Last half of Dec Wrap-up

wooooofffff, it's been awhile. I feel like the past few weeks have just flown by at warp speed. Like I grabbed on to the tail end of a light streak and just finally let go last night. which is all just to say that christmas and my week off with it was fabulous and wonderful. Everything went perfectly, I managed to avoid the couple of snowstorms (and terrorists??) that plagued so many air travelers, and had an amazing time with the friends and family I got to see.

The weekend before xmas I flew out to NYC and spent the weekend with a friend where we had just the right mix of being bums on the couch and checking out the holiday parties. I started watching Arrested Development (hilarious!) and finally saw the movie Hang Over (almost died I was laughing so much! a tiger in the bathroom!!!) I also got to drunkenly stumble down the middle of Hoboken streets through 8" of snow in heels! I absolutely love snow storms when the city just goes quiet and you're free to do whatever! Plus I was with a great group of people and when ur drunk the cold and wet just doesn't bother you as much :) I also got some fun close time with a member of the other sex which is always a plus. def crave that in the winter season when I'm always COLD!

Then I met up with my Mom, aunt, grandmother, sister, and cousin in the city on monday. We saw Billy Elliot that night, great play but a little too many kids for me. I don't usually find kids fantastic actors cause they usually either have the cuteness factor or nothing much. But the play was cute and there were some great musical numbers! On Tuesday we walked around the city, it was gorgeous weather out and we did some fun shopping and had a great time. I found cheap pashminas (5 for $20) which made my trip and then we spent the night drinking fantastically expensive cosmos! great trip

finally it was christmas time! my dad and I spent christmas eve day finishing up shopping and then it was a couple days of hanging out at home, bumming around, fires and champagne, family time, lots of good food, and really fun presents! I got lots of things for my room, from sheets to some decorations. I love getting the more expensive but simple gifts that I hate spending my own money on!

overall it was the perfect break, minus that fact that I don't think I have ever had a less relaxing vacation. I finally made it to the airport last night and was so exhausted my eyes kept going blurry! It took a big cup of coffee more than an hour to wake me up to feeling even somewhat normal! but I made it home and managed to unpack my suitcase before falling into bed.

Hope everyone had just as great a holiday! hopefully I'll have a post of the newly decorated room along with a wrap-up of 2009 coming soon. Holy hell, 2010 is pretty much here....craaaazzzzy!

ps. the pic totally has nothing to do with december but I really liked it!

Goodbye

Today I found out that a member of my extended family committed suicide yesterday. He wasn't blood relative (married in) nor was he a very well liked member, in fact most of us couldn't stand him, but he was a part of our lives for many years and for that reason made me rather sad today. And even though my aunt had divorced him a few months back I still feel for the man who had let his life slide into such a horrible place that he saw death as the only solution.

This man had problems all his life in terms of social acceptance and drinking and then later on in life had medical troubles where drug dependence got involved and ultimately a life of sloveliness and self-pity occured. He stopped working, stopped helping out the family, stopped caring about how he appeared to others and how he interacted. This in turn caused others who might have previouslly liked him to turn in the other direction.

I remember as a child I would live with my grandparents over the summer and he would come up with my aunt and every wkend morning, Tom and I would take the boat out and go buy donuts at one of the harbors. As more grandkids started coming into the family he continued this. He was always a willing boat driver when us kids wanted to go tubing or skiing, even though I never actually went when he was driving cause he enjoyed throwing ppl off far too much! I guess the point I'm trying to get across is that at one point he and I did have a relationship and we did enjoy each others company. As I grew up though I started spending more time with friends and less time with family and then his troubles got worse and I found myself avoiding him. Not going to the lake house if I knew he was going to be there or sneaking in the back door! I'm not proud of this but I didn't like the person he had become. And now for the past 8 years or so he hasn't even been on my radar. highschool, college, life. I was happy when I heard they were getting a divorce, I was happy my aunt would finally be free of this baggage.

But it's sad, to spend a life where you aren't happy and where you don't do anything to change what you are not happy with. At some point he was a person. One who deserves our compassion and respect. My father said something along the lines of why is my aunt (his sister) so broken up about it, he can be a little crass at times, but to me it makes perfect sense. She's not grievign for the person who became a burden on her life but the man she fell in love with. The man who gave her two healthy sons and the man she thought she wanted to build a life with.

