I live! Mostly.
Whew.
So, Saturday morning I got up at the butt-crack of dawn (defined, here, as 5:30 AM. On a Saturday. I protest mightily, not that it does me any good) and schlepped me and my luggage down to meet up with the cabbie who was ten minutes early (o.O). He did not appear to believe in this nonsense known as "stop signs," given that he in fact did not stop for a single damn one. However, he also did not insist on talking to me, for which my sleep-fogged brain still in the midst of a reboot was grateful.
I got to the airport at 6:20, marking the fastest I have EVER gotten to O'Hare from anywhere I have lived. For an 8:50 flight. Okay then. The check-in line was shorter than I'd feared, so I was through that, through security, and at my gate (complete with something that even vaguely resembled breakfast from Starbucks!) before 7. I catnapped in the gate area until they called boarding, and then headed to lands east. The flight wasn't too terribly bad, except for the last 20 minutes when it went bumpity-bumpity-bump all over everything. I'm sure I've mentioned this before, but I hate turbulence. I am not a good airplane passenger; I squeak and flail and panic at anything that reminds me the plane is not on the ground. The gentleman next to me was very nice and chatted with me a bit during landing, which was lovely.
So, we had planned to spend Christmas in Florida with my grandmother. There was a slight snag there. Namely, airfare to either of the airports near my grandmother's was $1000 round-trip. Airfare to Baltimore, where my parents live, was $400. Since the difference alone is 3/4 of my rent, we decided I was flying to Baltimore and then driving down with my parents. So they picked me up at the airport at about 1 pm on Saturday, and we got straight on the road.
We drove all day, and spent the night in Manning, South Carolina. (Also: I ate at Wendy's for the first time in....six years? I am not much on fast food. I of course promptly spilled fries in the back seat, like I was five. Siiiiigh.) I had loaded up my travel bag with every electronic device known to me (Vita, 3DS, iPad and iPhone, plus my laptop), but I ended up utilizing surprisingly few of those toys. Instead I did a lot of staring blankly out the window as the trees whizzed by. Traffic was heavy, but not particularly slow (except one point in Ridgeland, GA when we came to a dead stop due to an accident ahead, but we followed the big trucks off the exit conveniently next to us and routed around it, which is what my aunt says to always do if the traffic is stopped: follow the trucks, they'll get you past.)
Sunday we figured out how to get the Redskins game audio streaming on my phone (thence through the car stereo system), and listened to them beat the Eagles (yay!) and listened to the Saints outlast Dallas (yay!) We got to my grandmother's place around 4:30. Her house was gorgeously decorated - she has a definite eye for decoration, always has, and Christmas is a holiday for which she collects all manner of things. The tree was stunning, and the entire house was all done up. I was just amazed.
Monday we went adventuring in the local Michael's, where my grandmother found some cutie Christmas ornaments. Mom bought knitting needles and yarn (because she can't read in the car or she gets sick, but she can knit) and made me an absolutely beautiful teal-and-silver fuzzy scarf. She is also knitting me a stunning shawl out of the same teal. I picked up some green and gold yarn, a crochet hook, and two crochet books because I sort of vaguely half-assedly know how to crochet but I'd like to be good at it, so I'm going to make paladin a Green Bay Packers scarf. Because I can crochet while I watch TV or watch him play video games.
Tuesday, we had the family Christmas dinner. I got the new Urban Decay Vice palette (ldskfjlasjdf THOSE COLOURS) and a beautiful sweater in deep green, and a huge Amazon gift certificate from my mom because I mostly buy Kindle books these days. My main Christmas present is happening tonight, by which I mean we are going to see Les Misérables on stage at the National Theatre. I am so excited. I have never seen it, nor have I yet seen the movie. so excited.
Wednesday we went antiquing, though I didn't pick anything up, and then Thursday morning we packed up the car and headed back north. Once again I did a lot of staring out the window instead of advancing any of my game saves (siiiiiigh), although ultimately I did get through most of Chapter 3 of Final Fantasy Dimensions. We stopped for the night in Selma, North Carolina (where there is a giant-ass outlet mall), and then got home late afternoon yesterday, whereupon I promptly threw myself upon the Internet, because having only phone internet for a week is tragic. #firstworldproblems galore.
In any event, Christmas with the family was way less stressful than I was anticipating it being; we didn't snipe nearly as much as during the Savannah trip, and there was remarkably little of the stuff that sometimes drives me right up the wall (auditing my life choices/weight/etc.) Mom and I looked at wedding magazines together and I found the perfect dress, from a designer who (naturally) does not sell through outlets in Chicago. Of course. But her stuff will be at a show next weekend that is in Chicago, so I am going to go and see if I can try it on or see it in person. Worst case, I could come home for a weekend because she does sell in DC (this would delight my mother. XD)
Anyway, I have now caught up on the 897 things in my Google Reader, the last week of LJ and DW, and (I think) the Yuletide recs I actually want to read, though a few have been chucked into the "mark for later" purgatory of AO3. Someday I shall get to them.
How are you all doing? How was your Christmas, whether or not you celebrate?
I've posted this at http://lassarina.dreamwidth.org/1062307.html and you may comment there or here. On Dreamwidth, this entry has
comments.
