2003-04-22 ~ 5:55 a.m.

The Parent Rant

So while my parents were here, we spent quality time together. Unfortunately, quality time means playing the nickel machines. You can lose a lot of money on those bastards. It's not like 15 or 25 cents at a time anymore, no. These things are 9 lines up to 45 credits. That's $2.25 a spin. Not that I ever played that much a spin, but that's hardly the point.

My point is, why in the hell would you travel 2000 miles to see your daughter and sit yourself in front of machines most of the time? It just really irks me.

Of course, adversely, if they had decided to talk to me, I have no idea what I would say to them. We don't have much in common. They're republicans. They're not totally right wing just like I am not much at being left wing, but they don't like Black people. Or Jews. Or other people.

They're hard to talk to also. If we don't have the same opinion, they'll keep talking as if I care about their opinion and have to hear their whole side, and if I start to give my opinion and it's not related to theirs, they'll change the subject. It's so smooth.

I nod a lot around them. Smile. Nod. Look at something over there. Nod.

I hadn't seen them for a long time and had hoped that things might have been different. They weren't.

I think that's the first time ever that I had hoped for change.

Maybe someday.

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