happy new year

my early winter hiatus is over and I hope that everyone's holidays were lovely. The historically painful Christmas Eve Dinner With the Cousins was more excruciating than usual this year, which has prompted my mother to finally break down and admit that it's the last one we'll attend. I'm ridiculously happy, considering I lobbied extensively to get out of it, though my cynical self feels put-out that I had to endure the three hours of Drunkard Cousin-By-Marriage telling me that if my design job never happens, he could get me "a sweet gig as a go-go dancer". Multiple times. In front of my parents, my grandfather, and my godmother. Because Christmas isn't Christmas without some absolute mortification.

Eh well. It's rather like my Cousin the Ringleader of Painful Events said: "You have to laugh at it." The implication being if you don't, you become a)homicidal or b)as crazy as some of my other relatives at the annual shin-dig who suffer from, as my great-aunt politely puts it, "dementia."

Only one relative made it into the hospital this year, which is an improvement that nevertheless messed with our New Years' plans (as is inevitably the case). But the Mummers' Parade was astounding, and Fralinger won the string band division for the third year in a row!! And yes, I am proud to say, the dancing bear in the orange caravan was my godfather. Congrats, guys! You rocked!