Mr. Hinchy Runs For Mayor...and other Easter parables

My father told me today, on Easter, that my best friend from about ages 6 through 10 -- "Hinchy" -- is running for mayor of our hometown. Dad saw him this week from his car and zoomed over to the curb to strike up a chat. "You know who was asking about you?," my dad began today's story as our family of four breezed into the Orange, NJ Italian restaurant for our 4pm reservation. I was actually pleasantly shocked by the revelation it was Hinchy; normally, I'm rather bored by any passed-on greetings from old chums. Hinchy's mayoral run is beyond surreal to me...and both depressing and inspiring, as it again reminds me that people my age are accomplishing BIG things while I continue to "find my way." I think I come off far more insecure in this blog than I really am, because I really don't see myself as insecure at all, and in fact think i'm rather full of and sure of myself. But career-wise, GODDAMMIT, people with 1/10th of my smarts are living the life. Ugh. I'm certainly not jealous of either my old friend OR his job goal. I have no desire to be mayor of anywhere...let alone the town I grew up in. It's funny how some people maintain a lifelong allegiance to their roots, while others (read: me) prefer a healthy distance...even though I find myself there far more than I'd like to be. I continue to aim to be...eventually...the most famous person to come out of that town. There, I said it. But HOW? Christ, it'd be so much easier if I was dumb, uncreative, unambitious, and not full of "I'll show THEM!" revenge fantasies. **This is where I sound like a neurotic nutcase. Let's put it this way...if I was a songwriter -- say, Springsteen -- reviewers would always say that my "relationship with his hometown is one of his familiar themes." I wanna say that I think it's common, but I dunno. IS it? God, i'm getting off track, though. I wish I could still vote in my hometown...i'd vote for "Hinchy." Even though he left me for another man at age 10...that damn Jesus (no, not Jesus of Nazareth whose rising we celebrate today, but Jesus of Around the Corner whose name is pronounced HAY-SUESS)...I long ago realized that my inability to throw a ball severely soured my friendship with jock-in-training Hinchy, and no hard feelings remain. We even hung out sporadically through high school. Actually, I have a most fond memory of camping out in a tent one night with Hinchy in HAY-SUESS' backyard in September of my freshman year of high school. Us urban kids pretending we lived in Warren County. It WOULD be awkward for me to see him now, though...and i'm not even sure why. I haven't seen him in probably more than a decade. That's just insane. It's all just insane. That's one big difference between my father and I...he'll talk to anyone at any time with zero pre-chat plotting, while I'll walk blocks out of my way to avoid simply saying "hi" to a casual acquaintance I spy up ahead...let ALONE my best friend from childhood. Funny. ***So onto other things, briefly...the opening scene of THE SOPRANOS tonight, where Tony is infuriated beyond belief by noise interrupting his reading in the yard...SO me. TOTALLY me. I need ABSOLUTE silence to read/relax. And it's so damn hard to find in this world. AGAIN...a chief reason I loooooooove the wee hours of the morning. ***I didn't go to Easter mass today for the 2nd straight year. But, unlike last year, I had no plans to go this year. I decided early on that my Easter mass ship has sailed. Dad even called me -- in a lighthearted way -- an atheist during dinner. Christmas I'll still do...it's THE holiday of our lives. Easter has always been beyond secondary. Plus, for Xmas we go on Xmas Eve, while on Easter...i'm supposed to be up for NOON mass? Fuck THAT. I mean, I was UP by noon...but lounging and having tea, not already dressed and ready for mass. Mom liked the flowers I got her...mums. Good, i'm glad. Dinner out was nice...and filling. Talapia for me...and about 18 pieces of bread. And we all had some red wine...and toasted...me with my Peroni. Nice. I kept the holiday melancholy relatively at bay today...though it was there. Saw my fave baby boy after dinner...see, I DO like kids. OK, i'm tired and ready to read the Ledger in bed. Happy Easter...and vote Hinchy!