I can't think of anything to write about except families. They are a metaphor for every other part of society.

(Anna Quindlen)

Well, my brother decided he needed a car, so my dad is driving the one we call "Teal" to Austin today. Meanwhile, the 'rents decided they wanted a manual transmission this time around, so Sis says to me plaintively, "Why aren't you here to teach me?" (I learned how to drive on a standard transmission--and to parallel park in the same VW station wagon.)

I'm still living in Pittsburgh, just fine with my automatic transmission...this place is too hilly for standard (for my liking). And my short car is doing pretty well at parallel parking, although I did park in the garage last night to go see The Illusionist. WOW. Double wow. I might have to see it again--"Everything you see here is an illusion."

Plus, it was filmed in the Czech Republic which pretty much looked like Vienna to me. Oh how I long for Central Europe, right about now.

Oh, and I got to talk to my brother yesterday. Did he mention that my dad was driving down? Did he mention that his job is with GM? No. I got that from Sis. Boys!! The great communicators, they are NOT. But he's doing fine, and it was great to hear his voice. He was at a bookstore when I called, I totally approve. A little bragging: this is the young man who has read Gabriel Garcia Marquez's latest novel in Spanish.