Holiday Wrap-Up
Oh, pun most certainly intended!
This has been a busy and pleasant Christmas season. This post will be a sort of too-long synopsis, another in my series of long diary entries.
Friday 12/23 was crazy-busy starting with an aborted attempt to visit the gym. I already had on my work-out shirt when FriendB called me out the Elephant Bar for a beer. I had to get out there in time to get a table for happy hour so I just left on the shirt and put on a pair of jeans. All well and good, but the shirt is one of these tight, stretchy thingies and I felt a little self conscious. Why? Ever notice that as Americans get fatter and fatter they are concomitantly wearing more and more athletic wear? Something's wrong there. These days, I’m not terribly chubby, but I still got a chip on my shoulder about the proliferation of athletic wear. So much for integrity!
I just had time for one beer and then headed out to Costco with my sister. I picked up a Chronicles of Narnia book set for the kid sister, a jumbo box of OxyClean for dad and his wife, a jumbo jug of Tide detergent for mom, beef jerky and bucket-o-peanuts for friend and Ziplock containers for sister. What can I say, money's tight. But you know, everyone got something they could really use this year. What did I get? Ties and a motorized tie rack. And you know what? The ties were actually really good and the tie rack is actually something I wanted!
After Costco I ran over to my church for the single's group dinner. I was starving so I mostly spent the evening grazing the buffet table. I was asking someone there about a lady we hadn't seen for a while, someone's who's been having a tough time getting her life together. Well, she turned around and asked me if I thought I had a (spiritual) gift for counseling. I don't think so, but the question took me aback because I was thinking something along those lines that same morning: I'd been reflecting that I've taken on something of a counselor's role in past relationships. Food for thought....
Then after the dinner--already about 10pm--I rushed over to see FriendD whom I'd already promised to visit that day, albeit not so late! Well, on my way over I was feeling a little bad because I think she wanted to see me to give me a Christmas gift whereas I didn't have one for her being as money's tight. So I said a prayer asking God that He provide an opportunity to somehow bless FriendD that evening as a way of giving something back to her. Lo and behold I spent the entire night ('till 5am) helping her finish making the scrap books that she was going to give to her family for Christmas. Wow, God is good no?!
There's more. Unbeknownst to me an old friend of mine from MIT was in town and came by that evening. She also stayed all night and we talked and reminisced and had a great time. I told her about my prayer and what a “coincidence” it was that FriendD needed help that night. She was touched and moved. Wow, double blessing!
Saturday was the usual tight-rope act of going around and spending just enough time with everybody that they don't get jealous of each other and feel slighted--my dad's extended family, my mother (parents divorced and can't be in the same room) and kid sister, the older sister, and friends. Came home about 11pm and crashed. I had barely slept a couple hours the night before.
Sunday we arranged for my mom to meet us at my sister's place for our gift exchange at 5pm. She showed up early, there was no one home, she left, got mad and refused to see us. So much for SisterM's (little sis', lives with mom) Christmas. Sad, but it's just another example of the petty silliness that's really typical in my family. At times it rends my heart, but it didn't ruin the day. In the evening we met at a friends house for the friends' gift exchange and it was good times all around---round after round!
Monday another old friend from my aviation days whom I hadn't seen for a couple years called me and told me to be ready in an hour. Why? He had an extra pass to Mountain High and an extra snow board in the trunk. Well, um, ok. So we get up there and I’ve never been snowboarding in my life. Now, the first time I went skiing I picked it up really fast and had a blast, so I was expecting a similar learning curve. I was very wrong and now I can rightly say I am a committed skier! It was a blast, though, and I’m grateful for the opportunity. My birthday’s coming up in a week and the local resorts will give you a free lift ticket on your birthday. I’m pretty sure I’ll be heading up next week, but I may have to go solo—as usual.
On the way up to Mountain High my MIT friend whom I’d reunited with Friday night called me up. I’d asked her if she wanted to come to the shooting range with me Thursday, but she called to ask if we could make it Tuesday. Turns out she and two of the other people she’s staying with all wanted to go and none had ever fired a gun. I barely slept a couple hours Monday night, but on Tuesday morning there I am bright and early with an arsenal in the back of my truck! These guys had a blast and so did I. My friend and I had some wonderful conversation while stuck in rush hour traffic on the 405. As I joked later, I think we solved about 20% of the world’s problems during that time!
When we came back my friend’s friend with whom she was staying made us dinner and we had a great time. The best part was meeting her little daughter who, as she made me quite aware, will be three years old in January! She was a cutie and I think I spent most of the evening playing with her. Sometimes I think I’m not so good with kids, but at times like last night…well, all I can say is wow, I gotta get me a munchkin one of these days! The kidlet and I got along just fine.
