Things that are surprising, #24
- Discovering that my propensity for Buffy, Battlestar, BBC and books is not an aberration, but rather, a genetic predisposition.
Things that are surprising #45
-Finding out that my relatives are…cool.
WELLLL….my mom came to town last week, stayed a few days, then dragged me to Massachusetts for the family reunion my aunt and uncle were hosting. I went along, viewing the experience as a familial obligation and expecting to, if not loathe, at least dislike and be bored by every minute of it. My boyfriend wasn’t able to come with, and though I do like my aunt and uncle, I was sure that the days spent in Grafton were going to consist of grown-up talk and catching up among the adults, while I wiled away my time and watched the clock. And that the reunion itself would be more of the same, only more-so.
I am willing to admit mistakes, and conclusions I may have jumped to. I *did* miss my boyfriend, and there *was* downtime while my mother conversed with her bother and sister-in-law, but other than that…I was mistaken.
First of all, though I might have expected matricide at the prospect of my mother and I stuck in a car for the 12 hours or so that the drive took, the journey was rather enjoyable. We discussed all manner of things and drank lots of coffee. We found a diner in Connecticut that has what might very well be the best lemon meringue pie I have ever had.
On our first day there (Friday), my Aunt Bobbie took my mother and I to the Worcester art museum, and after a lovely lunch we spent hours wandering the galleries.
On Saturday, I lounged around and read ‘Water for Elephants’ (a book I had been interested in that it just so happened that my aunt had), while my mom chatted with the other grown-ups.
On Sunday, relatives I did not know arrived and soon the expected awkward questions (‘How are you liking Pittsburgh?’ ‘So, what are you planning on going to school for?’) had been offered by multiple sources and I was girding myself for a day of making nice…and then the unexpected and amazing happened. Fan fiction was mentioned and one of my cousins told me that, as she and her husband are devoted Buffy fans, they are all too familiar with the writing genre.
Most of the remainder of the day was spent in fevered discussions of Joss Wheaton’s genius, Rose and the Doctor’s eternal love, Neil Gaimen, Neil Stephenson, and the fact that Battlestar freaking RAWKS.
I couldn’t believe it. I had been expecting conservative relatives, who, if such shows were mentioned might reply, ‘oh yes…I believe one of my daughter’s friends watches that show. Strange girl, she is. Have I shown you a picture of my daughter? She was valedictorian at Harvard last year! And head cheerleader, too! You should meet her…I think the two of you would get along famously.’
Instead I got relatives who swore up and down that ‘The Body’ (the Buffy episode concerning Joyce’s death) was possibly the best hour of television EVER, asked me if I had read ‘Snow Crash’, recommended BBC shows, and, when I mentioned the fact I believed that my local comic shop had a prejudice against my female nature, told me that was nonsense, as I totally have that whole ‘Suicide Girls’ thing going for me.
I have relatives who KNOW who the Suicide Girls are.
Relatives who live about 3 hours away, and love Japanese teenagers, Willow and Anya.
Anyway, mom and I headed back on Monday and had long conversations about how the government screws us, the Russian and French Revolutions, growing habits of plants and (to her dismay) Buffy.
And had more coffee.
I seriously drank enough coffee this past weekend to drown a cow.
On Tuesday, we met Burgandy for coffee, and lounged and hit the Southside Goodwill (I got the coolest shirt…), and watched Donnie Darko (mom thought it was awesome) and had WONDERFUL pizza from a place in Squirrel Hill.
Today, Briggs is at work and mom has headed back…I missed having my space and the house to myself, but now it feels strange, after over a week of constant human interaction.
Tomorrow I start a temp position at Mellon Bank.
I want Barnes and Noble to call me.
