I'll Make You Some Sandwiches

As I mentioned in my intro blog - I moved back in with my parents recently to save up some money, so I can eventually put a nice down payment on a house. I want to start investing in something, and now that I have a good full-time job, it's possible to plan for it!

One of the interesting things in our household right now is the fact that my grandpa moved in after my grandma passed away a couple of years ago. My parents redid our basement, putting in new carpeting, new light fixtures, and giving it a new coat of paint. He's got anything and everything he would need down there, except for a kitchen. Grandpa said he would pretty much stay down there - we would hardly notice him - but that ended up not being the case.

He's always in the living room on the main level, sitting in his big red chair that my parents got only a few years ago (but is already worn down like a 50 year old), and he's usually watching tv. Bowling from the 30s, M*A*S*H, and the first of the "talking pictures" are his programs of choice - not that they're bad, he just doesn't watch ANYTHING else. If he's not watching tv (which is usually only while my mom's soap is taping), he'll sit quietly and watch the birds outside.

The very first time I encountered him asleep on his chair I thought he had died. It's very reminiscent of the scene from Bad Santa where Billy Bob Thornton and Lauren Graham walk in on Grandma sleeping. They think she's dead, but get startled when she bolts awake and offers to make them sandwiches. My grandpa didn't bolt awake though, nor offer to make me sandwiches (probably for the best though as it would probably have peas in it - he puts peas in EVERYTHING!). Anyway, he'll simply wake up, realize he's sleeping, and start whistling as if he'd been awake all the time. You can always tell when my grandpa is feeling awkward - he'll whistle... and it's always sparatic notes that don't make a whole lot of sense when strewn together.

He's got a lot of health issues too. One of the most exciting of which is his inability to swallow some foods. It's like a guessing game. Will he be able to get down dinner today? Will it be the steak or the potato? He's vomited a couple times at the table before. Talk about losing your appetite. He'll make gagging noises, put his hand over his mouth - sometimes liquid will squirt out from between his fingers - and he'll dash away from the table as fast as his bad knees will let him. My dad will make conversation - which he never does (he's usually commenting on how my mom and I talk too much at dinner) - and my mom will look worried. My grandpa will go down into his basement and he won't come back for the rest of the night until it's time to take his Metamucil.

I usually don't eat for the rest of the night, unless my appetite comes back. If it does, I usually just make myself a sandwich.

Someday I'll tell you about grandpa's recovery from his knee surgery... super fun! For now I'll leave you with this clip - Man I love this movie.

Video clips only show up on the blog site.