do it.  This is the first time my brother has been overseas while in the military when a grandparent passed.  Plus he is on the front line in Baghdad and he won't be allowed to come home since the military doesn't consider Granny "immediate family" or she didn't raise him.  It doesn't matter that we saw her anywhere to 3 to 4 times a week.  Oh well.  She has started her journey and he can still speak to her now and will visit her grave site when he is home.

 

I am busy doing the last few loads of laundry to finish packing the kids and myself up.  Randy is off getting me some travel money, gasing up the truck, checking the oil and air pressure in the tires.  It will be a cramped 12 hour ride home in the little truck but we are making it up.  It will be a sad and joyous Thanksgiving this year.

 

All the grandchildren minus my brother of course, will make their respected drives or flights in from across the states.  All my great uncles minsu my great uncle Arlen, who passed earlier this year, will do the same.  My grandmother's various cousin's and 1 of her 2 remaining sister in law's will be there.  Many friends through out her life time will be there.  The family is quite large and various family members from my dad's side will also arrive from their respected states because both families knew each other and grew  up with each other and intermarried in respective family branches. 

 

Grandma is predominate Irish with a tad bit of German in her......we won't do the tradational 7 day wake but my dad said the partying has begun.  My uncle Gene and my mom live with in a half mile of each other and ppl have started to arrive.  My two youngest uncle's are with the body at the funeral home since they no longer live in Walthill but 45 minutes from home.  Accroding to my aunt Gloria, they will stay with the body till my mom and uncle Gene give the okay for the family to take over the funeral home and church.  A few of my cousin's that still live in the town, have already called the bars and gave them the heads up.  And food is starting to pull in.  My mom has already had to turn down a few of the cousin's from staying the house.......she has my sister and her family coming up tonight and staying till after the funeral on Tuesday.  My family, minus Randy is pulling in late tonight or early early tomorrow morning, my brother's wife isn't bothering coming, but my mom is putting up one other cousin and his family.  My uncle Gene is able to pick up the slack since all three of his kids live in the immeditae area and the rest of the various family will be spread across South Sioux and Sioux City in hotels.

 

When the kids and I pull in tonight, my mom will take the kids and put them to bed and I will take the last shift of being with the body with who ever else is there.  Since my siblings, and one other set of cousin's and I were the ones constantly around Grandma we are only taking a total of 1 shift each with the body.  So we can help our parents finish off the funeral arrengements.  We might already have to move the Mass from Walthill to Winnebago.  See Grandma worked for the IHS Hospital for a good part of her life and many of the older tribal members and various families that know the family will also show up.  You add various large indian families to our rather large family and Walthill's Catholic Church might not fit us all.  The Bago Catholic Church might.........doubtful! 

 

Anyway..........it is time to get my last load of laundry going and to replace the candles that went out last night to help light granny's way.