Apply directly to the forehead

I have a headache. It could be sinus. It could be allergies. It could be from the stupid handsfree headset I wore for three hours worth of conference calls today. The previous administrative assistant bought it for the office and as near as I can tell, she must have had ears like Prince Charles. That, or my ears are just close to my head, which, given all the years I've been tucking my hair behind them and what my mother always said would result from such action, isn't likely. It was painful. Come to think of it...it's probably allergies.

On my way to work this morning, I was listening to a Peter Gabriel CD and the song "Biko" came on. It reminded me of my nephew Roy. In 1994, when Roy was 12, I took him to see Peter Gabriel at the Stabler Arena in Bethlehem, Pennsylvania. It was a great show. Peter ended with "Biko" and the fade out (oh oh ohhhhh) was an audience participation kind of thing. When the CD got to that part, I remembered the look on Roy's face--the exhilaration, singing along, fist in the air--and how much I love that kid, er, man. I was filled with this overwhelming sense of love and I missed him so much in that moment. And I'm sorry if I embarrass you, Roy, but I do love you and miss you, and it was such a thrill to watch you grow and learn and become the man you are today. Coincidentally, Roy ended up attending Lehigh University, the campus on which Stabler Arena is located.

On my way to school today, the CD changed over and I was listening to Crash Test Dummies. This then made me think of my brother Roy, the father of the nephew of the same name, because that song "MMM MMM MMM" drove him nuts. Every time it came on he'd rant about what a dumb song it was, but you know he knew every word.

It struck me how two vastly different pieces of music reminded me of my family and made me so homesick. When I loaded the disc changer last week, I didn't give much thought to the selections. I chose randomly from CDs I hadn't heard in a while and songs I can sing along to as I drive. The other four CDs haven't brought such nostalgia--although the Barry Manilow CD (don't you dare judge me) reminded me of 7th Grade. I need to go home to see my family. I need to see fall colors and hug my mommy and daddy. And I need to see the Roys and Michaels (another brother/ nephew combination).

Well, the boss was just hounding me about taking some vacation before I'm maxed out. Hmmm...