Author: Jason

I flew to Dallas and bought a car sight unseen for Sophia! The dealership was great and everything really was vetted and negotiated up front. So, with temporary tag applied and insurance all squared away, I drove the 3.5 hours to Austin and met her at the gym where she works out. 💪 I had her coach in on the surprise who even filmed me walking in. Such a memorable and momentous occasion. Sophia told me later she held back her tears. Timing couldn’t be better as she actually starts her new job today! We had a delicious Mexican dinner and met up early this morning for breakfast before she drove me to the airport. What a difference a year makes.

tay-tay came out with her 11th album called Tortured Poets Department. I’m no music critic, but, like all her stuff, it’s pretty darn catchy, even for a fifty something like me. I started a playlist based off one of her songs and I got other artists like Beyoncé, Lorde, Billie Eilish and Harry Styles. In the same vein, it also served up Lana Del Rey who I really like. And SZA (pronounced scizza). The artists may have changed but the power of pop is still the same. Long gone are the days spent listening to Seal on my beloved Walkman. But you can still find me aimlessly walking around, tuning out the world, grooving to the stars of today on my equally beloved noise cancelling AirPods.

I’m back to doing yoga. Took a few months off but didn’t find anything I liked better. Plus, the owner says she is opening up a juice bar right next door.

About to go to a funeral for a friend named Jason. We weren’t all that tight but we traveled in some of the same circles. He was the lead singer in a cover band that played local gigs on occasion. Then, one day at the record store, he said he was diagnosed with colon cancer. Soon after he started a Facebook group, called “Jason Hates Cancer”, so we could follow along with his journey. It lasted close to 2 years and the process wasn’t pretty. He was the same age as me.

His girlfriend’s parents flew in for the service and we hosted them in our guest suite above the garage. A small way to show support and I know she appreciated it.

Rest in Peace fellow Jason.

off he goes to prom

my thoughts have been turning toward mom more and more lately. It’s been 4 years since we’ve seen or even spoken to each other. Mother’s Day is around the bend and I don’t see anything changing because of it. Any cards or letters we’ve sent come back return to sender. And when Justin tried she literally cut the card up and mailed it back with a heart on the envelope. She’s sick I know. And she’s turning 80 this year. Out of sheer curiosity I looked her up on Facebook for any sign of life. And shockingly, there she was. No friends. No posts. Just a pic of her and her beloved animals. Looks like she even got a bunny.

Well….Sophia had her day in court, with Steph and me by her side. I guess they call it “day in court” for a reason because man was it a long day. We were there early of course but the judge didn’t come out till 10:30. Then, in no particular order, they called attendance across the docket of roughly 20 cases. Once they finally got underway, it was a monotonous and repetitive process of reading the defendants their rights and counts by which they were charged. Across the board, everyone was there to plead guilty to a pre-negotiated sentence. The judge was rather perfunctory.

Charges ran the gamut from drugs to mail theft, card fraud to sex crimes. Some folks were brought out in cuffs and prison attire. Others, who weren’t already in custody, were immediately remanded to the Dept. of Corrections. But perhaps the most interesting drama was the Assault and Battery case involving a 24 year old black lesbian named Precious. She literally went ape-shit on her white, 18 yr old girlfriend in a Home Depot parking lot. We’re talking she bit her face, strangled her and somehow used her long-ass fingernails to puncture a hole underneath her lovers tongue. The pictures made everyone in the courtroom gasp.

Anyway, after all was said and done, Sophia never even stood up before the judge. Our lawyer advised that we file for a continuance given her lack of tenure and stability out in Austin. So while anti-climatic in terms of legal closure, all three of us came away thinking it was probably for the best. Obviously Sophia’s crime pales in comparison to what we saw. And by sitting front and center all day, perhaps that was punishment and lesson enough. There’s even a glimmer of hope that our lawyer can convince the DA to lower her sentence to a misdemeanor. If not, Sophia will be back again soon enough and we will have the pleasure of another day in court.

What a memorable day. Sophia is here which has been really nice. And mamoo and papoo came down from Franklin with their mini-poodle Muffie. We weren’t in the path of a total eclipse like we were 7 years ago, but it did reach about 85% coverage. Thankfully mamoo saved her pair of solar shades from the last big event. Can’t stare at the sun without them. I played that song “total eclipse of the heart” and took pics of everyone looking up, including the dogs. 😎

Sophia is coming home again for the second time in two months. Her court date is firmly set for Tues. She just got her drivers license but it’s only a temp copy so she’ll need to bring her passport. She’s kinda becoming a frequent flyer. I’m sure getting a car will become the next logical step. No real traction on the job situation though.