January 04, 2005 - 8:16 p.m.

Disappearing Bird

So, I haven't been writing much... December was a whirlwind month that followed on a crazy fall. I apologize to the few of you who remain my loyal readers. :) I'll try to do better in the New Year.

The holidays were fabulous. I miraculously avoided all the travel woes that afflicted so many. I figure it was karma after the Hell of driving over the Thanksgiving holiday.

It was wonderful, as always to see my family, and, for once, Christmas in Chattanooga was not entirely bleak, chilly, and wet. We had a particularly wonderful Christmas Day. We exchanged gifts, stayed in our PJs, and cooked a slightly less formal version of Christmas dinner (which included the flop of the day, goose). Not only did I receive an astonishing number of awesome gifts (charms for my bracelet, cookbooks, giftcards, a gorgeous purse, DVDs, marble mortar and pestle, etc.), but the gifts I gave seemed to make my family members quite happy. I made my mom cry, and my dad, who isn't a Scrooge but is typically less than enthusiastic about Christmas, seemed overjoyed with all the gifts he got, namely a watercolor of fishing lures from me, a book on roots music from my younger brother, and a compound miter saw from Mom and my other brother. It was a really nice, laid back day.

The rest of the holiday visit was consumed with casual hanging out interspersed with shopping outings, taking my parents out to introduce them to Indian food, and breaking up tussles between the various cats and dogs at the house. We even went out for a very nice dinner with some of my dad's business associates at a restaurant on a bluff overlooking the river. Chattanooga has really come a long way since my high school days - lots more museums and interesting restaurants, more parks, and lots of neighborhoods being revitalized. Why is it that once I leave a place it seems to experience an upsurge in culture and amenities.

New Year's was a blast as well. Along with my brother, I headed out to western MA for a big party that some old friends host every year. There were a few dozen people there, some of whom I hadn't seen in a long time, and we danced, chatted, and laughed the night away. I also got addicted to Dance Dance Revolution, which was pretty much expected.

Since then, it has pretty much been back to the grind. It was great to see the kids again - especially when the two youngest came running to give me huge hugs. They've been eagerly showing off all their Christmas loot, too. M is surprisingly enamored of the real "reindeer" antlers she got, and B is ecstatic about his guitar, while H is busily plowing through all her new books.

I also went back to volunteering at the hospital today, which was nice. I got to rock a 4 month old to sleep, play foosball and board games with an older kid, and got to chat with the child life director who seems eager to help me intern at the hospital should I so choose. It was really heartening to hear his praise, and to know that he is confident enough in my abilities to work around the system a bit to help me get the training I want.

Well, that should catch you up pretty well. Happy New Year to all!

�

flutter back - fly ahead