Over the course of the first year I was in New Orleans after Hurricane
Katrina, I'd become friends with an elderly couple. I say elderly
because the woman was in her mid-seventies and the man was 83. The
would acknowledge their age, but would never consider themselves
elderly because the word connotes someone frail. These two were quite
active - and quite demanding actually, taking advantage of every
assistance that came their way. The woman would say, "Grab a bear when
it's coming at you; when it's passed you by, it's a greased pig." So,
that's the way it was. In some ways I was just a pawn in their game.
But we had been endeared to each other. They were different from each other and had married only in the last
five years. Survivor wins all the other's assets was the way they'd
arranged it. The woman was all business. The man played along, but he
once loved to see plays. He loved movies also and recalled, in his
story telling, many scenes from old movies. He would occasionally see
movies on an old VHS player, but he hadn't been to a play in years
because his wife wouldn't allow herself to enjoy plays and he gave up
trying to get her to go along. In the second year of our friendship, it came to my attention that
there would be a presentation of The Vagina Monologues in the city. I
did not actually know the contents of the play, but I knew it was a
long running and often recognized as ground-breaking. I knew that old
Jim would enjoy it. But I had to work it for him. Work it so that the
old lady would come along and feel either that it was all for her, or
that she was somehow doing it for her husband. After some time, we
made a plan to go. There were no excuses available, but at the last
minute, she almost refused to go because she didn't know where we
would to park. Alas, we made it. They had me sit between them. And there it was. The
language, even I wasn't prepared for. The old man got a kick out of
it. Then I knew why I was between them. Old Jim was grinning and
snorting through the production. The old woman squirmed a bit, but I
think the she identified with some of it. She would not admit to any
such thing though. On the way out of the theater, she said, "What if
men had to talk about their private parts that way?" I think it was the best thing I'd done with them over the two years I
was around. I did see them once another year later and the woman had
stopped dying her hair a sort of dull ginger color and radiated in
silver white. More: http://www.fromoutoftheblue.com/blogs/peter/v-day-2010
Katrina, I'd become friends with an elderly couple. I say elderly
because the woman was in her mid-seventies and the man was 83. The
would acknowledge their age, but would never consider themselves
elderly because the word connotes someone frail. These two were quite
active - and quite demanding actually, taking advantage of every
assistance that came their way. The woman would say, "Grab a bear when
it's coming at you; when it's passed you by, it's a greased pig." So,
that's the way it was. In some ways I was just a pawn in their game.
But we had been endeared to each other. They were different from each other and had married only in the last
five years. Survivor wins all the other's assets was the way they'd
arranged it. The woman was all business. The man played along, but he
once loved to see plays. He loved movies also and recalled, in his
story telling, many scenes from old movies. He would occasionally see
movies on an old VHS player, but he hadn't been to a play in years
because his wife wouldn't allow herself to enjoy plays and he gave up
trying to get her to go along. In the second year of our friendship, it came to my attention that
there would be a presentation of The Vagina Monologues in the city. I
did not actually know the contents of the play, but I knew it was a
long running and often recognized as ground-breaking. I knew that old
Jim would enjoy it. But I had to work it for him. Work it so that the
old lady would come along and feel either that it was all for her, or
that she was somehow doing it for her husband. After some time, we
made a plan to go. There were no excuses available, but at the last
minute, she almost refused to go because she didn't know where we
would to park. Alas, we made it. They had me sit between them. And there it was. The
language, even I wasn't prepared for. The old man got a kick out of
it. Then I knew why I was between them. Old Jim was grinning and
snorting through the production. The old woman squirmed a bit, but I
think the she identified with some of it. She would not admit to any
such thing though. On the way out of the theater, she said, "What if
men had to talk about their private parts that way?" I think it was the best thing I'd done with them over the two years I
was around. I did see them once another year later and the woman had
stopped dying her hair a sort of dull ginger color and radiated in
silver white. More: http://www.fromoutoftheblue.com/blogs/peter/v-day-2010
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