WER strikes the south again

so here i am. in a hotel in jackson, mississippi. that state so loathed in spelling terms by second graders. with so many double consonants it could blow your little nancy drew reading mind. the state of that big river. of sweet potatoes with candy corn. with confederate flags and the memory of racism run rampant. ah, ol' miss. you sweet devil, you.

my mother's father's family had their family reunion today. which was an excellent excuse to a.) see my parents and b.) get the muthafuck out of new york. the reunion itself was nice enough. my mother's cousins are sweet and just being able to spend time with my parents was wonderful. i was baffled at the SEVERE LACK OF BOOZE but i guess that is about as much as you can expect from a group of self loathing/self aggrandizing baptists. all in all it was a good experience in its own.

but tonight. ah, tonight. it has been one of those moments truly meant for novels. the night where a veil is lifted. a secret uncovered. something that forever changes one's view on the entire world. now, ok. maybe i have had an event comparable to that independantly in the recent weeks. but tonight was particularly illuminating and disturbing. not necessarily of family secret, but of family suffering. of the idealized world versus the real world. politics versus bellyaching about politics. and the really hard part is that for all i've learned, i've only learned the most trivial bits. the scratch at the surface. and all i can say is, i appreciate my father even more than i thought i could. my mother for who she is. and i feel like a little ingrate for ever complaining about my shit problems that pale in comparison to what life actually deals. what life shouldn't deal. what the universe is dealing out in volumes we can't even comprehend.

but on a lighter note, shiner beer is sold in mississippi. and that is truly celebratory. hoorah for the bock. bock and roll, oh amberest of beers from small town tejas. bock on, mother bocker.