New Years

I need some help finding a good New Years resolution. I already walk every day, I already have a healthy "private" life, I've already vowed to become smarter with OHM, more frugal with Tiarra, more organized with Delta and now I want something exciting. What shall I do? I'm open for suggestions. Post an idea, please, something easily attainable with 3 yunguns in tow. Preferably legal. Otherwise, I'm game.

Great Dream

I had a Great Dream last night.I Was riding through war torn Chechnya in back of a cab driven by a man who may or may not have been trying to kill me. I was naked. I looked over to right and realized that Brad Pitt was riding next to me, also naked, very sad.

"What's wrong, Brad?" I asked.

"I'm ugly."

"Jesus Christ," I said, moving a little bit lot bit closer to brad, "You're gorgeous. You're as gorgeous as...I was going to say Brad Pitt but since you ARE him..."

"You really think so?" (Puts his arm around me. I realize we are married - don't ask me how I realize this. It's my stinkin dream.)

Suddenly cab driver could have ak-47 trained on my forehead and it wouldn't matter. I'm about to DO IT in the backseat of a moving vehicle with BRAD PITT!!!!!

But then someone started licking my hand and I remembered why I hate dogs so. After evicting the stupid dog from my bedroom, I desperately tried to get back to that dream, but succeeded only in riding down an escalator, losing my hat in the belt, pulling it out and having every single hat ever lost in the belt follow it. Not quite Brad Pitt.

party at brothers' house was great. love all new sisters-in-law. Reminded of the fact that 1. if can be late, will, 2. if can get lost, will. Arrived at party 3 hours late after extended tour of Nashua NH. Was invited to NY Eve party at other new brother's house. Want to go but Delta wants to stay home. Must arm wrestle to determine winner. Also, must reciprocate to new family with party at this house. Must hire home decorator.

edit: also, today is the day I must end my grace period as quasi-eldest in father's line and assume my new grown up role completely. Ah, well.

Happy, Merry

We had a wonderful Christmas, thank you very much. We stepped in sort of gingerly, and I had a few moment s like when we lit a candle for my father at Fatima and when we stayed up late Christmas eve and of course, christmas morning. But the days were nice as a whole.

I inherited a cousin when my dad died. He's 57 years old and so like my dad it's almost supernatural. I'd never known him before but now we talk every day and he came by on Christmas with his girlfriend, brought gifts for the girls, stayed and talked with Mom and Superdad. It was almost like the old days.

Today we are headed up to my new brother's house for christmas with them. It's wierd becoming a family when you are all old enough to have families of your own, but I'm convinced it can happen. All it takes is practice.

Someone stole my brand new big, heavy, Scotch Tape dispenser. Someone in this house. When I find out who that someone is....Now I have to rip little chunks off the extra rolls. Damn it.

Today was Phee Phee's big winter dance production. I cried through the whole thing. And I forgot tissue, but that's ok, the important thing is how amazing my little pumpkin was. I'm always amazed at kids. Can you imagine getting up in front of an auditorium full of fancy dressed people and dancing around in a skin tight leotard? Me neither. Come to think of it, I think me in a skin tight leotard dancing anywhere is explicitely forbidden in the Geneva Convention.

Restructuring

Man it's been a while since I last wrote. Let's see, what's happened?

When I was in fourth grade (seriously, I'm going somewhere with this) my mammie moved me from Framingham to Ashland. The move, the fifth in my life, didn't sit well with me. Actually, to this day, I loathe Ashland. There's, like, 2 good things about Ashland and that's it. And I'm getting to one of them.

So, I was in Ashland and I was in the fourth grade. I was entering elementary school at an utterly inconvenient time when everyone else was adjusted already and settled with their best friends and state fair projects and what not. I don't know what kind of impression I was going for, but it involved itching powder, thumbtacks, and one rather unhappy teacher. At any rate, it garnered lots of attention, some good, some not so good. One day I was revelling in my newfound noteriety sipping some water at the bubbler and this amazon girl came over and shoved me face first into the cold steel nozzle. I don't know what happened next, the details are hazy. I think there was some sort of scuffle, a little bit of arguing, maybe a couple weeks of reciprocal sabotage and then, voila, I had a best friend.

I've been through many best friends. Some are now like family, some have come and gone, others are rekindling and some are falling away but through it all I never forgot my first, Sabies. I realize that sounds just a bit creepy, but it wasn't like that at all. Sabies and I covered a whole lot of life together.

We started out acting out scenes from our favorite series of books. (The Black Stallion) We would argue over who got to be Black and who got to be Flame. (One freakin word - one word about me being a big black horse now is all it will take for a punch in the nose. I still have thumbtacks too) We argued over who's dad (Both Electrical Engineers) was smarter. Her dad was also a detective, but my dad had better business cards, and that was tres importante.

Back then, parents weren't as good at parenting as they are now. Sabies and I were largely unsupervised. We learned how to do things like set the woods on fire, creep out the front door while my mothers boyfriend snored on the couch at midnight (in a VERY revealing bathrobe - GAG), put ourselves to sleep with Nyquil so we could have a midweek sleepover (never worked. Should have visited Mayo Clinic) and other less innocent things as time passed. For being so naughty, we were so very naive. I don't know how we lived.I don't know how we lived so dangerously and yet so chaste at the same time. (well, sort of)

Anyway, Sabies and I lost touch around the time I went in the Marines. I don't know why or how, I guess it had something to do with me being a Marine and all gung ho about that, but I never forgot her. Years passed without us speaking. Then, just a couple of days after my dad died, Sabies called. And we picked up our conversation where we left off. How can that be? How can so many years pass, how can so much life pass and yet I feel like she's been there all along?

Someone upstairs is really looking out for me.