Author: Gideon (Page 1 of 2)

Not Sure How I Missed This One

So I keep a running Spotify playlist of songs or albums that I want to check out when I get a free minute. Well, my minutes must have been a bit busy for the last half-decade, because I added the album “What Happens Now” from the band Laveda to that list in October 2020 and only got to it today. And now I’m kicking myself because not only does it check a ton of my dream pop/shoegaze musical boxes, but they are originally from the Capitol Region, and play here fairly often! I really need to keep a better eye on the local music scene.

God Bless eBay!

While cleaning out my basement recently, I found a microcassette player containing a tape labeled as holding an interview that my brother and dad conducted with my grandfather about his service in WWII. After several attempts to resurrect the player in the basement, I decided to roll the dice and bought the little Panasonic handheld number above off eBay for $40. After a few minutes digging through my stash of miscellaneous cables and adapters and a few false starts, I was treated to hearing the voices of these three people whom I miss pretty much all the time.

So to all my fellow hoarders of electronics and the spouses who probably force them to sell things on eBay occasionally, thank you for giving me the opportunity to bring this piece of my family history back to life.

One Fair Spring Evening

I last visited Lock 9 on the day my dad died last June. It just felt right to use this rare, beautiful spring evening to take a walk there today with his dog and granddaughter and try out the camera he never got a chance to use, especially since this spot was among his favorite subjects.

The Rough Moments

A lovely autumn view that feels like it shouldn’t be mine.

The weirdest part of grief is you never know what exactly is going to make it come on. Sitting on my front porch on a beautiful autumn day, waiting for my youngest child to get home because she has a half day today. Then all the sudden tears start running down my cheeks because it should be Dad, not me, waiting on the porch to take a very special little girl to the diner for some rare one-on-one time. The fact that those moments are gone forever makes me feel like someone hit me across the chest with a baseball bat. I know the feeling will pass and she and I will have a great outing, but it doesn’t make the pain any less real in the moment.

The Smallest Things

It’s been just over a week since Dad died and the things that get to me aren’t what I expected. Going to his house or driving his car – fine. Sitting on a park bench waiting for the kids to go to the bathroom – completely choked up. I keep feeling like I see him coming around corners or in the edges of my peripheral vision.

Last Sunset at Lock 9

777 Days

That’s the amount of time between the declaration of the initial COVID-19 emergency declaration in New York State (March 7, 2020) and when our house lost its status as COVID-free (April 23, 2022). It was nice while it lasted!

I woke yesterday with what I thought were bad seasonal allergies, with the only thing unusual being a very mild sore throat. Out of what I suspected was an abundance of caution, I took an at-home COVID-19 test and put on a mask. While the test kit said it can sometimes take as long as 15 minutes for the test result to appear, mine was almost instant and very clear, indicating a high level of virus in my system. Thankfully, our house has a family room with an adjacent bedroom that is reasonably isolated from the rest of the house, so I immediately moved everything I need to work from home into there and started isolating myself from the rest of the family. With a little bit of luck, this will hopefully begin and end with me.

The Simple Things Make the Holidays Special

12 luminaries in the snowy yard outside the Little Brick House

Nothing reminds me of the Christmas Eve’s of my youth like looking at the soft glow of luminaries in the snow with a belly full of cookies and Chinese food. The fact that something as simple as a paper bag, some sand, and a tealight can make something so beautiful never ceases to astound me.

A New Addition

I received this “portable” beauty for my parents as an early birthday present. It’s missing a manual and some suction cups, but it works great for a radio that was discontinued during the Korean War. It’s capable of running off both DC mains service and large dry cell batteries in addition to AC, so I’ll be prepared if this whole Tesla fad finally peters out. And there’s no denying that it just looks great on a shelf.

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