Narcoleptic Squirrel

So, I am lame, and don’t have this set up for you tube links, so I hope you will click the link below, and see a glimpse into the world of the easter bunny.
all out of bubblegum

So, last weekend was spent on the road, heading to the old homestate of MI for the funeral of my grandfather, or as he was more commonly known, Grampy. I wish we wouldn’t have had to make the trip in such a short time span (minimum twelve hour drive each way, and we only got two days there). But, that’s the thing with funerals, you don’t get warning, or to make elaborate travel plans. At least, not in my world.
The bright spot in all of it was that I got to see my family for a bit, catch up with some of them. See the ever-evolving niece and nephews. The funeral was traditional Catholic. A mass, with the homily based on the deceased. I got to see my grandfather laid out briefly, before the service, so I did at least get to say goodbye, as it were. Though it was all very surreal. He just didn’t look like him, you know? I had to hold it together for the service, as I found out just beforehand that I was signed on to do the old testament reading. I was a little nervous, seeing as I was at a funeral, for my dear grandfather, had not done a church reading in, oh, fifteen years, and the reason everyone thought I was the perfect choice is that I have a theater degree/am an actor. No pressure.
Even if I could hold it together, it becomes very hard when other people around you are losing it. I couldn’t look at anyone once the service started, and had to focus very hard on the task at hand. I made it through, hopefully it was passable.
The whole event, while very traditional, was, well, very traditional. Outside of Grampy going to mass faithfully every day, it didn’t say much about him, as a person, or the life he led. Sure, his pastime of wearing roller skates and hanging on the backs of moving cars was mentioned, as was his photography. But, shouldn’t a literal celebration also be acceptable? My Grampy led a pretty extraordinary like when you really look at it. He was around for 98 years. Driving until his 95th. Around during two World Wars, the Depression, Prohibition, a multitude of presidencies. The youngest of a large family, drinking homemade wine with dinner in his youth, going out dancing and playing handball. Playing basketball when he was a high school sophomore, attending the University of Michigan when it had one campus, and a small one at that. So, so many life events. So many stories.
I’d like to think that Grampy is in Heaven, back with his wife, and dancing it up with a glass of wine. It would befit such a long and interesting life.

….and somewhere to go.
Why is it that when it rains, it truly pours? I could handle a light sprinkle, maybe some scattered showers. However, for nearly the past week, it has been a monsoon in these parts, and I am more than ready for the clouds to part.
I had two auditions, and two callbacks last week. One casting so far…one I have no idea. I am pretty sure it will be thanks, but no thanks, but a call would be nice, since there weren’t that many called back. The not knowing sucks, since I need to know how much schedule juggling I need to do.
In the work front, I am rapidly reaching maximum capacity. Last week, due to no fault of my own, I had to rewind on a project and take it back a couple of steps before continuing. We started back up on Monday…when at roughly 2:30 in the afternoon (my shift ends at 3:30), I was told to cease. It was decided to stop again, and do another (albeit minor) restructure of the department. Today, I got to cozy up with AutoCAD all day to figure it out. My eyes are all buggy now, and I have five areas that I am working on. I should have three. Last week’s rewind set us back two weeks, and now with this modification, we will be another two weeks long. I am trying to be Zen, but it is hard.
Last week, I got a call from the ‘rents. Not so unusual, except that this call was specifically to inform me that my grandfather (my last grandparent) was in the hospital, and not doing well. In the vein of keeping me posted, I got periodic updates. Things aren’t looking good…he’s doing better…he could go at any time. Finally, he was gone. Thus I’ve spent the last week trying to figure out if and when we would have to pack up and head outta town to bid our farewells. We’ve been watching airfares (out of our price range) and calculating our earliest possible arrival by car. Even once we got the news of his passing, I had to wait to hear about arrangements. Now there are arrangements, so it looks like we will be heading out tomorrow after work. I hate leaving the house such a mess, and have no idea what to pack. I feel guilty, because I’ve been wanting to travel and take a break. This is not how I expected it to occur. Not to mention that overall, I think I’m doing okay with it, but every so often a big wave of sadness washes over me. I don’t know how I’ll do come the actual funeral, when it will probably become real for me. My solace comes knowing that at least I saw him recently and spent his 98th birthday with him The sadness comes back when I realize that I assumed that we would also celebrate 99 and 100.
Now I am just rambling. I should go back to cleaning the kitchen. When I got the news, I scrubbed the bathroom. It made me focus on something, at least.
Oh well, perhaps the sun will peek through the clouds for me.