My mother has always
been on the go. She spends little time at home unless it’s she has to work the
next day at Hospice. If she’s not at work, Mom is off seeing shows at the
Lucas, trying new places to eat here and around Savannah, and going on long and
interesting trips with He-who-shall-not-be-named.
The Big Guy had a different approach. He worked hard so
when he had time off, it was spent working around the house. If he wasn’t
dragging me off into the woods to cut a load of firewood, Dad was tinkering/building
stuff. As a result, thee house in Young Harris had a river rock raised deck,
Mary had a gazebo, and we even had a waterfall. Granted this waterfall only
worked after five o’ clock when the citizens of Young Harris started up their
dishwashers and showers for the evening. The Big Guy figured out into how to
tap the overflow area of the city water supply which ran right beside out house.
I’ve priced these fountains at Home Depot which has forced to admit the genius
in this plan.
As I have gotten older, it has come to my attention how I
am an amalgam of these two people. I love the idea of going out but when it
comes down to execution, I just want to stick around the house in my DC comics
pajama bottoms and my oversized long john short I got at Goodwill. I am a
closet homebody and openly admit it.
When I moved back to Savannah five years ago, I used to
shrug off going out because I had “school tomorrow” or something “was due for
my Master’s.” It became my go to phrase and I actually began to believe it.
This all accelerated as I got sicker from not taking care of my kidney disease.
Realizing that I had been like this for a very long time
was just one of the many things I saw wrong with me as I began to pick of the
pieces. I looked back at my first marriage with Satan’s Step daughter and
recognized I never went out with her very much. Granted the destinations were
always her choice but I began to see a pattern. I was becoming a recluse. All I
needed was the millions of dollars, long beard and assorted jars of urine.
That was the old Robby. The new Robby is always on the
go. To quote an old Calvin & Hobbes book, the days are just packed. Mondays
is Jude’s Karate as is Tuesdays and Fridays. Tuesdays and Thursdays alternate
between Roni’s Horseback riding and Girl Scouts.
The weekends are the best. We are all over the place.
This time of year is my favorite in Savannah because of a festival every
weekend. So far this year, we’ve gone to Picnic in the Park, the Greek
Festival, and of course, Pirate Fest. Or social calendar is booked through
Christmas at this point and I love it.
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| Fourth of July Road Trip to SC |
There is also a ritual that seems to happen every time the
Richardson-Yanceys take to the streets. No matter how early of a start, we are
always 30 mins late at least. At some point during loading up, one of the kids
proceeds to hit a meltdown which launches either Kim or me into Def-con 5.
There is usually an argument during the car ride about car temperature/music
choice. (I refuse to listen to Pop music which appears to be the official
soundtrack to eleven year old girls everywhere.) We arrive and have a blast
which wipes away all the frustrations so Kim and I find ourselves doing the
same thing the next week.
There is also another part which has organically evolved
and it’s become the best part. We’ll be sitting at whatever function we’re
attending and the kids will be off in their own little world. Kim comes up to
me, sometimes she squeezes my hand which is always the sign that she is very
happy with me, “Thanks for bringing us, Honey. I have always wanted to do this.
“
My reply is always the same. “I know. This is awesome. I
can’t believe I’ve never done this before bit I’ve always meant to but never
seemed to get around to it.”
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| Not my best day but it was worth it so she could ride the Mountain. |
I never got around to it because, in my heart, I never
really wanted to go anywhere. It’s not like that with Kim. I love spending time
alone with her but I also enjoy going out and doing stuff. Looking back at the
past, I realize it really does come down to who your travel companion is. Kim
is so much fun to go out and do stuff with that I find myself seeking new
opportunities.
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| Honeymoon in Ol' Mexico |
Recently Kim referred to herself as my good luck charm
and it’s true. Over the past year, thanks to my lovely wife, I have had the
opportunity to not just see two of my favorite authors but actually get to
speak with them as well.
Last February, Kim worked her ass off to track down the
hardest ticket to find during the Savannah Book Festival. Somehow she scored
two tickets and we got to see Stephen King during the Festival’s Closing. It
was amazing to listen to stories form a mind that has sparked my imagination
not to mention cause a lack of sleep. The best moment came when I got to ask
him a question during King’s Q&A session. It was a fanboy question but how
many opportunities will I have to ask it again? Who made this happen? Kim did.
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| King is in the background signing. So cool! |
A few weeks ago, we had the opportunity to see Neil
Gaiman perform some storytelling as part of the Unchained tour. I wrote a
previous blog about that amazing night and Mr. Gaiman even retweeted on his
twitter account. I even had the opportunity to get my little sister the
ultimate birthday present as seen right here. All of this happened courtesy of
the former Ms. Wade.
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| Birthday wishes from Mr. Gaiman |
Now I have can add one more to the bucket list. This
morning I not only went to the SCAD Film Festival to view Spider-Man in 3D but
Stan Lee did a Q&A session. Once again all credit goes to Kim for making
this happen.
I know I am a real parent now because of something I did
during the Q&A. All week, I have been going through a list of questions to
ask Stan Lee. “Who’s your favorite character?””Did you not get something
published you were very proud of?” “What was the wackiest product pitched to
you regarding your creations?” I had a list of go to questions and then it
happened as we all raised our hands to get noticed.
Jude wanted to ask a Stan “The Man” Lee a question, How
could I say no to that? Believe or not, Jude is very shy and quiet in front of
large crowds and people he doesn’t know. So I rose my and when the microphone
guy came over I sent him to Jude. To steal a line from my students, Jude acted
like a BOSS! He was great. For one moment, the boy stole the show from Stan Lee
which is saying something.
I have never been prouder. I know we’ll have more moments
where I get to swell with pride but today was extra special for me. For a
second, Jude was very quiet and I was afraid he was going to back out. He didn’t
which is one of the many reasons I was thrilled. Jude overcame a little stage
fright to speak with one of his heroes. It was a cool moment because I wanted
him to have that opportunity even at my own expense.
I look forward in seeing that Roni and Jude will have to
say about all the places and people we have seen. I am eager to learn the perspective
they are coming from. We’ve only been at this for almost two years now. It’s
going to be cool to see where this takes us next. But if I know my wife and I
am learning, it’s not only going to be memorable but a lot of fun in the
process. I’ve come to the realization in life that it’s not so much about going
out and doing stuff but the company you keep. And I am keeping some great
company these days.
Thanks for reading my blog.
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