Derry, Northern Ireland

Derry, Northern Ireland
A book I'm working on is set in this town.

Monday, November 22, 2010

Family sucks

Just spent over an hour on the phone learning about how my younger brother and sister have all but abandoned our mother because each is in his and her own little snit over something.  My youngest brother is taking care of her since she got out of the rehab facility, and he can't drive.  Fortunately, her doctor is at a clinic that's just two blocks away so when she had an appointment today, he was able to take her there in a wheelchair, but he has to catch a bus to go get groceries because neither of our other siblings can be bothered to come help them do.  I'm so fucking pissed, right now, if I talked to either one of those little shits, I'd make things even worse...because we wouldn't be talking for long -- we'd be screaming.

So...no writing done.  Instead, I'm posting pictures to try and lessen my anger and try to settle down so I can get some sleep.

 Here is the Delaware Water Gap.  I took this en route to NYC and my pitiful little photo does NOT do it justice.  Just magnificent.

When I got to New York, I was staying in a hotel by The Meadowlands...and I got SO lost trying to do the proper looping arounds to get to it, once I got off the NJ Turnpike, I wound up back on the Turnpike and couldn't get off.  I had to do an illegal U-turn at a service road to get back.  I finally just got off the freeway and worked my way over to the hotel via surface streets...which was a major chore.

This is a river in the Catskills.  I was en route home from NYC when I saw it.  Dunno what the name of the river is, but it was lovely and the water was so clear you could see the rocks on the bottom.

Driving home, I swung through Syracuse to do some research for a story.  Yes, another script nudging at me to make it into a book...and this one makes sense because no one really got it as a screenplay.  We'll see how it goes.

2 comments:

Unknown said...

When my dad was alive, my sister originally took care of him, he was 100% disabled from a construction accident when I was ten. Being good Christians, my family felt it best for her to care for him and at first, I agreed. I lived in a three story house on a cliff in a very rustic place and if my sister cared for him he would be with his grandchildren.
Only trouble was, my sister's husband was dealing in cocaine and had locked my father in his room with his cat. I was greeted at the door with a gun in my brother-in-laws hand and when I demanded to see my dad or I would call the police, was allowed in to his room. He was crying, he stank, his fingernails were over an inch long and the cat box was filled with shit.
It took a lot of effort: threats, attorneys, and a good deal of my time but we got rid of sis and her hubby and dad moved in with me to our old house here where I live now until he died.

Yep, a family can suck and you know what?
The lawyers told me that my case was not uncommon. That really freaked me out.

JamTheCat said...

At least mine's just neglect. I think my brother's pissed off he couldn't keep mom in a retirement home, even though she hated it there. It would've meant less work for him, so now he's just being a dick about it and blaming my youngest brother for the situation. My sister's also pissed at youngest brother so won't even help them get discounts at the grocery chain she works for. It's sickening...but at least it's not her living in filth with a cat.

I'm sending them a CARE package with lots of dry goods, some candy and cookies and a new mattress cover, just in case. Seems even though I live 1600 miles away, I can get food into my mother's pantry. Those who live only 10 miles away think it's too much of a chore.