My Addled Brain

Currently playing: Cake - Comfort Eagle

I’ve been kicking ass and taking names at work lately. One project in the can, and another one nearly completed. I’m pretty stoked about the whole thingmyself. So stoked, I may take a few days off here in the near future, and plan myself a road trip. Not quite sure where to yet, but I’d like to go somewhere that doesn’t prominently feature work as a main component. I wonder if I can drive to the Bahamas?

Gasparilla is quickly approaching again this year, and it’s time once again for the Tampa well-to-do to get drunk and stumble towards downtown in a vaguely linear fashion in their finest pirate regalia, tossing beads to both small children and women with enormous breasts alike. I’ve never been a big fan of the parade myself. All the loud cannons and waving local celebrities aren’t really my bag. The Hooters float, however…sorry, got lost in thought there for a second. I prefer to wander the crowds along Bayshore, and I invariably run into people I knew from high school, bombed out of their minds on beer and generic Seconal. It’s always amusing to know that, no matter how much money their parents have, I’m still the mackinest playa’ from the class of ‘91. Or not. But at least I have friends who aren’t losers. Like Robby, who’s faithfully sweeping the patio as we speak. I’ll be giving him a lube job later on tonight. (What? His servos are sticking! What did you think I meant? You people have some dirty minds.)

Anyway, the reason I brought up the whole Gasparilla thing in the first place is, traditionally, everyone gathered at my Mom’s house to watch the parade, since it’s a mere two blocks from Bayshore. Family, friends, and the occasional total stranger passed through those doors each year to go watch the parade with the masses of children these people brought with them. Well, my mom has finally moved to Atlanta, and even though the house hasn’t been sold yet, it’s only a matter of time. Besides, it won’t be the same with her gone. Which is why I’m pretty happy that my dad has finally acquiesced to my stepmom’s wishes, and bought a house in South Tampa. Granted, it’s not directly on the parade route, but it’s not terribly far, either, so the family traditions may continue from here to the end of time. Or until they pack up and move somewhere else, too.