A Wish for Social Soma

I called my father today to see if he had any clue about holiday plans. He didn't, of course, but at least I put the idea in his head that he should find out. Only two weeks away and we should start getting some idea about what's happening.  Hopefully I'll know in a couple of days.

I tend to dread calling my father, but it's easier now than it used to be.  He has one of the same physical conditions I do, one that requires medical equipment.  This means we have something to talk about.

See, the great thing about medical equipment is that there is a learning curve to it. For each person, there is always a bit of a trick to making in function how you need it to. Because of that, there is an endless discussion about ways to make it work.  This is awesome, because it means my father and I can talk about something OTHER than my brother's kids or my dead mother.

It's not that I mind talking about my brother's kids or my mom, it's just that the mom thing always ends up pissing me off and my brother's kids are really, well, about us talking about my brother. It means he's getting the attention and as an oldest child, I just really can't let that happen.

Now, however, we can talk about medical equipment!  And because I've had the condition longer than he has, I'm the expert so I can sound all knowledgeable and wise and stuff!  It's great!

Honestly, I can't tell you how much of a relief this is for me.  Most of the time when I call my dad it's like I'm just grasping for stuff to say and hoping that we don't end up in some minefield where every little word is just going to lead to problems. I wish there was some way you could tell people "You know, I'd really like to call you but can you make sure you're pleasantly drunk before I do?" without them taking in the wrong way.

Maybe I should try this before the holidays.  Maybe I should just get happily drunk before showing up to Thanksgiving and Christmas Eve with the family.  Hmm, you know I never have done the holiday stuff soused. Might be fun this year to try.