nowhere on the list

a catastrophic hurricane was nowhere near the list of things i wanted for my birthday this year. seriously, the only rita i wanted anything to do with was the margarita i was thinking about asking my mom to take me out for on monday, when i actually turn the big 27. looks like we'll still be holed up in the house playing dueling newscasts with cnn and fox, trying to figure out what the hell happened to the beach.

1) i am thankful that my cousins are smart people and are getting the hell out of dodge. i am also thankful that baby charlie is coming to visit me, even though it's because of the hurricane.

2) i am thankful that i didn't take that job in houston, otherwise, i'd be stuck on i-10, chainsmoking and crying to my mother on a rapidly dying cell phone.

3) i am thankful that i have good memories of galveston from when i was little. galveston was the site of my first ever beach trip. if you come see me, i will show you the picture of my and my gramps on stewart beach, before all the medical waste started washing up on it in the mid-80's.

4) i am thankful that i never got rid of the giant sand-dollar that brendan gave me when i was 9, that he got when our families took a joint trip to galveston. i look at that sometimes and remember what a fun trip we had, and what a great friend he has been to me over the years. incidentally, that was also the trip where brendan's mom bought one of those pill-shaver things for removing pills from your sweater. only she and my mom called them "ball-shavers". brendan and eric were very afraid when mom and aunt candy got home and told them what they'd bought at the store. i just remember thinking it was funny that they were hiding under the beds, and screaming about having their balls shaved. and i remember how hard my mom and aunt candy laughed when they explained that the ball shavers were for sweaters, and not for brendan and eric.

5) i am thankful that i have my set of relish forks, in several assorted plastic colored handles, with the words "Galveston, Texas" embossed in genuine imitation gold leaf. i love those things.

6) i am thankful that people are getting out of harms' way. i am thankful that there are good highways in Texas.

that's all. there's a lot to do between now and saturday. pray...

mil besos--rmg