Me and My Euphonium

I returned to band this evening after missing 2 weeks, the first in Iowa and second resting after getting little sleep from water coming through the ceiling. One thing that I have long wanted to do is play a solo with a band accompanying. When I got there this evening, I found that such a solo was given to the second chair in my absence, as they wanted to squeeze in a euphonium solo into the summer concerts for a change. Drat. I may have to quit the band after this summer and look for another one in order to accomplish this. Solos such as these are rare for euphonium players. It was be a long time if ever that this opportunity will ever come again in this band.

Anyway, I need sleep. Leave a comment if you wish. Later.

I got home just a bit ago. My girlfriend's grandmother is quite ill, and she was in need of a distraction. We fell asleep, thus the late night.

Tomorrow should be another busy day. I had to call a rather short-notice meeting to take care of a surprise advertising issue that arose. It's fine now. In a matter of hours, things got analyzed, briefed, designed, and submitted. That's how I roll.

Well, I will be celebrating my 1 year anniversary at my company in not too many hours. I'm listening to a little Jason Mraz at the moment. As always, leave a comment if you wish. Later.

Yeah, I took an LJ hiatus. I thought and pondered.  The whole thing from a few weeks ago struck me a bit hard.  A few friends said that maybe it was a blessing in disguise.  That's not the answer I was expecting from anyone.  Eesh.  My mind is still working things out.  The whole thing has triggered a lot of mom dreams for some reason.

I've been keeping busy.  I went to an art show over the weekend with my girlfriend.  Like me, she thinks that my Goldendoodle Max is a very special boy.  We also tried new food and took in some tacky performance art.  Well, let's face it, the vast majority of performance art is bad.  Oh, yes, I understand the nuances of them better than most viewers do, but, like British humour, I just don't like most of it.

I will call it here, as it is late.  I got a workout in tonight.  The weather is warm.  My dog is still, well, himself.  The Spurs will ultimately win the NBA championship.  I've been telling friends that for a while.  Anyway, as always, leave a comment if you wish.  Later.

I'll make this quick. I had a long business meeting this afternoon followed by a business dinner. I got to eat at my first 5-star. It was a French restaurant, that I've long wanted to try. I acted with the executive chef once in an opera. True story. I had escargot for an appetizer, pan seared scallops on a bed of leeks with fingerling potatoes topped with a butter orange sauce, French beer, and a raspberry Lambic float with Cardamom ice cream. Awesome. So awesome.

Okay, I need rest. Yes, my mind is still wrapping itself around recent happenings. I also re-examined my last post. Wow, that was a weird dream. Typically, I rescue people in dreams, often with flying powers and occasional lasers. Also a true story. Anyway, leave a comment if you wish. Later.

I'm guessing that "I lost my mom. Can I have yours?" is not an appropriate pick-up line today. As you can imagine, I'm thinking about my mother some this morning. I expect a phone call or three from my siblings later. They will want to reminisce.

My dog is acting exceedingly needy at the moment. I still need to take for a w-a-l-k. Of course, the idea of spelling things out now is no longer needed. I used that when there was someone living here. Aside from my sister's stays, it's been a bit. As for my dog, I have a friend who recently acquired a rescue Golden Retriever. I should check on having a play date for Max.

I woke early from a disturbing dream this morning. I was riding with my friend with whom I went to see The Avengers last night. We toured the countryside, where I spent some of my youth on the family farm. We evaded bad guys off and on for some reason. They were dressed in black. He was helping me explore the possibility of bringing my mother and ex back. There was a shift in time and dimensions around the old farm that could potentially allow this. For some reason, The Fray's How to Save a Life kept playing repeatedly on the radio. Oh, Grey's Anatomy music. Upon arriving to the farm, we found it had become an educational and cultural center for the town. For some reason, I dream about that odd aspect of the farm with some frequency.

While there, I saw shadows and glimpses but could never bring them back. They darted in and out, around people, and into the distance, interacting with me in a way I couldn't seem to reciprocate. I got the impression they didn't want to come back, only to be known, and I left it hesitantly at that. I have a similar recurring dream about my mom from time to time. Now, Angela is in there. That's not the way I wish to wake in the morning. Honestly, isn't that a bizarre dream?

Well, that's it for now. I need to take Max for a walk, shower, and do something. As always, leave a comment if you wish. Later.

Okay, it's late again. I caught The Avengers with a friend and grabbed a bite afterward. It is definitely a summer movie and highly entertaining. Hulk smashed, and everyone else did their thing. The big characters were able to be themselves without having to be watered down due to the large cast, high action, and time limitations. What I don't get is what was happening in the after-credit scene.

I guess that's it for this late hour. Leave a message if you wish. Later.

Wow, it's been a week. The thing about losing loved ones is that, yes, the early period is difficult. It can also be kind of complicated, as it is with me. It is also not easy counting time markers. This December will mark 5 years for my mother. That will be a hard one to pass. It makes her seem far away. Okay, I'm a Christian and do believe in an afterlife. I'm also human.

