I've spent my "unintentional sabbatical" watching countless hours of In Session. It can tend to be redundant but it can, at times, be interesting. I mean, there are precious few soap operas on any more and I've watched every single episode of A Baby Story, so In Session is my standard entertainment.
Yesterday we had coverage of the Donald Montanez trial - this is a guy who owned a towing company who had a "client" intercept the removal of his vehicle and was shot - by the owner. Sad, sad case. The victim was in town for his brother's funeral and ended up getting killed over picking a bad parking place at a strip joint. Withholding judgment about the patronage of a strip joint and being out and about after midnight (because nothing good happens after midnight), I think the tow driver is guilty as sin and the jury agreed. In Session tends to show most low profile cases a few months after they actually happen. I try to avoid googling to find out what happens... but in this one, I had to peek.
Yesterday was also the beginning of jury selection for the Drew Peterson trial. Third wife mysteriously dies in the middle of a bitter divorce. Fourth wife mysteriously disappears. Poor fella... his wives are dropping like flies! He's a narcissist and YOU KNOW how I feel about narcissists. I hope he fries. He won't. I know there isn't enough evidence and the trial hasn't even started.
There was a little coverage on the sanctions brought down against Penn State in the wake of the Jerry Sandusky conviction and the independent report about Penn State's role. Here's my thing: if the culture of football has escalated to the point that *the program* becomes so important that it takes precedence over the safety and well-being of young children in the community, then *the program* needs to end. I love college football. I love the traditions and the passion and the hype around it. I have a lot of respect - make that HAD a lot of respect for Joe Paterno and Penn State. My former mother-in-law went there and I highly respect her and know that she built a successful career from the education she received there. However, I am convinced that many, many kids were victimized that wouldn't have been victimized if the powers that be had taken a stand the moment they had even so much as a suspicion that something was going on that shouldn't.
In Session also showed the first court appearance of the Movie Theater Killer. He looked like he was drugged or crazy or both. Personally, I think he's faking. He is one of superior intelligence and *perhaps* narcissism (I don't have enough information to completely diagnose him yet) and I believe *he knows* what will appear as being psychologically disconnected. I think he's trying to portray himself as incapable of standing trial. Again, this proves my theory that nothing good happens after midnight. Not that I want to be flip or irreverent about those poor people who were killed, those who were injured and those who will spend the rest of their lives trying to forget what they saw that night. My brother and I used to go to the midnight movie (Rocky Horror) all the time when we were teenagers... it just seems that life is meaner now.
We took my mom's car in for servicing today and instead of sitting for the two hours it was supposed to take, we opted for a loaner car. Big, huge, hairy mistake! This dealership doesn't just give you a car off their lot... they cart you off to the nearest Enterprise Rental Car where you go through the whole "mother's maiden name, blood type, firstborn grandchild's kidney" examination. Seriously, it would have been easier to just wait two hours. And then the guy tried the typical up sell, trying to scare my mom into thinking her car insurance wasn't transferable and even if it was, in the event of an accident she'd have to pay the deductible herself and loss of use on the car and blah blah blah and I jumped in and told her that the State Farm Visa that she had to use to secure the rental car (something the dealership neglected to mention) would cover any out of pocket expenses on a rental car. Most people don't know that... but many credit cards provide this type of benefit when you're renting a car, especially if it's a credit card with rewards or points or that sort of thing.
We also made a trip to pick up Marquee from school... normally either mama or I go but rarely both of us but she didn't want to drive the rental car (so she doesn't have to refill the gas tank, yet another inconvenience of a rental car vs. a loaner) and as I was backing out of the driveway to go to the college, Marquee called to let us know the front entrance to the college was closed and we would need to use the back entrance and I wasn't sure what she was talking about so my mom just grabbed my granddog Sammy and rode with me. Well, she didn't GRAB him... he was being sort of mopey and whiney so she didn't want to leave him with the other pups. And kitties.
I talked to Austin this morning and he was nasty with me again. Someone once told me that people carry with them their own perspective of a relationship, especially when it dissolves. Although I did not leave Cleveland with the perspective that Austin and I were estranged, his attitude makes me feel like we are. In my mind, I did my best to love and provide for Austin, even beyond, a lot of the time, what I could really afford to do or what most parents would have put up with. He's angry at me because things changed and I'm the one he feels like he can blame for that. He can't see how hard I worked to keep my finger in the dam for all those years... he only sees the results of the dam breaking... and that dam breaking interrupted his creature comforts that he's enjoyed with me.
At any rate... he was still focused on the fact that his phone coverage expires at the end of this month since I can't/won't pay for the renewal and I asked if he had heard from the Vocational Rehab place about a job - he said they hadn't called him back. (I knew this was not true) I suggested that maybe he should talk to his Youth Pastor or Uncle Bubba or someone at the church about finding someone who might pay him to do their yard work or something to give him a little pocket change (and pay for his phone) until he finds a job. He ended up hanging up on me. I emailed the super nice, super concerned lady at the Vocational Rehab place and she said they had not heard from Austin but she would call him right away. So that's that.
I'm trying to keep a lid on geeking out about the Olympics but I am SUPER excited about the games and can hardly wait until Opening Ceremony! My enthusiasm always wanes about a week into things but... still... it's one of those things that I still think are worth watching, just because.
And speaking of Purple People*, today is Purple Michael's birthday and, just like with my kids, it makes me sort of wistful and sad that I can't be with him. Chicago seems worlds away sometimes. I miss him so much.
I have been watching Big Brother but it hasn't really piqued my interest as much this year. Not much news there.
My back has really been bothering me this week. The pain changes just often enough that when I get used to one kind of pain, I get something different that makes me miserable in a whole new way. Right now I'm back to the feeling of my spine collapsing on itself which is what happens when I pick up things that are too heavy for me. After a few days of that feeling of pressure, I'll start dealing with muscle spasms in my lower back, which will evolve into more of a sharp pain pinpointed in the middle of my spine (this is usually the arthritis) and eventually it cycles back into the piriformis syndrome (which is the pain like what you would feel if you were sitting on a wallet) and the sciatica (which is the pain that radiates down into your legs and feet) and then, periodically, just to keep things interesting, the "all-over" fibromyalgia type pain will kick in.
Anyways... so we're just hanging out now, waiting to hear back from the car dealership and take the rental car back and pick up mom's car. And that... is my Tuesday. What's new with you?
*In the original version of my blog I would highlight the names of girls in pink, the names of guys in blue and the names of same sex oriented people in purple. Since I had a brother Michael and a husband Michael and a best friend Michael, they were blue, orange (Gator orange) and purple. Thus, my friend Michael became Purple Michael.
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