So, Saturday morning I got up at the butt-crack of dawn (defined, here, as 5:30 AM. On a Saturday. I protest mightily, not that it does me any good) and schlepped me and my luggage down to meet up with the cabbie who was ten minutes early (o.O). He did not appear to believe in this nonsense known as "stop signs," given that he in fact did not stop for a single damn one. However, he also did not insist on talking to me, for which my sleep-fogged brain still in the midst of a reboot was grateful.
I got to the airport at 6:20, marking the fastest I have EVER gotten to O'Hare from anywhere I have lived. For an 8:50 flight. Okay then. The check-in line was shorter than I'd feared, so I was through that, through security, and at my gate (complete with something that even vaguely resembled breakfast from Starbucks!) before 7. I catnapped in the gate area until they called boarding, and then headed to lands east. The flight wasn't too terribly bad, except for the last 20 minutes when it went bumpity-bumpity-bump all over everything. I'm sure I've mentioned this before, but I hate turbulence. I am not a good airplane passenger; I squeak and flail and panic at anything that reminds me the plane is not on the ground. The gentleman next to me was very nice and chatted with me a bit during landing, which was lovely.
So, we had planned to spend Christmas in Florida with my grandmother. There was a slight snag there. Namely, airfare to either of the airports near my grandmother's was $1000 round-trip. Airfare to Baltimore, where my parents live, was $400. Since the difference alone is 3/4 of my rent, we decided I was flying to Baltimore and then driving down with my parents. So they picked me up at the airport at about 1 pm on Saturday, and we got straight on the road.
We drove all day, and spent the night in Manning, South Carolina. (Also: I ate at Wendy's for the first time in....six years? I am not much on fast food. I of course promptly spilled fries in the back seat, like I was five. Siiiiigh.) I had loaded up my travel bag with every electronic device known to me (Vita, 3DS, iPad and iPhone, plus my laptop), but I ended up utilizing surprisingly few of those toys. Instead I did a lot of staring blankly out the window as the trees whizzed by. Traffic was heavy, but not particularly slow (except one point in Ridgeland, GA when we came to a dead stop due to an accident ahead, but we followed the big trucks off the exit conveniently next to us and routed around it, which is what my aunt says to always do if the traffic is stopped: follow the trucks, they'll get you past.)
Sunday we figured out how to get the Redskins game audio streaming on my phone (thence through the car stereo system), and listened to them beat the Eagles (yay!) and listened to the Saints outlast Dallas (yay!) We got to my grandmother's place around 4:30. Her house was gorgeously decorated - she has a definite eye for decoration, always has, and Christmas is a holiday for which she collects all manner of things. The tree was stunning, and the entire house was all done up. I was just amazed.
Monday we went adventuring in the local Michael's, where my grandmother found some cutie Christmas ornaments. Mom bought knitting needles and yarn (because she can't read in the car or she gets sick, but she can knit) and made me an absolutely beautiful teal-and-silver fuzzy scarf. She is also knitting me a stunning shawl out of the same teal. I picked up some green and gold yarn, a crochet hook, and two crochet books because I sort of vaguely half-assedly know how to crochet but I'd like to be good at it, so I'm going to make paladin a Green Bay Packers scarf. Because I can crochet while I watch TV or watch him play video games.
Tuesday, we had the family Christmas dinner. I got the new Urban Decay Vice palette (ldskfjlasjdf THOSE COLOURS) and a beautiful sweater in deep green, and a huge Amazon gift certificate from my mom because I mostly buy Kindle books these days. My main Christmas present is happening tonight, by which I mean we are going to see Les Misérables on stage at the National Theatre. I am so excited. I have never seen it, nor have I yet seen the movie. so excited.
Wednesday we went antiquing, though I didn't pick anything up, and then Thursday morning we packed up the car and headed back north. Once again I did a lot of staring out the window instead of advancing any of my game saves (siiiiiigh), although ultimately I did get through most of Chapter 3 of Final Fantasy Dimensions. We stopped for the night in Selma, North Carolina (where there is a giant-ass outlet mall), and then got home late afternoon yesterday, whereupon I promptly threw myself upon the Internet, because having only phone internet for a week is tragic. #firstworldproblems galore.
In any event, Christmas with the family was way less stressful than I was anticipating it being; we didn't snipe nearly as much as during the Savannah trip, and there was remarkably little of the stuff that sometimes drives me right up the wall (auditing my life choices/weight/etc.) Mom and I looked at wedding magazines together and I found the perfect dress, from a designer who (naturally) does not sell through outlets in Chicago. Of course. But her stuff will be at a show next weekend that is in Chicago, so I am going to go and see if I can try it on or see it in person. Worst case, I could come home for a weekend because she does sell in DC (this would delight my mother. XD)
Anyway, I have now caught up on the 897 things in my Google Reader, the last week of LJ and DW, and (I think) the Yuletide recs I actually want to read, though a few have been chucked into the "mark for later" purgatory of AO3. Someday I shall get to them.
How are you all doing? How was your Christmas, whether or not you celebrate?
I've posted this at http://lassarina.dreamwidth.org/1062307.html and you may comment there or here. On Dreamwidth, this entry has
comments.