This has been a busy and pleasant Christmas season. This post will be a sort of too-long synopsis, another in my series of long diary entries.
Friday 12/23 was crazy-busy starting with an aborted attempt to visit the gym. I already had on my work-out shirt when FriendB called me out the Elephant Bar for a beer. I had to get out there in time to get a table for happy hour so I just left on the shirt and put on a pair of jeans. All well and good, but the shirt is one of these tight, stretchy thingies and I felt a little self conscious. Why? Ever notice that as Americans get fatter and fatter they are concomitantly wearing more and more athletic wear? Something's wrong there. These days, I’m not terribly chubby, but I still got a chip on my shoulder about the proliferation of athletic wear. So much for integrity!
I just had time for one beer and then headed out to Costco with my sister. I picked up a Chronicles of Narnia book set for the kid sister, a jumbo box of OxyClean for dad and his wife, a jumbo jug of Tide detergent for mom, beef jerky and bucket-o-peanuts for friend and Ziplock containers for sister. What can I say, money's tight. But you know, everyone got something they could really use this year. What did I get? Ties and a motorized tie rack. And you know what? The ties were actually really good and the tie rack is actually something I wanted!
After Costco I ran over to my church for the single's group dinner. I was starving so I mostly spent the evening grazing the buffet table. I was asking someone there about a lady we hadn't seen for a while, someone's who's been having a tough time getting her life together. Well, she turned around and asked me if I thought I had a (spiritual) gift for counseling. I don't think so, but the question took me aback because I was thinking something along those lines that same morning: I'd been reflecting that I've taken on something of a counselor's role in past relationships. Food for thought....
Then after the dinner--already about 10pm--I rushed over to see FriendD whom I'd already promised to visit that day, albeit not so late! Well, on my way over I was feeling a little bad because I think she wanted to see me to give me a Christmas gift whereas I didn't have one for her being as money's tight. So I said a prayer asking God that He provide an opportunity to somehow bless FriendD that evening as a way of giving something back to her. Lo and behold I spent the entire night ('till 5am) helping her finish making the scrap books that she was going to give to her family for Christmas. Wow, God is good no?!
There's more. Unbeknownst to me an old friend of mine from MIT was in town and came by that evening. She also stayed all night and we talked and reminisced and had a great time. I told her about my prayer and what a “coincidence” it was that FriendD needed help that night. She was touched and moved. Wow, double blessing!
Saturday was the usual tight-rope act of going around and spending just enough time with everybody that they don't get jealous of each other and feel slighted--my dad's extended family, my mother (parents divorced and can't be in the same room) and kid sister, the older sister, and friends. Came home about 11pm and crashed. I had barely slept a couple hours the night before.
Sunday we arranged for my mom to meet us at my sister's place for our gift exchange at 5pm. She showed up early, there was no one home, she left, got mad and refused to see us. So much for SisterM's (little sis', lives with mom) Christmas. Sad, but it's just another example of the petty silliness that's really typical in my family. At times it rends my heart, but it didn't ruin the day. In the evening we met at a friends house for the friends' gift exchange and it was good times all around---round after round!
Monday another old friend from my aviation days whom I hadn't seen for a couple years called me and told me to be ready in an hour. Why? He had an extra pass to Mountain High and an extra snow board in the trunk. Well, um, ok. So we get up there and I’ve never been snowboarding in my life. Now, the first time I went skiing I picked it up really fast and had a blast, so I was expecting a similar learning curve. I was very wrong and now I can rightly say I am a committed skier! It was a blast, though, and I’m grateful for the opportunity. My birthday’s coming up in a week and the local resorts will give you a free lift ticket on your birthday. I’m pretty sure I’ll be heading up next week, but I may have to go solo—as usual.
On the way up to Mountain High my MIT friend whom I’d reunited with Friday night called me up. I’d asked her if she wanted to come to the shooting range with me Thursday, but she called to ask if we could make it Tuesday. Turns out she and two of the other people she’s staying with all wanted to go and none had ever fired a gun. I barely slept a couple hours Monday night, but on Tuesday morning there I am bright and early with an arsenal in the back of my truck! These guys had a blast and so did I. My friend and I had some wonderful conversation while stuck in rush hour traffic on the 405. As I joked later, I think we solved about 20% of the world’s problems during that time!
When we came back my friend’s friend with whom she was staying made us dinner and we had a great time. The best part was meeting her little daughter who, as she made me quite aware, will be three years old in January! She was a cutie and I think I spent most of the evening playing with her. Sometimes I think I’m not so good with kids, but at times like last night…well, all I can say is wow, I gotta get me a munchkin one of these days! The kidlet and I got along just fine.
posted by anchovy @ 5:18 PM
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