Friday, December 15, 2006

Sylvia's Mother - bitch or wise? Discuss

Well I don't know, I don't really have anything to say. I am just killing time before bed. I am sitting here in the Christmas tree and tv screen light, watching the snow and/or freezing rain hit the window. Good times. I also have all of these depressing songs going through my head - songs that just make me sad. I have three of them going through my head: "The Last Time I Saw Richard" by Joni, "Operator" by Jim Croche (that doesn't look right - however the hell you spell his name), and "Sylvia's Mother" by Dr. Hook. I really hate Sylvia's Mother, don't get me wrong - it pretty much sucks shit, but I admit, whenever I hear it, I get into the story. I always picture this poor bugger boo-hooing on a payphone, begging to say goodbye to his beloved Sylvia, who I always picture as some New Jersey Catholic girl, with a mother that looks like Edith Bunker without the sweetness. And I feel for the poor bugger, since he can't say goodbye to her, and yet I feel bad for Sylvia's mother, and how she tries to cover up the phone call, because obviously, this dude has been so bad for her girl. So it's multifaceted. It's hokey and annoying, but it sticks to your ribs.
But what started this whole song thing was that I had Operator going through my head (which made me think of Sylvia's mother, probably because of the whole phone motif in the songs). I feel bad for this poor bugger too, and for his old lady going to L.A. with his best old ex-friend Ray.... and how he is all forgiveness and said he overcomes the blow, but then whammo, that's not the way he feels. It's so sad.
Then there is The Last Time I saw Richard, written for Joni's ex hubby Chuck, who turns cynical and drunk. I am always haunted by this song and the line "Richard got married to a figure skater/and he bought her a dishwasher and a coffee perculator/and he drinks at home most nights with the tv on/and all the house lights light up bright." It's just such a sad, pathetic image. The whole thing is just so sad. So all this music is bringing me down. I should listen to some "Don't Bring me Down" to bring me up. Except for the fact that I pretty much hate that song. And we were wondering one day at coffee, what is he singing - is he saying "don't bring me down.... Bruce"? I thought it was Brutis as a kid. What the fuck?
Yes, I have nothing to say. We had our first school Xmas concert last night. Kelly's class sang two songs, Jingle Bells, and a variation of Jingle Bells called "Welcome Folks". I have never been prouder. They walked onto the stage, with garland around their necks, and she was in her burgundy faux velvet dress, with black tights and new black shoes, and holding bells to shake, and I fucking bawled like a baby. My dear Rachel was videotaping, because I always screw that up somehow, and so she didn't see the worst of me, but I just lost it. I had tears rolling down my cheeks and I was so proud of my little pumkin. I still get choked thinking of it.
And then I was emotional for the rest of the concert because I just felt all this love and sadness for all the kids. There was this little Indian boy in the choir, and I was juxtaposing him with this girl in the choir and they were such opposites - he was in this white shirt buttoned up tight on his neck, and standing all hunched with his shoulders up to his ears because he was trying to stand so tall, and he was so shy his mouth hardly moved, and it was so cute, and then there was this pretty blonde girl next to him all gussied up and she was singing her heart out too, and I kept thinking how these two probably will never cross paths in any meaningful way, that they probably won't run in the same crowds and I started thinking of racism and self image and on and on and how life wasn't fair and I wanted to start bawling all over again.
Then there was the fat girl. She's in grade two and is so overweight, that she has overweight lady arms, like Popeye. And she was so cute and was hitching up her dress constantly, and she was dressed to the nines, and I kept thinking what a hard row she has to hoe because she is so overweight and that made me sad. And then I look in the front row and see this girl who is maybe 8 and she has an oxygen tank, so then that got me all heartbroken. AND THEN, behind me was my sister's friend's husband, who was my deceased brother in law's best friend. His son was in the choir, and I heard him say to this guy that his oldest was in the choir. Well, their firstborn died at 16 months of leukemia, and she would have been about 11 now, and I thought of her and how hard it must be for them to function still. The mom was the one who I broke down in front of at the cancer walk that year - they were lighting the luminaries and playing bagpipes and Sarah's "Angel" and I saw her there with her team, standing in front of her daughter's luminary, with a picture of her daughter on her t-shirt, and Rachel and I just started bawling and I walked up to her and gave her a kiss and hug and couldn't speak.... I was mortified the next day, but it was just so awful.
Oh my, I sound like such a downer tonight. I don't intend to be. I just had to convey all the emotions that watching your child brings out. And now I feel bad, because I was so grouchy with my crabby little girl tonight, and she was laying with me before bed, and stomped off because I was all pissy because she wanted a band-aid. LOLOL, we all need a good night's sleep. You know, as much as I complain about winter, there is something so calming and that I love about snowstorms on weekends when you don't have to go anywhere. Since we no place to go, let it fucking snow......
Anyhooo, I am going to get myself to bed so I can read my smallpox book. I hope y'all have a great weekend.
xo
JT

4 Comments:

At 1:31 AM, Blogger Chunks said...

Oh yeah, read a fucking smallpox book, that ought to cheer you RIGHT UP!

The damn Christmas concerts do that to me too. It doesn't matter who sings Silent Night, that is when I cry. Sometimes just the cuteness of it all will make me sob. Did they have a Mary and Joseph? Those little kindergarteners dressed like Mary and Joseph do it to me too.

"Don't Bring me Down" always reminds me of Daryl Blythe, a kid I was in Grade six with. He had a speech impediment and when you asked him what his hockey number was he said "Shclickty shclicks". Anyway, we had this end of the year grade six party and he was in charge of the music because he had a tape player. He brought ELO and played "Don't Bring Me Down" over and over and over and over. It was the only song he played. Now, twenty six years later, that song still makes me think of him.

And it's Croce. Jim Croce. Don't you remember the KTel Jim Croce ads? (I think it was KTel) Anyway, old Jim had been dead for years and they were still hocking his albums on tv. There was Time In A Bottle, Operator, all the big hits. Good lord. Poor Jim Croce.

 
At 4:54 AM, Anonymous Anonymous said...

Its really crazy how emotional the kids have made you. Not crazy bad, just because you were so stoic in highschool. There were so many times I tried to get a rise out of you when we were pissed at each other and you would never take the bait.. lol not fun being mad at someone when they won't get mad back.. lol
Ah the wonders of parenthood..
Keep on tearing up my friend...

 
At 3:03 PM, Anonymous Anonymous said...

I love journal entries like this; great to read. Now you're at the top of my list of bookmarks for favourite journals when I go to catch up on them on Sundays, presuming I find some time. Thanks for sending the link and I agree ... when you don't have to go anywhere ... let it snow!

I am a kids' christmas concert GRINCH ... I always went out of duty and don't recall ever gleaning one bit of enjoyment out of the show and not only dreaded going but couldn't wait till each one was over; and am now glad my boys are in high school and there are no more of these junior christmas concerts to attend.

So you go, boy! No one who likes children's Christmas concerts can be ALL bad!

 
At 12:00 AM, Blogger cutie1964 said...

I think it's "Don't bring me down...gross!" And I'm not the 80's aFficiando, people!
I tear up at that Tim Horton's commercial about the hockey playing son and his dad let alone the kids' Christmas concerts! I'm glad it's just family fun night this year cause my guys are at the age that mortifies easily! I hate that they grow up!
Happy Christmas, JT! Hug those beautiful girls real tight!
Cheers!
Cutie

 

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