Just a quick update on real life (other than, you know, the job from hell).
My grandmother was released from the hospital on Monday, and she's doing fairly well. At least she's not vomiting blood anymore, which is definitely a step upwards. I'm still a little vague on the details, but from what I understand some of the medications that she's been taking have messed up her liver, and that's what caused the bleeding. They can't actually give her anything to fix the problem, because the required medications would react with other medications and possibly cause her to go into heart failure, but they've taken her off... something? And, in theory, that's going to stop it from getting worse? I think?
... yeah, my family's really not good at actually giving me details about such things when I ask for them. :-/
On the Little Brother and Bear front, my grandmother never gave in on inviting Bear to spend Christmas morning with the family. She did, however, invite the family (minus my cousin and his wife, who are... somewhere else right now - East Tennessee, I think?), including Bear, to come to her house last night for pizza and Rook playing. It's a step in the right direction, at least.
For the first time in five years, I don't have to work on Christmas Eve. (What? You thought that I'd make an entire post about real life and not mention the Restaurant of Doom™ even once?) That means I get to lounge around the house tomorrow morning and write fanfiction. Then my mom's side of the family is getting together sometime mid-afternoon. Bear's more than welcome to that - this side of the family actively encourages the "kids" to bring dates with them, mainly because I think they're hoping it will encourage marriage proposals and babies. Preferably in that order.
As usual, I will be disappointing them by showing up dateless. Hey, at least it will give my aunt more reasons to question my mom about my sexuality. And I won't care about the family's conclusions once I'm 800 miles away. Well, not as much, at least.
Like I said, everyone (minus Bear) will still be getting together for breakfast at my paternal grandmother's house on Christmas Day. The brother will be leaving a little before noon, because he and Bear are meeting... someone or other for lunch. Possibly their "adopted" family? (Those would be the Cherokee friends of theirs that I've mentioned before.) My parents and I will probably stay until mid-afternoon before heading back to our house, because the brother and Bear will be coming to our house for supper.
I'm apparently going to be working through January 3rd, though I get New Years' Eve off for the first time in... well, five years. I can't actually do anything fun, since I'm opening at work on New Years' Day and therefore have to get up around 5am, but still. It will be nice to pretend that I have the option.
Then there's the move.
The wonderful and brilliant
shinetheway is going to be making the drive with me, which means I majorly owe her. (Note to self: consider bribing her with comics?) If everything goes as planned, we're planning on arriving in the DC area on January 9th, sometime in the afternoon.
Oh God, oh God, oh God. I'm moving in two weeks, and I'm not even remotely packed, and my boss is insane and keeping me extra days, and did I mention that I'm moving in two weeks!?!?!?