Catching up
Sara and I drove up to Michigan Saturday morning for the break; this actually involved more adventure than one might think, because since we didn't want to leave the gecko home alone or board her for that long, we had to bring her with us. This takes a bit more effort than one might think, since you have to keep her tank at 75 degrees (and preferably 80) for the whole drive through 30 degree weather. But, one Radio Shack DC to AC converter later, we were able to power her tank heater for the whole ride so we didn't have to turn the car into an oven.
Having both my parents and Sara's in the same town, while convenient, is surprisingly awkward around the holidays since we have to figure out how best to see both families. So we stayed with my parents from Saturday through Tuesday, but saw Sara's for the last night of Hanukkah and went to see her Catholic relatives for the evening on Christmas. And we got to be with my family for the rest of that period, including Christmas eve/morning (satisfying all three religious alignments of the four branches of our family in a 72 hour period: priceless ;-).
Tuesday night we saw "The Pursuit of Happyness" (LAAAAAAAME) with my family and then headed over to Sara's house, where we are now (my brother headed out at the same time to go to Las Vegas for a friend's birthday). Nothing too exciting going on. They actually have wireless (unlike my parents) so I've been able to start catching up on email and such (and getting all my simulations running again). As always, it's really good to see all the family members around this time of year. This time, though, everything is tinged with the knowledge that for one member this is probably a whole series of lasts; no one talks about it in big groups, but it hangs over all the celebrations.
In any case, I'm off for lunch with my dad soon (sort of a tradition whenever we're in town) and then over to Detroit to see some of Sara's mom's family again.
Ah, and I almost forgot -- among other gifts, I am now the proud owner of an "Are you on the list?" Heroes t-shirt (fortunately not a "Save the cheerleader" shirt, which might have led to... issues).
Having both my parents and Sara's in the same town, while convenient, is surprisingly awkward around the holidays since we have to figure out how best to see both families. So we stayed with my parents from Saturday through Tuesday, but saw Sara's for the last night of Hanukkah and went to see her Catholic relatives for the evening on Christmas. And we got to be with my family for the rest of that period, including Christmas eve/morning (satisfying all three religious alignments of the four branches of our family in a 72 hour period: priceless ;-).
Tuesday night we saw "The Pursuit of Happyness" (LAAAAAAAME) with my family and then headed over to Sara's house, where we are now (my brother headed out at the same time to go to Las Vegas for a friend's birthday). Nothing too exciting going on. They actually have wireless (unlike my parents) so I've been able to start catching up on email and such (and getting all my simulations running again). As always, it's really good to see all the family members around this time of year. This time, though, everything is tinged with the knowledge that for one member this is probably a whole series of lasts; no one talks about it in big groups, but it hangs over all the celebrations.
In any case, I'm off for lunch with my dad soon (sort of a tradition whenever we're in town) and then over to Detroit to see some of Sara's mom's family again.
Ah, and I almost forgot -- among other gifts, I am now the proud owner of an "Are you on the list?" Heroes t-shirt (fortunately not a "Save the cheerleader" shirt, which might have led to... issues).