Aquarians To Watch Out For...

So yeah I turned another year older today.

This was preceded by the news that my great uncle, Tommy Jeanes passed on early yesterday morning, which for some reason I'd not seen coming. Tommy was a tough working class guy that enjoyed an addiction to old classic country western standards. He and his long departed wife Dorothy played in Nevada Casino's and at clubs through out the west. They also performed at a gay Christmas party I hosted many years ago that no one who attended will ever forget. By the end of the evening, Tommy's Rhinestoned westerned shirt and his wife's bee hive hair do boasted more Christmas Ornaments than the tree.

They were both good and straight forward people. I'd always enjoyed their company and Thank God Tommy never gave a sh*t about the gay thing, accepting whoever was in my life without any qualms. We usually talked trucks and travels, he with stories from the highway department where he worked, I with trucking stories from the road. I really miss those days.

I think to lose someone you love on your birthday puts a lot of things into perspective that its easy to forget. Birthdays don't come easy, and they sure aren't to be taken for granted.

So putting a good foot forward, I've also taught my neice Kelcy that today is the most important day of the year. I think I've got her convinced.

I'm kidding of course, but I've really enjoyed getting to know this young almost five year old future adult over the last several weeks. Now that I'm going back home next week, she's been saying her night time prayers asking Jesus that she hopes I get back home.

Her mom says that in this case she isn't refering to Pend Oreille County but Kelcie's house. It seems I am one of the best playmates she's ever made. I don't fight any of this. I know a kindred soul when I meet one.

Now what that says about my maturity is certainly a fascinating question. Let's just avoid any suggestions or answers.

Still, I am looking forward to getting back home. It's been three weeks since I've seen Kevin and I miss him. As I've bounded into my 40's-this year being the year of the terrible two's, I'm not really sure about the whole mid life crisis thing. Kelcy has taught me as much about being human and the futility of middle aged priorities as I've taught her about Hot Wheels, so I'd add that as a result of those lessons, I've got no desire to buy a red convertible, no desire to bail on any of these well laid plans called dreams, and I've got no desire to dye anything, anywhere on my body.

I know another guy that has the same birthday as I-he's got a few years on me but has been moonlighting as an adult film actor. So never count us Aquarians out-we've got staying power.

Last week I was at the credit union in Tukwila, a place where I do all my banking when I'm away from home and the teller took one look at my drivers license and started squealing. She was an african american woman with a well, uh, generous figure and she went all oh happy day upon seeing my license. It seems her birthday is the day after mine.

I offered to her that as an Aquarians we have a unique duty to drive all the other signs crazy. That we are dreamers. That we are twenty years ahead of the times and ten years behind. That up is down and down is up.

She squealed some more. "Honey I like that! You sure got it all right-umm hmmm. You hear that girls?" The woman asked as she swiveled in her teller chair, looking at the tellers on either side of her. "You got two legit Aquarians here, one day apart. We all about driving the rest of you crazy. We in front and behind y'all."

I appreciated the laugh, though a few of the tellers just rolled their eyes in standard Seattle "whatever" fashion. But yeah I admit the dreamer thing remains standard operating procedure. My biggest hopes still revolve around home. All the places, trails, backroads I want to conquer. The high country I want to see. The ancient cedar groves I want to find. The dream of rebuilding my home in the Selkirks, all these things remains present.

I remember that quote from that french film Amelie http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Am%C3%A9lie , "Times are hard for Dreamers."

Well maybe. Unless you happen to be an Aquarian...