Thanks Mom

Thanks for the birthday party at Straw Hat Pizza. I'm eight years old and when you asked me what I wanted for my birthday all I could say was a party, because up to then I'd never had a party.

Nothing in my childhood was ever more important than that day. Thanks, mom. On a GS-4's salary, that couldn't have been easy. You got some of my friends together and surprised the hell out of me...I sure didn't see it coming.

Keeping Up Appearances

I was channel surfing and Keeping Up Apperances (a brit sitcom) was on. It's the one with the lady that is a member of the middle class but acts like she's aristocracy. Her last name is Bucket, but she makes everyone prounounce it "Bouquet". I started to tear up a bit...mom really liked that one. Everytime I saw it on TV, I would know that she was watching it too.

She taped every single episode of Keeping Up Appearances. I learned eventually, that it wasn't just the comedy that she enjoyed; it was the mechanics of taping the show. She received a lot of gratification from just mastering that bloody VCR. In fact, the only time she ever played them back (that I know of) was when I was over and we sat and watched two or three of them in a row together. She may have played a few for Barbara when she lived with her...I'll have to ask her.

Well...Everyone else went to bed so I turned back to it and watched. I felt as though mom was there in the room with me. It was both a weird and wonderful feeling.

It was the episode about Hiacynth's Nautical Buffet with Raperian Entertainments, if you were interested. Actually one of the funnier episodes in that series.

You know, I just had a thought. I think mom liked the show because she really disliked snooty women like Hiacynth Bucket. I'll bet she loved seeing Hiacynth get what was coming to her for being a snob.