Home for the Holidays

All those feel good holiday season made-for-TV movies have obviously never been to a holiday in Rural Nowhere. I grew up in Rural Nowhere. I now live a rather fabulous life, as I'll tell most people, in the Nation's Capitol. I don't visit often, and I have been lucky enough to be absent and busy for the last two years worth of Thanksgiving days. Don't get me wrong, I love my family and they are a lot of fun, but years worth of "So when are you getting married?" and "You're next, just see." gets a little bit tiring.

This year, I bit the bullet and visited. And it started right away. My weight - too big at a size zero. I'm not kidding, I wear children's clothes most days out of convenience. My single status - gods forbid a young woman just not want to put up with the hell that is dating these days. The children of my siblings and cousins - aren't they so so so cute? The upcoming weddings of my high school best friend and a former flame (separate weddings) and a lot of the obviously uncomfortable conversations that go something like... "That could've been you, you know... She's so nice though too."

Other than the beautifully awkward conversation there was the gallons of alcohol consumed, the packs (easily in the dozens) of cigarettes stubbed out, the political shouting matches (because apparently even with my specific degrees and a history on campaigns, I have no idea what I'm talking about), and the insane amount of food going around. There were the normal stupid high school stories that everyone has heard before, the bad jokes we've heard more times than we like to remember, and the collective memories of three generations worth of hicks coming together. It had it's high points.

And so now, I'm watching Shark and my parents are asleep on each of the couches here in the living room. I am hooked online, unable to sleep even for all the turkey and brandy in me, and so I come here. My new space to ramble and try to make sense of it. I wish you luck with that as well, and I'm sure in the coming days my sleeplessness will result in some sort of actual introductory post. Welcome to Neverland kids.