Dinner with the GP's
S and I visited my grandparents for dinner on Saturday along with my parents and siblings, and my GG went all out: turkey/pork meatballs in squash, filet mignon sliced over asparagus and greens, mini pork spareribs in fun-yu (fermented tofu...I know it sounds gross, but this stuff is da BOMB), shrimp and beef stir-fry, funsee with scrambled egg and crab, chicken spicy curry, home-made fried calamari rings and shark's fin soup (I'll be sad when these are on a no-hunt list...they're really super yummy).
Well, on to the meat of the matter.
My GG told my father that he had voted (both of my grandparents vote, as much as they can...this is the side of my family that actually believes in voting) and that he had voted against Prop 8. Whyeverfor?, my dad asked. "Because I want to pay less taxes" he replied. "Less taxes?" "Yeah, less school taxes because there'll be less kids!" Har har.
Now, my GG is pretty darn sharp. There's no way he would not fully understand what Prop 8 was about. But in his roundabout, sarcastic way, he was telling my father that this was okay. In fact, he knows about S and I, and it's okay. It's more than okay. He's being supportive. This made me cry happy, happy tears when I heard the story from S back at home. Happy, happy, happy tears.
My PP was the funniest. In her trembling, old voice, she asked if I had voted. I replied that I had. "I voted too," she says "I voted for McCAIN!" <-- she sounds so proud of herself here. "Why did you vote for McCain?" my dad asks. "Because I could tell that Obama would win," she replied. @_@ Oh, PP.
And yet, my brother once again inspires rage in me.
"Did you vote?" I asked him
"No," he replied.
"Why not?"
"Because I didn't like either of the presidential candidates."
INSERT RAGE HERE BARELY KEPT IN CHECK BY THE PRESENCE OF WITNESSES
"You know," I try to say casually. "You can vote on propositions without having to vote for either of the presidential candidates. In fact, there was a proposition on the ballot which came pretty close, and which I, personally, REALLY needed not to pass."
He shrugs.
STIFLE THE URGE TO THROTTLE
"Didn't you get my email?"
"No" <-- because I'm being antagonistic now, he's adopting his usual defensive mode of self-satisfied igrnorance
"You did. If Julie got it and Mom got it, then you got it. It doesn't pick and choose who gets it."
"Oh well."
"Maybe you didn't read it?"
"That's it." <-- smiles and turns away, and I suppress the urge to look for sharp utensils.
In a world where people are getting smarter, why is my brother getting dumber? He wants to know everything about everything, except where it matters. This does not help me feel better about him at all.
Well, on to the meat of the matter.
My GG told my father that he had voted (both of my grandparents vote, as much as they can...this is the side of my family that actually believes in voting) and that he had voted against Prop 8. Whyeverfor?, my dad asked. "Because I want to pay less taxes" he replied. "Less taxes?" "Yeah, less school taxes because there'll be less kids!" Har har.
Now, my GG is pretty darn sharp. There's no way he would not fully understand what Prop 8 was about. But in his roundabout, sarcastic way, he was telling my father that this was okay. In fact, he knows about S and I, and it's okay. It's more than okay. He's being supportive. This made me cry happy, happy tears when I heard the story from S back at home. Happy, happy, happy tears.
My PP was the funniest. In her trembling, old voice, she asked if I had voted. I replied that I had. "I voted too," she says "I voted for McCAIN!" <-- she sounds so proud of herself here. "Why did you vote for McCain?" my dad asks. "Because I could tell that Obama would win," she replied. @_@ Oh, PP.
And yet, my brother once again inspires rage in me.
"Did you vote?" I asked him
"No," he replied.
"Why not?"
"Because I didn't like either of the presidential candidates."
INSERT RAGE HERE BARELY KEPT IN CHECK BY THE PRESENCE OF WITNESSES
"You know," I try to say casually. "You can vote on propositions without having to vote for either of the presidential candidates. In fact, there was a proposition on the ballot which came pretty close, and which I, personally, REALLY needed not to pass."
He shrugs.
STIFLE THE URGE TO THROTTLE
"Didn't you get my email?"
"No" <-- because I'm being antagonistic now, he's adopting his usual defensive mode of self-satisfied igrnorance
"You did. If Julie got it and Mom got it, then you got it. It doesn't pick and choose who gets it."
"Oh well."
"Maybe you didn't read it?"
"That's it." <-- smiles and turns away, and I suppress the urge to look for sharp utensils.
In a world where people are getting smarter, why is my brother getting dumber? He wants to know everything about everything, except where it matters. This does not help me feel better about him at all.