Thanks for ruining that for me

The other day, the 1982 song ‘Jack and Diane’ came on the radio. The song is what could be referred to as an ‘80’s classic by John Mellancamp (since I actually lived through and remember the ‘80’s I still call him John Cougar Mellancamp). While the song has never been a favorite of mine, the catchy beat and longevity of it used to prompt me to sing along. More out of obligation than anything. If you grew up in the ‘80’s, there are certain anthem like songs that you are required to sing along to. Not that I paid much attention to what I was singing, it was just something I did. That is, until I read Mindy Kaling’s book “Is Everyone Hanging Out Without Me? (And Other Concerns)” (2012). Now, instead of singing along, I listen to it and climb up on some intellectual high ground and tsk-tsk my way through it.

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Things I Know

Today is my grandma’s 123rd birthday. No, she is not here to celebrate. She passed away 40 years ago this August. Though I turned 12 just a few days before her passing, I have relatively few memories of her. She was placed in a nursing home when I was about 9 and spent the last few years of her life there. Though the facility was actually within walking distance of my home, I let one traumatic experience keep me from visiting as I should have. I regret that but also acknowledge I did the best I could at the time. This story isn’t really about that though. I have written quite a lot about my grandma – perhaps out a deep sense of guilt for not visiting – I am going to map out a rough sketch of the things I know.

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Did I miss something here?

Keeping with my family’s long standing tradition, we went to see a movie the day after Thanksgiving. We cleverly call this custom “the day after Thanksgiving movie.” We tend to lean toward more family oriented viewings. Some years we have a plethora of choices. Other years the pickings are slim. This year we opted for Moana 2. Now, if you have not seen the movie yet and it is on your to-do viewing list, you will probably want to stop right here. You can read about my take on the Little Mermaid instead. Don’t complain if I ruin the Little Mermaid for you because it has been over 30 years. I will not accept responsibility for any spoiler alerts on that one.

Moana 2 is a different story and we are entering spoiler alerts territory right now.

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