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It's been awhile since I've posted anything here and I feel like just writing a few things about the last couple of weeks. It was an interesting time--I felt like I wasn't worried about doing anything except just spending time with people.

I am back home after a trip over the holidays to visit family and friends. I spent some time with my brother, my niece, and my parents in the little apartment in Chicago that my brother presently calls home. It was a time of family, food, cookies, Peg-Leg the dog, laughing, and talking. And listening to Elvis sing some holiday tunes. And listening to some old Irish singers sing some non-holiday tunes. The scratch of a record needle and the wind of Chicago from the sixth floor.

Then I went to my folks' place and spent some time by the wood burning stove. I read some good books (Welcome to the Machine by Derrick Jensen, Flight by Sherman Alexie, and The Time Machine by H.G. Wells) and played lots of games with my parents. I snowshoed through deep snow and across frozen wetlands, through the grass and cattails. It was beautiful. My sister came after a few days and when we went to pick her up in Fargo, I was able to see some old friends which was wonderful. And I got to spend a little time with kidpurple's baby son--he is so cool and already knows a few tricks with a soccer ball. Breakfast the next morning was awesome, even if I did drink way too much coffee.

Jen came up and so did my uncle, his partner, and one of his sons. My dad, sister, Jen, and I went snowshoeing--a good long walk with lots of laughing, some falling into the snow, and some pretty tired legs by the time we got back.

We all rang in the new year and played more games, including charades with words such as "meningitis" and "living on a prayer." In fact, Jon Bon Jovi songs (mostly sung by my sister, Jen, and me) were pretty much the theme songs to the whole trip.

I went with Jen down to her parents' place and we all had a fun time together there. We even farkled (anyone had the pleasure of farkling before?). It was the first time in awhile I have spent more than just a night at their house and I was glad to be able to spend the time together.

We rode back to Colorado with a friend that Jen has been friends with since high school. She now lives in Eastern Colorado and dropped us off here at home. We had a fun ride together with more jbj (as we've begun to call him) songs sung loudly and out of tune. A few times during the drive, the spirit of a certain race-car driver managed to take over the wheel. He's tricky like that.

Well, that's some, and probably enough, of my holiday chronicling. Like I said, I'm back home now and I feel a bit weird. I felt a bit weird during the trip, too. I guess I'm just a bit weird. Being with family involved lots of different emotions, mostly due to just being in a different environment with different things going on. But it was a great time and I'm so happy that I spent that time together. It's pretty strange that we live so far apart. We used to all live in the same house, you know? And we all change as we experience being alive but, still, there is something that doesn't change or that is always there.