Sensitive

I think I've established it here and in my life that my mom is a little out there. She's fun, loving, and sometimes a bit impulsive. She enjoys the company of others and needs constant affirmations. This is not a bad thing in any way; I'm just stating a fact about her personality.

My dad is quite the opposite. He is content living alone and does not need as many close friends. He has golfing buddies, but rarely socializes. He enjoys it when I visit each Sunday because I am his daughter, not because he needs someone around. This is not a bad thing either.

There are many areas where my parents are similar. They are both intelligent, hard working, and kind. While my dad is clearly the more logical thinker; my mom also uses logic in her thoughts. She also tends to speak before thinking. She has passion and it shows in her ideals. When something is bothering her, she speaks out.

It has been said that I am like my father. In certain aspects, this is true. I am rather independent and can sit at home without others around for quite some time before I go stir crazy. Sometimes I can seem unemotional because I don't share certain emotions with those who are not close to me. I am a logical thinker; Dana can vouch for this.

The parts of my mom that shine through me are rare, and some may call me a bit crazy, but I do think they are good qualities. There are things I am passionate about and I will speak my mind.

Where is all this going? Well, tonight I had to stop by my dad's to pick up the laundry that I left in the dryer last night (it wasn't dry, obviously). My dad and I made a frozen pizza and watched a movie (Hero, starring Jet Li - good for a martial arts film). As we were watching the movie, my phone rang and it was my mom.

Without going too much into the conversation, I can tell you (because I seem to retain every thing my mom ever says. I don't know how I do this) that she told me about: the prices she paid for frozen turkeys at Cub Foods that she will cook and add to the dinners for our dogs, how Mac likes turkey just as much as he likes Tuna, and how the dogs even enjoyed the leftover fish she had from her dinner at a local restaurant. She told me about taking Chip and Pepper to the nail trimmer's which made me tear up*.

Dad and I joked a bit because Mom had the movie we were watching mixed up with another called Hero (with Dustin Hoffman, Andy Garcia, and Geena Davis) and I don't blame her. I had only told her the title of the movie. Actually, I'm rather impressed that she remembered the other movie.

After the movie was over, Dad turned the TV to a channel that shows reruns of CSI. I actually probably watch more TV at my dad's than anywhere else. That's one trait I do not share with him.

As we're watching TV, a commercial comes on about joining the military. I am not a fan of the war in Iraq and I made a comment about it. It was a stupid comment, almost meaningless. My dad says to me, "You scare me."

My response, "Why?"

He says, "Because you are acting more like your mom. You are make comments to the TV."

Now, I know that he was making a joke and that we've joked about some of the traits my mom has, but I don't think this is necessarily a bad thing. I was rather offended that he would imply that being like my mom is a bad thing. She is my mother, after all.

I just wanted to vent a bit. Thanks for listening (reading).

*Sometimes my mom trims the pets' nails. The last time she did it, she got too close and hurt Chip a little. So she took them back to this place. When the woman walked out from behind the counter, she noticed that Taco was not with my mom. The woman gave her sympathies as my mom shared that we lost him in May. I still miss him every day.