My father
10:28 p.m.
1. I took allergy shots against dust, tree and grass pollens and ragweed for around seven years, starting when I was an undergraduate until the first trimester of my first pregnancy, when the last vial ran out and I declared my weekly injections finished. The only allergy that still bothers me a lot is ragweed.
2. Speaking of allergies, I am allergic to cats and rabbits. I was allergic to feathers until I bought myself a down coat and wore it daily, experiencing three weeks of sickness before I was suddenly cured. After that, I went out and bought a down comforter and a feather pillow and have never suffered symptoms since.
3. I am addicted to spider solitaire on my computer.
4. My fingernails are becoming increasingly weird as I get older. The one on the ring finger of my left hand is totally ridged, just as I remember my grandfather’s being.
5. Since we are saluting mediocrity, I live and teach in an environment that encourages it. Example: Last night I listened to the double CD of last spring’s choir show. It was one of the most painful experiences I have willingly subjected myself to. There were three solos which I thought were really good (mine was not among them), and the rest was crap. Singing was out of tune, recording levels were bad, and the choir has a terrible sound. Yet the audience went wild. I asked myself why anyone would pay money to hear us, and yet hundreds of people did. I asked myself why I even sing in this ensemble. I really don’t know. Before choir today, I was greeted by a retired music teacher in the alto section who had to tell me how beautiful she thought my solo was. I thanked her, but told her how I really felt about the recording. She said it was because I was a perfectionist. Maybe. Maybe it’s because I’m fed up with mediocrity.
Anyway, that meme was harder to do than I thought it would be. I can’t think of six people to assign it to, so I won’t. But I leave you with me singing my solo, My Father by Judy C0IIins. I apologize for the throatful of phlegm at the beginning. It was consistent for all three performances, sadly. But the rest isn’t all that bad. Mediocre, yes; bad, no.
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