These conversations might not seem like much, but for some reason I get a lot of feedback on them - typically from people that live away from their parents. So I post these conversations for those of us who live far away from extremely CANDID families... sigh. Also - a side note - I get really homesick around the holidays so, this site might turn into the "my family kicks your families ass" blog for the month of December. But it's true. My family kicks ass. Once my mom kicked me in the ass. I probably deserved it though...

My family reads my website. Sometimes I will get messages telling me to “delete immediately – you are making me look like a fool.” (those would be from my mother.) or whatever – the WHOLE family is up on the gig. (hi family.) I figure its cool, because I am out living in this far away place, and they are all living in Alaska or Oregon being healthy and wise. Also - as much as they say they hate my cussing, i know they secretly love the stories. Plus - I am a bad emailer when it comes to family. Its just one of those things.
So whatever.
Yesterday I call my mom. She was sitting in the hospital with my Papa who is sick. Present in the room was my Grandma, Geoffrey, Geoffrey’s best friend Mike, and my Mom.
I called to scold her on buying tickets to go watch my other brother swim in Seattle. (He is swimming in the US Open this weekend, and both my parents are flying out to see him – Hence, I got a little jealous.) Anyway – whatever, our conversation ends.
I hang up.
About 4 seconds later they call back:
Your Grandmother wants to know if you have seen Pay It Forward?
Yes.
Well, that is what the story on your website is about - the man on the bus, right?
Well yeah Mom, but it was more a comment on how typically American he was being – like automatically associating a random act with Hollywood. I found it funny to have just gotten off the plane, and be slammed in the face, first thing with something terribly American. It was funny to me.
(Mom to the room) She saw the movie, but she finds it funny, and thinks that guy was being too American.
(Mom to me) Your grandmother says you think too much.
What?
She said “That’s Anise for you, always analyzing everything.”
I thought it was just being perceptive.
No Anise, we all know you, and you over analyze. You can’t just say thank you to a man that paid your bus fare, you have to laugh and over analyze.
I did say thank you. I laughed to myself. He did not know how I felt. Its called thinking.
No its called over analyzing.
Okay.