There is also something that I've been thinking about that seems bizarre to how it timed. About a month ago, I finally took the initiative to switch my direct deposit and close the account Angela and I shared. The direct deposit switch formally switched over last Thursday, the day she died. I went in Friday, shortly after I heard the news, to finish the process as outlined by the bank. It seemed pointless to do it at that point. It was a haunting feeling.

Anyway, it's late, and I'm zonked. Leave a message if you wish. Later.

I had all kinds of people wanting to talk tonight. I need to go to bed very soon.

I talked to a lawyer who said that he would be unable to get the police to look at the tapes. He joked how it sounded like something from Jerry Springer, and I should be thankful that I am not related to them. He also had some fun poking fun at the local police force. He recommended that I speak with the county attorney's office. Upon explaining my case there, the attorney said he was going to contact the officer in charge and ask him why he felt it was necessary to purposely overlook evidence. I won't hold my breath until something happens though.

I checked the wall of the person who hit her earlier today. He was back home 2 days after the accident. He talked about his broken leg and how he wasn't even wearing a seat belt. His post had 18 likes and 15 comments excited for his return home. The redneck showed no remorse. I decided that someone needed to mess with his head. I Facebook messaged a smiling picture of Angela, telling him that she was the one driving the Toyota. He hasn't responded.

Well, that's about it for the evening. Leave a comment if you wish. Later.

Oh. My. Word. Seriously?!? What a bunch of stupid, inbred, white trash rednecks. I went to the visitation yesterday. I was greeted and welcomed inside. Once I got in there, I immediately got assaulted by the father. I didn't have a chance to reach for my vitamin K, so I had to play a solid defensive game. Eventually, they did grab him, and I stepped outside. After this, the fat redneck grandma came outside yelling at me. The other side of the family yelled at her, and a shoving match ensued. I was thankful for the other side's intervention.

I opted to leave, where I contacted the police at home. The police went to the funeral home first where they spoke with the hillbilly grandma, the psycho father, and the staff. They claimed that I agreed to arrive earlier in the day when the family wasn't there. We never spoke nor do we ever speak. They said that they met me in front of the funeral home where they said I shouldn't go in. In response, they claimed I gave them a "fuck you" look. No one told me not to go in. They then claimed that I immediately found and assaulted the dad. Umm... no. The police said if I showed up again, I would be arrested. Seriously?!? The place had security tapes, but they refused to watch them. I'm in the process of trying to secure a lawyer to nail them. Is there any surprise my ex didn't want to change her name back? She always said that she was ashamed of them.

It's been stressful trying to get the authorities to accomplish anything. I feel as though I'm a Duke boy in Hazzard County. I never got to say goodbye, and I was treated like one of them. That's ridiculous. We'll see what tomorrow brings. I just need to have someone with a brain and parents separated beyond the relation of 1st cousins to view them and act. As for the father, I'm off Coumadin next month. I wholly intend on letting him get in the first few shots before completely annihilating him.

Well, that's it. Minneapolis seems far different now. I almost saw tornado number 16, but the funnel dissipated. I have to say just one more time that I didn't get to say goodbye. That's absolutely ridiculous. I won't soon forget that. As always, leave a comment if you wish. Later.

I had a friend contact me late last week wondering if I wanted to catch a play with him. It really wasn't that good, but, hey, it was free. We hung out afterward and caught up. It had been a little bit. We worked at the same place for a while and got to reminisce and talk about what some former coworkers were doing now. It was fun. Okay, Angela is still on my mind. It was necessarily distracting.

Last night, I got surprised by a drunk girl. She came up behind me at my apartment building, asking for help to get home. Seeing that there were some interested guys in getting her home, I said I would. She was severely hammered. A funny comment she made was when she asked if I was going to kill her right after I started driving. I found her place and walked her to her door. She propositioned me a few times before I could get away. She curled up on her doorstep and went to sleep.

I went to choir today. Some people were surprised to see me there, since they had heard the news. One friend of mine in the choir,  upon hearing that Angela was agnostic, said he would have a mass said for her at the big church (basilica) downtown. He said that he would mail the invite/something-or-other once the date and time was established.

A big one also is that I'll never know the details of what happened late in our relationship. It's not that I really want to think about this now, but closure will be missing in that. I had hoped that, at some point, we could sit, talk everything out, and move on in order to have a functional friendly relationship between us.

Anyway, it's late, and I'm leaving in the morning. You know, I still haven't looked at any pictures. I also am wondering if she kept her ring. It would be nice to have it back. Her computer would be cool too, since there are a lot of pictures on there as well. I contacted all of her LJ friends, well, all but one. There's a story to that. In order to contact them all, I actually needed to get a paid account again. LiveJournal was long a big deal to her. Most of her friends were on there. Well, tomorrow will be the first of two emotional days, so, as always, leave a comment if you wish.