Tag Archives: Christmas

Christmas!

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I love this holiday. I love getting together with my entire family (the 9 of us) and listening to the old Jackson 5 Christmas reel to reel and watching old family videos and eating tamales and bbq and opening a gazillion presents and the Cowboys game and playing poker and drinking margaritas until we’re laughing so hard we’re crying.

This year my love joined us (him + sister’s ex inlaws = 12 this year) and had himself an old fashioned Mexican Christmas. He brought the Christmas Pudding (totally fruit cake) and gargantuan poinsettia and massive gift basket for Mom and gifts for the girls and we showed him just how many tamales it was safe to eat in one sitting. He’s awesome. My family just loves him to pieces. Even my ex brother in law’s parents (who spend xmas with us, irregardless of their son no longer being family) love him. And who wouldn’t? He’s done everything in his power to make the suck part of the last couple of weeks almost non-existent. (I’ll get to posting about the suck part soon enough.)

As for my love, I got him an hour 4 hand massage and full body dry brush. Yep. 2 therapists for one hour of drooling bliss. That, and some English food stuffs and cds. He, via Santa, got me a bad ass iPod (one of the Red ones that give a portion of profits to AIDS research) engraved with “Blame it on the Bossa Nova…” (cause he rocks), the new Tori Amos Box Set (which I burned to said iPod today), the X-men trilogy, amazing japanese incense, full home spa kit, bath salts and a Suduko pen. Spoils me, he does.

And Santa, via my family, finally got me a sewing machine. I say finally, because I’ve been asking for one for years and my mom has always said no and spouted off some old spinster superstition. This year they all went in and got an awesome one. Tomorrow I’m meeting my sisters for a sewing session. We’re making curtains and I’m going to try not to sew my finger into it. The parents also got me the Tori Amos box set. And my sister and I got one for my niece. Lots of Tori box sets under the tree this year. Make up and candles and panties and socks and clothes and lip gloss. Do they know me or what?

I’m back in Austin now. We watched X-Men and got Chinese takeout and snuggled up on the couch. He’s been at my house for 2 days and we’re not allowed PDA in the parent’s house (yeah, yeah, I’m 30 and could technically do what I want, but it’s about respect for my Father, yo!) soooooo it feels like weeks since we’ve been able to get all snuggified. I’m enjoying it.

Actually, I’m going to go enjoy more of it now.

I hope everyone had a wonderful Christmas. I’ll be thinking about you come new year. (And don’t forget – 007 party for the new years!)

Peaks and Valleys (Cake or Death?)

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Friday was Roxanne’s funeral. The woman goes to lunch with a friend and gets hit by a truck. Too short, man. This life we live is too damn short. I think one of the most amazing testaments to a person’s life is how many people come at the end to pay respects to it. The church was packed, people were watching in the back rooms and standing in the back. When they rolled in her pink casket (I didn’t know they made pink caskets in grown up sizes) to Amazing Grace, there wasn’t a dry eye in the house. This whole scenario is so messed up. I feel just awful for the family. Ron looked so devastated. And those two little girls. Heartbreaking.

I saw people I haven’t laid eyes on in 13 years. AOPi sisters. Alpha Love. Weddings and Funerals, reunitement catch-alls.

*****

Friday evening was the TBG Christmas party. Girls in pretty pretty dresses and lots of whiskey and wine. I’ve developed quite the hankering for creamed horseradish. I blame the queen.

We taxied from the hotel to the Chronicle Christmas party, and got there right in time for the bars to close. Damn! But I got to see a bunch of folks I’ve missed terribly and squeeze some necks and wiggle a little to Detroit Steel.

To make up for carting half a dozen people to a dry party, I bought a lot of pitchers at Deep Eddy and caught up with more paper folks and got asked to dance by a strange mix of men (including one pushing 90). Something about being in a dive bar with a pink dress and stilettos, I suppose. After party at Daniel’s – 4 parts scotch, one laughing Amy and a man in character = v. small and cozy and funny.

*****

Saturday brought Daniel’s cold into full swing. We slept in until the hunger got the best of us, then trekked to the best migas and menudo on the east side (jo’s). Followed that up with a little Christmas shopping. (1 down, 11 to go) Got Chinese takeaway and watched Eddie Izzard (he hadn’t seen the standup) and laughed and sneezed the night away. There’s something about watching old comedy standup. It was dated, but still funny. Maybe not as funny as I remembered, but hindsight roses up some memories. (Cake or Death?)

*****

Dreams about underwire bras and elementary friends and being on the run and pesto pasta dishes. Clear headed dreams and a foggy morning. Strange little girls. Today it’s clean house day and catch up on reading day. I’ve got my next Chron assignment on the plate. Tori on the mix. Letters to write. Heady good stuff. NYE Evite to send.