Joblessness, parents and ham

One of the real pissers about being unemployed, other than the mind-numbing boredom, is the alleged "freedom" to be available at any time to any person for any favor. Because, well, gosh, you don't have a job to go to, so you can help the family out whenever they call.
I don't mind helping my parents. I know it's part of the whole family deal, and I know they've helped me out a whole lot in my life. I get a little frustrated when they can't be bothered to help themselves properly, though. I'm not quite that ungrateful, really. No, really!
A while ago, my parents had some car trouble. Their only car is over 12 years old, and my dad hasn't exactly maintained it properly. Initially, the car engine wouldn't turn over upon turning the ignition. Dad thought, for whatever reason, that the battery went bad. It's a little odd for a car battery to run out when it's only two years old, and it's not like he drives cross country 50 times a year. So, he bought a new car battery.
Then, he needed some help getting the battery in the car. I guess he just couldn't do it on his own.
A couple days prior to this, he decided to cook a big, spiral cut ham. My mom had bought this ham and stored it in a big freezer in the basement. The ham was supposed to be for Easter. Easter. Over four months from now.
So, I wondered who was nuttier: my mom for thinking, "I'll buy this ham for Easter" or my dad for thinking "I want to cook a big ham on a late October Tuesday."
Of course, my first thought about the honey-glazed goodness was, "Oh boy! Ham!"
At least I had some motivation to go over there.
So, we get the new battery in, and the car still wouldn't work. On a hunch, I took the old battery in a local auto parts store and had it tested. Turned out it had more than ample charge to start the car, so the battery wasn't the problem.
I was pissed. It was a simple thing to get the old battery tested to see if that was the problem, and he couldn't be bothered to do it. He can't afford to waste the money.
I got the name of a local mechanic for my dad, who he finally called four days after I gave him the number.
Guess I was angry because he'd waited so long to call the mechanic and because he'd wasted money on something he didn't need. There are times I wonder how they'll get by, and my dad wasting money on unnecessary crap doesn't help.
All the while I was over there, he kept insisting that I take home some ham. Sure, they had several pounds of it.
At the same time, I suppose I understood a bit why he cooked it. His parents always had food ready for him and his siblings for family visits and such. They've been gone a few years now, and I wonder if maybe he cooked this huge ham in some sort of way to do for me and my sister what his parents had done for him.
Who's crazier? The person who buys an Easter ham in October, the person who cooks the Easter ham in October, or the person who's looking for some deeper meaning in ham?