days

{__fill__in__the__blank__}days are not much of a big deal to me.

mother's, father's, birth (except my own), flag, secretaries, even teacher appreciation just doesn't hold much meaning.

every year, in the spring, a slew of responsibilities crawls into my ear and lays a few eggs. first dad's birthday, shortly thereafter followed by mother's day. this sunday will be father's day, and mom's birthday is next thursday. rare is the holiday i bear a gift. though lately my sister has been showing me up, driving me to the consumerist ways of credit guilt alleviation.

what do they need? what do i need? maybe mom would like some flowers, tried, and she left them at my place last month. dad mentioned a bottle of some cheap scotch. while he's in no way on the road to drunksville, i just got him a handle of wild grouse or something in april. if it's half gone by now i'd be very surprised. if i get a shirt he'll wind up returning it. a gift certificate and it'll be the wrong store. is it wrong to give my parents cash for these negligible holidays?

d's dad is supposed to be getting a new grill this year. d wanted originally to build it herself, but having gone through the experience years ago, i cautioned her to buy a pre-built model. my parents balcony is about the size of a dining room table. and their building has a no grill policy.

i like gifts to be useful. nothing offends me more than a gift that sits unused. at least return it for something you want.

i guess growing up in home that likened birthdays to annoying mandatory paydays, i just don't feel the connection to gift giving. this might also be connected to being raised as a jew, but not the type of jew who came to middle school after each night of chanukah with a progressively fancier piece of jewelry to show (yes, i had friends like this). birthdays rolled around in my house and the question was asked, what do you want. and if no answer was given, that's what you got. and as soon as we were old enough, 15 or so, cash sufficed.

so this weekend marks the first time i'm out at my parent's house for many months. they have new paint and a penchant for seafood. perhaps if i foot the dinner bill we'll all be square.

that, and a card ought to do it.