It was cold, real cold, I mean Iowa cold.
Adapted from an email I sent to Trishy (after I had sent her one regarding the band Need New Body):
I’m away, away in Granger, Ioway. I had sniffles, I ditched much of the sniffling but added a sore throat (after the plane ride over). I sang a whole lot at Happy Rooster on Thursday (Jan. 23) as very few people showed up in the bitter cold. That could have tipped the scales. I am sure hoping to recover for when I return by Monday night.
Grandma is feeling maybe a little better, but she doesn’t have long before things go worse. This is according to all the info we have on what she has.. a nerve disease, diabetes, heart failure, etc... My dad’s family and doctors are trying hard to improve Grandma’s quality of life for the duration. It’s really all we can do, unfortunately.
I am not that close to Grandma, as we don’t live close to each other and such, but she was a big part of my life long ago in Kansas (she would babysit me), and she and I usually got along. ok, not always! There was a trip I took to see her and other folks back in March ‘93 that was more unpleasant than not.. But I didn’t take how she acted (kinda snitty) that personally (and I can't say I was the easiest 20 year-old to deal with).
Anyway, it’s snowed some tonight, but that should not deter us from using the outdoor hot tub just a few tantalizing steps from the deck door. That should be lovely.
If I can before I go, I will try to snag several matchbooks from this gas station/convenience store chain called Kum and Go for Trishy's and Cathy's Non-Stop Erotic Cabaret evening. I will also try to take a photo of this wild mural that this Mexican guy put up in this tiny, typically Midwestern tiny town of Granger, where I am. Planets, stars, action figures embedded in the wall, a devil and a devil with a blue dress. Panoramic photo-worthy. (A sizeable Mexican population has also sprung up here in Central Iowa.)
update:
All right, I snagged Kum and Go matchbooks, but a) their logo was really small on these particular matchbooks (the prominent motif: crossed checkered flags and a big "GO" printed in between them). I also considered the idea of taking 50 wrapped matchbooks with me in carry-on luggage and thought instead I'd be better off leaving them in Des Moines. I will need to try a different tack, perhaps through official channels.
I was also unable to take a photo of the mural, but I requested that my aunt and uncle (whose insurance and financial office are right next door and physically attached to the property) snap one and send it to me.
I also did not dip into the hot tub at 2 below freezing. But that's probably because I didn't find the prospect of tubbing with my close relatives very appealing. So next time I'm taking some of you freaks along.
I did see Grandma all 3 days I was out there, which was good. She said the nurses were all very pleasant. We got to meet Grandma's friend Joyce around the corner in the hospital, who was a good person to be Grandma's counterpoint, very high-energy and chatty. Uncle Jeff was out there, too, and Aunt Kathy. I spoke to two of my cousins, Chad and Sparkle (that's right) and saw the other 2 on Dad's side, Kari and Matt.
Dad and I ate at a really good Mexican restaurant in Des Moines called Monterrey. The flan was the best I'd ever tasted, and my dad couldn't stop raving about it (and who could blame him). Also got to drink Bohemia beer for the first time. It's not *that* tough to find in Philly, but I prefer a darker beer like Negra Modelo. Bohemia is excellent, though, and as Dad said, goes best with a meal.
I did hang out alone with cousin Matt for the first time as adults. He's only a few months older than I. We talked and checked out the Des Moines bar scene, which is rather diverse from what he told me. We only went to 2, an "Irish pub" in the Philly Irish Pub vein, and his favorite place, GT's, a biker bar of sorts. Matt's a motocross racer, 3rd in his class in Iowa in 2001. A few of his friends' jerseys and photos are framed on the walls in GT's. There are some bike parts hanging from the ceiling, and crew stickers in the bathroom. The light above the pool table is made to look like a bike engine, and the tap is made from 4 engine cylinders. The overall feel was that of Dirty Frank's, diverse crowd, although there was a DJ there, (no dance floor). The DJ was mixing all sorts of genres, from LL Cool J to Portishead and even a Luscious Jackson "Naked Eye" hip-hop style remix. See what no pressure on the DJ scene frees you to do?
We met Kari, Ed, and their 2 kids (3rd on the way). We ate at a restaurant in the Amana Colonies called The Brick Haus Restaurant. Perhaps not what The Commodores had in mind....
(Pretty much the only thing the Amana Colonies and the Amish have in common is their Germanic and agricultural ancestry. The Amana people are modernized and significantly less worried about playing up the tourist angle. There's even a web site you can click (above) for more than you wanted to know about them. And yes, the Amana refrigerator plant is down the road from the restaurant.)
Any questions?