Holiday Home Stretch
I'm still full.
We spent the actual Thanksgiving holiday at Ryan's parents' house near Long Beach. I never knew birds grew to be as large as seals, but apparently, this is the case, for there it was right on the table. Ryan's mom is a fabulous cook, and she comes from the South, so I was in... er, pardon me, hog heaven. You know you've got a talent when I not only eat your turkey stuffing but want some more. Ryan's parents are friendly enough if not exactly warm and welcoming, though I feel like I'm making some progress with his dad. I already know exactly what I can get him for Christmas! (Thank you, Bill Bryson.) The only other family there was Ryan's younger brother, with his girlfriend, and they are pretty nice, too. All in all, we ate a lot, quickly, and got very sleepy. Wee-Man met them all for the first time and was EXCELLENTLY behaved, saying "please" and "thank you" and asking to be excused from the table. I was so proud of him!
We didn't stay too long, maybe three or four hours, because we knew we had to get back to Oceanside to prepare for OUR Thanksgiving on the following day. We'd be feeding: Roboto, Cthulu, Tippy-Toes (who has just come to stay with us, due to the loss of his home to Hurricane Ike), Wee-Man, Punkinhead (in for a visit just before her thirteenth!!!! birthday), ourselves, and possibly a few other friends who were invited to drop by.
L2 is one of these friends. Well, now she is. Before last night, she was just a random chick from Myspace who messaged me looking for other young, cool moms to hang out with. She seemed all right from her profile, so she became the first total stranger I ever responded to and added on the site. We exchanged messages and decided to meet to test our friend chemistry. After a couple weeks, we spoke on the phone and I found out that she was going to be alone on Friday. "Hey! We're doing our celebrating that day. It's going to be very chill, and lots of food. If it's not too weird, you wanna stop by?"
Kind of impulsive. I do that sometimes.
Well, I'm SO glad I did! L2 seems great! She hung out with us, ate, and not only was she willing to play our nerdy reindeer games (Boggle, Balderdash, etc), SHE TOTALLY WANTED TO! And she BEAT ME at Balderdash, which is kind of unprecedented. I think I'll keep her. Yay for potential girl friends! It's very hard for me to meet women, working alone as I do. I have so many male friends, and that's easier... guys who don't work out as boyfriends, guys with whom there was an interest but no chemistry, etc etc. Meeting girls, particularly compatible friend-type girls, seems difficult. I don't know. How do you do it once you're grown, and you can't use school or work? It's a mystery.
Today we watched White Christmas (our yearly Thanksgiving-to-Christmas transition tradition), my entire big patchwork family piled up on couches and the floor, sipping hot cocoa and cracking wise. We took Punkinhead shopping for her birthday-- she wanted books. Good girl. I can waste SO much time and money in a book store. We bought a staple gun for attaching Christmas lights to the balcony outside my bedroom, and then we came home and attacked some pizza. I'm never eating again, but it was fun while it lasted. Je suis content!
I'll put some pictures up soon. I am so happy with the way my house looks-- and I'd better be. It took us days to finally get it set up to look like people live here... festive people, at that. Mmm. Cozy.
Random Ridiculous Santa Request #1: I will be making these for the next 25 days or so. Things I want, unrealistically most often, I'm sure, that occur to me during the day. Because what is the holiday season about, if not indulging your GIMMEWANTS, at least on the inside.
Man, I truly covet the amazing dress Regina Spektor wears in the "Us" video. It is so, so, so fetch. I want it, Santa. Fer-real real. (Note the cut-out sleeves. Sigh. I'll take those stockings, too, if that's an option.)
We spent the actual Thanksgiving holiday at Ryan's parents' house near Long Beach. I never knew birds grew to be as large as seals, but apparently, this is the case, for there it was right on the table. Ryan's mom is a fabulous cook, and she comes from the South, so I was in... er, pardon me, hog heaven. You know you've got a talent when I not only eat your turkey stuffing but want some more. Ryan's parents are friendly enough if not exactly warm and welcoming, though I feel like I'm making some progress with his dad. I already know exactly what I can get him for Christmas! (Thank you, Bill Bryson.) The only other family there was Ryan's younger brother, with his girlfriend, and they are pretty nice, too. All in all, we ate a lot, quickly, and got very sleepy. Wee-Man met them all for the first time and was EXCELLENTLY behaved, saying "please" and "thank you" and asking to be excused from the table. I was so proud of him!
We didn't stay too long, maybe three or four hours, because we knew we had to get back to Oceanside to prepare for OUR Thanksgiving on the following day. We'd be feeding: Roboto, Cthulu, Tippy-Toes (who has just come to stay with us, due to the loss of his home to Hurricane Ike), Wee-Man, Punkinhead (in for a visit just before her thirteenth!!!! birthday), ourselves, and possibly a few other friends who were invited to drop by.
L2 is one of these friends. Well, now she is. Before last night, she was just a random chick from Myspace who messaged me looking for other young, cool moms to hang out with. She seemed all right from her profile, so she became the first total stranger I ever responded to and added on the site. We exchanged messages and decided to meet to test our friend chemistry. After a couple weeks, we spoke on the phone and I found out that she was going to be alone on Friday. "Hey! We're doing our celebrating that day. It's going to be very chill, and lots of food. If it's not too weird, you wanna stop by?"
Kind of impulsive. I do that sometimes.
Well, I'm SO glad I did! L2 seems great! She hung out with us, ate, and not only was she willing to play our nerdy reindeer games (Boggle, Balderdash, etc), SHE TOTALLY WANTED TO! And she BEAT ME at Balderdash, which is kind of unprecedented. I think I'll keep her. Yay for potential girl friends! It's very hard for me to meet women, working alone as I do. I have so many male friends, and that's easier... guys who don't work out as boyfriends, guys with whom there was an interest but no chemistry, etc etc. Meeting girls, particularly compatible friend-type girls, seems difficult. I don't know. How do you do it once you're grown, and you can't use school or work? It's a mystery.
Today we watched White Christmas (our yearly Thanksgiving-to-Christmas transition tradition), my entire big patchwork family piled up on couches and the floor, sipping hot cocoa and cracking wise. We took Punkinhead shopping for her birthday-- she wanted books. Good girl. I can waste SO much time and money in a book store. We bought a staple gun for attaching Christmas lights to the balcony outside my bedroom, and then we came home and attacked some pizza. I'm never eating again, but it was fun while it lasted. Je suis content!
I'll put some pictures up soon. I am so happy with the way my house looks-- and I'd better be. It took us days to finally get it set up to look like people live here... festive people, at that. Mmm. Cozy.
Random Ridiculous Santa Request #1: I will be making these for the next 25 days or so. Things I want, unrealistically most often, I'm sure, that occur to me during the day. Because what is the holiday season about, if not indulging your GIMMEWANTS, at least on the inside.
Man, I truly covet the amazing dress Regina Spektor wears in the "Us" video. It is so, so, so fetch. I want it, Santa. Fer-real real. (Note the cut-out sleeves. Sigh. I'll take those stockings, too, if that's an option.)
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