Saturday, January 26, 2008

Blood Transfusion - Christmas 2007

I haven't been active since before the holidays, but I've thought about you all regularly. It's been an interesting time.

I thought I'd ease back into the swing of things by starting from back then and working my way forward - probably one post at a time.

This Christmas, I planned to stay in town and earn some money so I can keep my head a bit higher above water. It didn't work out quite like I planned so, instead of saving travel money and earning extra, I spent money traveling to Granny's house.

I'm glad I did.

After this first semester (in years) and so much negativity in my life, I was in need of the familial fix:

  • The closeness of too many people talking too loudly in too small a space. Playing spades and dominoes like there's no tomorrow.
  • Sweet, spoiled, harmless, aging, little dogs getting in the way, sometimes losing their minds and chomping people's feet like hamburgers, kicking their feet when they're rubbed. I actually bought a dog whistle to shut'em up, but that met with mixed success. I'm not sure what to make of it.
  • Babies crying, drooling, staggering like winos, getting their cheeks pinched by the usual suspect - me - while spitting utterances that actually resemble words in the English language! I can already feel the sorrow adults feel when a kid stops saying "fender" for "thunder," "Wimberdon" for "Wimbledon" and "shep pup" for "shut up."
  • Seeing family members I haven't seen since they were 5 years old, now young adults... Or young adults, now older with streaks of gray... Or older people now good n OLD, with pieces falling off of them, every day. The reminder that I'm not completely alone in the world, despite how it sometimes feels, was right on-time.

It was a good reminder of what blood means to me and, sadly, how much more I could do to demonstrate that fact.

This "blood transfusion" was wonderful and is just what makes Christmas, a holiday that tends to lose a certain something as we get older... and get fewer (i.e. almost "no") presents, an absolute joy.


Besides, I also brought my new-to-me bicycle (more on this later) on the trip and dorkily rode it along-side all the young kids sporting their brand-new, X-mas bikes. That, plus one of the gifts to myself, which I'll post about later, made for quite a bit of fun.

And then, there's all the GPS'ing. More on that later, too, of course.


I hope yours went as well. Sorry I missed out.

5 comments:

Alan Scott said...

Hi, West. What a great post! It sounds like you have a wonderful family, even though they get on your nerves like they are supposed to do! LOL

Anonymous said...

Hey, he's back. Cool!

"Blood Transfusion"...nice way of putting it :)

West said...

Alan: Thanks. And welcome!

B.: Danke. *bows*

Angie said...

Why do people pinch babies cheeks? Pinch your cheeks. Pinch em' right now! That shit hurts man!!!!

I wish I see you pinching cheeks.....punch you dead in gut!
: P

West said...

Pinching doesn't have to hurt.