Green vans: The green vans are getting to be kinda like the black helicopters the right wing paranoids imagine except the green vans actually exist. Whether this is conspiracy to spend the entire winter replacing the heating system only to shut it off in July, or just poor planning is anybody's guess. Under the front door was slipped another water shutoff notification. Under the back door was slipped the minutes of the last trustees meeting detailing (among other things) the schedule for the heating system replacement. According to the schedule, my courtyard hasn't had its heating system replaced yet although I saw the green van men day after day cutting pipes and hauling huge boilers and other gear into the basement of the unit that has the heating system. But then again, the schedule doesn't show this courtyard as existing at all let alone having been fixed already. Very confusing.
Hooded Mergansers, etc.:
Watchemocket Cove
Duplicitous Friends: Nikki still hasn't said a word to me about moving in with Mom. Meanwhile, she apparently moved in yesterday. Apparently Mom said no over the phone after her conversation with me on Sunday night, but reversed herself when Nikki showed up on her doorstep Monday morning. Thomas told me all this Monday night when we were discussing where to have Thanksgiving dinner. Should we invite Nikki and her two 17 year old sons and the dog?
Irish Catholic Guilt: OK, so the sermon on the mount doesn't have an "except Nikki" clause in that part about feeding the hungry, giving drink to the thirsty, clothing the naked, comforting the afflicted etc. Saying no to a "friend in need" has been the hardest thing I've done in a very long time and I don't feel good about it. In fact I feel guilty. "The least of my brethren" darn well includes childhood friends. I also feel like my mother is in for months of suffering because I had bad judgement in choosing friends when I was 14. Is any of this my fault? My therapist says no of course not. But then again, the theraputic model rules out the entire sermon on the mount. I may not be Catholic anymore but the left wing social justice oriented catholicworkerwannabe upbringing has stuck with me far longer than the rest of the story and informs who I am and what I do to a greater degree than is readily apparent. There's lots more to say about this but my fingers are freezing.
The Rest of the Story: Yeah, like there's a rest of the story. Anyway, the whole reason I was down in RI the past couple days is that Nancy sprained her ankle and needed help. I could write a whole entry just on my trip to pick her up at work in Middletown last night but like I said my fingers are freezing.
Home