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