Updating

I've been retired for a week now, and you know what? It's nice.

I've had a few unstructured days so far (i.e., with no doctor appointments) and I have kept myself entertained and busy and have not spent whole days eating. So, all good. I'm nearly finished with The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo, which I didn't know if I'd like, but it sucked me in. My sleeping at night is mostly horrible, but I'm also weaning off a muscle relaxer I've been taking for about a year, so disturbed sleep is to be expected.

Just about twenty minutes ago, I took an odd phone call from the ILs. The subject of the conversation -- the first half of it -- was certainly sad. The Hubs' dear uncle is to be taken off life support tomorrow. After that, the MIL asked me if I was okay, because I didn't sound too peppy. Uh, hello? Didn't you just tell me that someone we all love very much is going to die tomorrow? How peppy should I sound? And then the FIL asked me again to spell out the name of K's new school for him. Okay, I've said it before and I'll say it again: there is something that doesn't connect for the Hubs and his family (his parents and his sister, that family) when it comes to death. Either they don't get it all, or it doesn't bother them at all, and I know the latter is not the case, because the MIL still cries when anyone mentions her father, who was killed in a car accident in 1956.

I am so glad that Uncle Al will find his peace tomorrow, and go on to the heaven he believes in, if such things do occur. I'm picturing him sitting around a table with lots of angels and stuff, all with coffee and good cake in front of them, and he's telling stories and bungling the punchline, as always, and all of them, including him, are laughing their asses off. If you hear giggling from above tomorrow, you'll know he's there.