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David Carr and Jill Stewart

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from: David Carr

Bringing It All Back Home

Posted Wednesday, June 16, 1999, at 2:41 PM ET

Dearest reality therapist,

Nothing like a little reasoned discourse to hose me off. What you say is good and true, and much of what I was writing about was a modulated version of the Kool-Aid NATO has been doling out. Am glad for the historical and contexual remediation.

I'm focusing on a war a little closer to home. Since my last entry, I have flown to Minneapolis for one last dance with Joanie O'Neill Carr, the pride of St. Paul, mother of seven, and perpetrator of the worst Americanized jig I have ever seen. My mother is more parade float than human being, a lovely, majestic ship who sailed through the middle of life and deposited smiles as she went. Really. Her room is a sea of hundreds of cards, all cascading down on ribbons from the ceiling and draping over the medical gewgaws that now inhabit the room with her. Sixty people came and went yesterday for one more touch. Now the circle is smaller, seven kids, plus the guy who helped her make them. We took a ton of raising, pulling, and lifting, but we all made it and we are all here.

When she was diagnosed with lung cancer back in January, she said we were going to find a fun way to do this. And she turned out to be right. As recently as last weekend, she was on the deck of her house gnawing on rib-eyes and slurping wine. My brother called me the next morning and said she was dying, like, ah, right now. That night, she rallied and made everyone put on their party clothes while she renewed her vows with my father because we ran out of videotape at their 50th wedding anniversary. My brother had to give his speech again. I talked to him after they finally got my mom to go to bed. "I began the day by thinking my mother was dying and ended the day by wanting to kill her. It's been a pretty full day around here."

My brother's next speech will be in a few days and there will be no videotape. And that's OK. I told her I would be real mad if she died before I got home, and she promised she wouldn't take the next step until I was on the scene. I'm here now, but I wish my flight would have been delayed for about 10 years.

But that's not the way it works.

Talk to you later,

David

the breakfast table
entries
123456789101112131415161718192021
from: David Carr

Bringing It All Back Home

Posted Wednesday, June 16, 1999, at 2:41 PM ET
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David Carr is the editor of the Washington City Paper. Jill Stewart is a political columnist at New Times Los Angeles.
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