"What is the matter with you?! I thought Mothers were sweet and nice a-a-and patient!"
Merry Christmas and/or Happy Hanukkah!
My parents are in town, which is the inspiration for the Ref-copped post title. After a nice day sight-seeing in Santa Barbara (it was 75 degrees - 24 C - and glorious today), my parents and I had our annual blow-up over, as best as I can recall, the fact that I don't like ham and me being pissed at my dad for his pathological channel flipping. It provides further proof that as much as I love my family, I really shouldn't be around them for more than 48 hours at a stretch.
The kids opened grandparent presents tonight in the misguided belief that it will help stave off over-stimulation tomorrow morning. Their Nana/Yia Yia/Papa haul was ungodly in scope and consisted predominantly of plastic things with a bajillion pieces. Tomorrow they'll get Santa gifts, meaning books and clothes. No fear for a boring Yuletide, though, as my folks went in with my Grandma and Grandpa to buy the kids a GINORMOUS bouncy castle at Sam's Club. We set it up tonight so that it'd be ready to go in the morning, and the damn thing takes up most of the back yard. (Is it wrong that I made a lewd suggestion to my wife upon its, ahem, successful inflation?)
My gifts for Christine went over really well. She loves the purse, and we exchanged the most questionable present today for two sale items at Anthropologie. My booty was highlighted by the massive, two-volume Far Side collection, which I've wanted forever. I also got DVDs sets of The Simpsons (Season 5), Arrested Development (S2), and Freaks and Geeks (finally), and some clothes/toiletries. Good times!
Special thanks to pernicesister, pasunepipe, commieprincess, _wizzard_, cdublu, and blueseven for the beautiful cards and pictures, and to scratchtasia for the latest edition of his legendary Christmas Mix Series. They were all so thoughtful and helped me break through my Grinchian cynicism about the family's first Christmas in California. Thank you so much.
Edit #infinity: Happy Birthday, mifoz! Congratulations on successfully making it past the infamous "Jesus Year".
My parents are in town, which is the inspiration for the Ref-copped post title. After a nice day sight-seeing in Santa Barbara (it was 75 degrees - 24 C - and glorious today), my parents and I had our annual blow-up over, as best as I can recall, the fact that I don't like ham and me being pissed at my dad for his pathological channel flipping. It provides further proof that as much as I love my family, I really shouldn't be around them for more than 48 hours at a stretch.
The kids opened grandparent presents tonight in the misguided belief that it will help stave off over-stimulation tomorrow morning. Their Nana/Yia Yia/Papa haul was ungodly in scope and consisted predominantly of plastic things with a bajillion pieces. Tomorrow they'll get Santa gifts, meaning books and clothes. No fear for a boring Yuletide, though, as my folks went in with my Grandma and Grandpa to buy the kids a GINORMOUS bouncy castle at Sam's Club. We set it up tonight so that it'd be ready to go in the morning, and the damn thing takes up most of the back yard. (Is it wrong that I made a lewd suggestion to my wife upon its, ahem, successful inflation?)
My gifts for Christine went over really well. She loves the purse, and we exchanged the most questionable present today for two sale items at Anthropologie. My booty was highlighted by the massive, two-volume Far Side collection, which I've wanted forever. I also got DVDs sets of The Simpsons (Season 5), Arrested Development (S2), and Freaks and Geeks (finally), and some clothes/toiletries. Good times!
Special thanks to pernicesister, pasunepipe, commieprincess, _wizzard_, cdublu, and blueseven for the beautiful cards and pictures, and to scratchtasia for the latest edition of his legendary Christmas Mix Series. They were all so thoughtful and helped me break through my Grinchian cynicism about the family's first Christmas in California. Thank you so much.
Edit #infinity: Happy Birthday, mifoz! Congratulations on successfully making it past the infamous "Jesus Year".