Holy crap for crap!
I'm getting on a big old jet airliner (hopefully not too old) in less than two weeks. Preparations are pulling together, and it looks like I won't be completely broke overseas...that is, if my ATM card actually works this time. My prof suggested we all open an account with PSECU because is who he uses and he's never had any trouble, so as long as I have my card by the time I leave - which I should, since they put a rush on my account - that should be one less thing to worry about.
And it turns out I'm not going to be completely broke over there after all! Instead of going with material gifts this year, my folks decided straight up cash would be of more immediate benefit, which makes them completely right. My dad and I had lunch yesterday and he gave me the card and the cash then, since I obviously won't be spending Christmas with the two of them this year. That whole "she threw me out in a senseless rage" thing kind of put a damper on that plan.
As for what my Christmas plans actually are, I have no idea. To be honest, I figured I'd spend it at home with the kittens, maybe baking and getting some stuff done around the house, and I was actually looking forward to it. Then my bro called and invited me to his place in NJ to spend a day or few with him, his wife, and his in-laws. It didn't seem like a bad plan at first, since I love being with my brother and his wife and am also quite fond of her family, but then I remembered how close she is with them. They're all rather spiffy people whose company I enjoy but I imagine we'll be spending every waking moment with them because of the holiday. Again, it's not that I don't like spending time with them, but spending all of my time surrounded by a large group of people - regardless of coolness factor - is not my cup of tea, and I can't very well go there and just pick and choose when I want to be with them and when I need to be alone.
So now I'm trying to figure out if I want to go or not, and if I don't want to go, I need to figure out if it's okay to tell Jason why, or if the real reason would somehow be viewed as rude or snotty by people with normal social comfort levels, in which case I'd have to come up with an excuse, I don't want to be the kind of person that does that to my own brother when I know we both would really like to see each other.
Man, this is one dilemma I bet very few people ever have: how to work things out so they'll get to be alone on Christmas.
And it turns out I'm not going to be completely broke over there after all! Instead of going with material gifts this year, my folks decided straight up cash would be of more immediate benefit, which makes them completely right. My dad and I had lunch yesterday and he gave me the card and the cash then, since I obviously won't be spending Christmas with the two of them this year. That whole "she threw me out in a senseless rage" thing kind of put a damper on that plan.
As for what my Christmas plans actually are, I have no idea. To be honest, I figured I'd spend it at home with the kittens, maybe baking and getting some stuff done around the house, and I was actually looking forward to it. Then my bro called and invited me to his place in NJ to spend a day or few with him, his wife, and his in-laws. It didn't seem like a bad plan at first, since I love being with my brother and his wife and am also quite fond of her family, but then I remembered how close she is with them. They're all rather spiffy people whose company I enjoy but I imagine we'll be spending every waking moment with them because of the holiday. Again, it's not that I don't like spending time with them, but spending all of my time surrounded by a large group of people - regardless of coolness factor - is not my cup of tea, and I can't very well go there and just pick and choose when I want to be with them and when I need to be alone.
So now I'm trying to figure out if I want to go or not, and if I don't want to go, I need to figure out if it's okay to tell Jason why, or if the real reason would somehow be viewed as rude or snotty by people with normal social comfort levels, in which case I'd have to come up with an excuse, I don't want to be the kind of person that does that to my own brother when I know we both would really like to see each other.
Man, this is one dilemma I bet very few people ever have: how to work things out so they'll get to be alone on Christmas.