I don't like the idea of suicide, and I think that's mainly becuase I can't grasp how I feel about it. At times I think it's cowardly and selfish, at others I think if that's really how they felt at least I hope they're better in whatever comes next. All I know is I feel for the people who reach such a dark point in their lives where that is the only option they see. And for now I will remember the fun uncle who would do anything for me when I was a kid. Everyone has some good. Kind thoughts to my aunt and cousins :)

*Rest in Peace Tom*

Xmas Trees!

our tree, it's slightly blurry but the roomie was a couple drinks in. :) it's got a million lights with gold ornaments and red accents. Gorgeous! I have seriously just sitting in my living room and staring at it! To the left you can see our second (and fake) xmas tree. Its silver with lights and blue and silver ornaments. very pretty as well but I'm a real tree kinda gal.

I had a lovely weekend with tres christmas parties. Saturday morning was slightly rough, always remember to eat dinner when drinking, but my roomie was awesome and dealt with my whining fantastically well. I was amazed with her patience. But we had a grand ole time spending hours in crazy chicago traffic and in lines at the packed booze and food stores. SERIOUSLY it was insane how busy everywhere we went was.

Now it's off to a going away party tonight... wish it were closer than WP!!! haha, i'm so lazy

Decorating Time

it's getting close to christmas!!! I am getting excited! AND it is apt decorating time tonight! We have lights and ornaments and other fun things. Going to get a lovely tree, REAL of course and have a ball making things all festive and fun! I even have some christmas music i'm planning on downloading and playing while we decorate. Before the Top Chef finale of course! becuase that is going to be awesome as well. I really want all 3 to win...but mainly the sexy Voltagio cause he's really good.

Hopefully I'll grab some pictures, through my bberry unfortunately b/c my lovely point and shoot has a dead battery and the charger? back in silly ole nh.

Tonight I came...Home

while brushing my teeth tonight and doing the general routine i realized that everything I had done once i got home had been instinctual and routine. And not in a bad way or anything, but I had been drinking and took the train home, etc, so I got into the tired checked-out state. But it was fun and comforting to think, while doing the teeth cleaning, that I was so set in this apartment that I was thinking "I am home" instead of "I am in my new apt."

I love when you finally have that feeling, it's an incredibly satisfying feeling, and with every apartment it's slightly different. Now just on to making the city feel like home again.

Winter and Pilates

It is finally winter... I say this mournfully, sadly, regretfully and yet reconciled. In far too soon of a time it will be christmas and then the new year. What will 2010 bring? What has 2009 had? These questions are not ones I am prepared to answer.

BUT! it is winter... and I now this because:

• The chill of winter is in the air. That creeping cold that sneaks up your nostrils, makes your eyes water, and makes any bit of skin that is unlucky enough to touch the air want to hide!
• Probably about 50% of my block already has X-mas decorations up. And when I say up I mean inside and outside, lights and trees, wreaths and garlands. It is slightly too early for me to want those types of things but I won't deny that I am very excited for when our apartment becomes festive. The roomies and I have decided to have a holiday party so a tree will be present along with who knows what!
• I have been sleeping with my electric blanket on for the past few nights. Means it is fairly cold. Brrr

Completely switching gears. I can't believe thanksgiving wkend is already over. I feel like it just started. Mine was relaxing and soothing, which is good because this December is shaping up to be fairly busy and will fly by i'm sure. I have signed up for reformer pilates class, I met a trainer at my gym who I instantly got along with and I think it will be fun to get myself back in pilates shape. I was feeling really good about it and had noticed significant improvement at the beginning of last summer, not too mention I really liked my body with that exercise, but now everything has fallen apart. lol. I am planning on focusing on the pilates classes and making as many as possible to jumpstart the getting back in shape. Bummer is the regular weekly classes start at 6 and it's rare that I make it home before six...Here's crossing my fingers!

Thanksgiving

Happy Thanksgiving Everyone!

I don't really like turkey so i thought I would go with the festive fall/thanksgiving picture instead of a silly bird. I just slept far too late and now am up and off to spend a lovely meal with some family and friends. I'll miss the real immediate family back in the NH but hope they have a lovely dinner as well.

Luv