Home for the Holidays

The past few days of T-giving and post T-giving have gone by fast. On Wednesday afternoon, the boyfriend and I drove all the way to Ohio. I hadn't been home since the summer, so it was nice to chill for a couple of days. On T-giving, we ate a lot of good food prepared by my mom. On Friday, we drove all the way back to OH. The holiday was pretty uneventful. Sometimes, I really miss being at home. Like the saying goes, there's no place like home. I wish I could've stayed longer. My mom and the boyfriend bonded and they seem to like each other even if my mom talks about weird things like past lives. My mom even thinks the boyfriend is a good influence on me. I don't know if anyone have ever called him a good influence before. Ha. Needless to say, it was quality time.

Friday night, the boyfriend's nieces were in town so we entertained them with dinner and a comedy show. We went to a new restaurant called Powerhouse and then saw a wacky version of A Christmas Carol. Saturday night, the boyfriend, his parents, the nieces, his sister and brother in law and I went to dinner at Takashi. It's a good Japanese fusion place that we've all been to before. In fact, I wrote about it here. The sister and husband know the chef so we got some complimentary desserts. A good time was had by all. Today, we had brunch at the East Bank Club. I've spent the past two Sundays having brunch. I think I should get brunch every Sunday. I've also had nothing but free meals for the past five days. You can't beat that.

On T-giving, I finally watched the movie Home for the Holidays. I'm not sure why I've never seen it because it has quickly became one of my fave holiday movies (second to A Christmas Story, of course). I guess I can relate to a lot of it. The main character lives in Chicago. She's trying to do something creative with her life. Her entire family is a little nutty. I think every family is a bit nutty and dysfunctional, myself and my family included. A constant theme in the film is getting older. Yes, we are all getting older whether we like it or not. I can't believe another year has gone by. It makes me sad to think of my family aging, but it's a part of life. Some of my fave quotes from the movie: "I'm giving thanks that we don't have to go through this for another year. Except we do, because those bastards went and put Christmas right in the middle, just to punish us." Funny and true. "We don't have to like each other. We're family." That quote makes a lot of sense to me. Who says you have to like your family? I guess my family isn't as dysfunctional as other families I know, but they aren't perfect either. I think this clip from the movie sums up what it's all about. It's like no matter what, the people who really love you will love you for your sack of crazy. They love you for all your issues and simply who you are--even if you are different people. And I think that's what not only the holidays are about, but life in general. I take a lot of comfort in knowing this because goddamn, I surely have my sack of crazy to carry around. Actually, it's more like a tote bag or carry on bag.

Christmas will soon be here. In a matter of weeks. I haven't begun to shop for gifts and I probably won't be buying much at all. I'm looking forward to spending more time with the family. I'd like to spend some time with my friends, too. Lately, I've been thinking about the future. What will my life be like this time next year? I asked the boyfriend if he thought we'd still be together this time next year and he responded with, "I don't know." It wasn't the answer I wanted to hear, but it rings true. I mean, who knows what'll happen. There are a lot of variables and uncertainty. I never imagined my life would be the way it is. I never thought I'd be an editor or have a boyfriend. I guess it's impossible to plan too far into the future because as we all know, plans change. People change. Life happens. I guess we just have to take things as they come and try to plan accordingly. Hope for the best. Positive thoughts. I tell myself these things, but I still can't help worrying all the time. Sometimes I wish my life was a little more certain in some areas. I wish I had more stability at times, but I know I'd get bored if my life was too routine and set.

Today, I was shocked to discover the boyfriend doesn't wash his hair everyday. I think it's gay that he likes taking baths, but not washing hair? He does wash the hair a couple of times a week, though. Am I weird because I wash my hair every time I shower? Maybe not washing hair is a guy thing. I know of other guys who don't wash their hair regularly, and no, they aren't hippies. I should take a poll and find out who does and doesn't wash their hair.

In the new year, I hope to travel a lot more. The boyfriend and I are trying to plan a big out of the country trip this winter. Having not traveled to a lot of countries really bothers me, considering he and his entire family has been everywhere. I feel so uncultured. I need to explore the world and see what else is out there. I'm tired of living vicariously through everyone else. At least I can thrill people with my experiences in L.A. At least I have that going for me. It's pretty foreign to some people.

Tomorrow is the first day of December and the last month of the year. It's getting darker and colder out. We're suppose to get six inches of tomorrow. Yikes! I have some holiday parties and festivities coming up. Myopenbar is doing a Drambuie event in a couple of weeks, which I will help out with. I just hope the year ends nicely with opportunity, money, love and cheer. And a trip to somewhere warm.