How I spent my Christmas vacation

Thursday, Christmas Eve eve, was bone-chilling cold and I felt like hot sake. Went with Aud and Nik to Ru San's and had huge amounts of fish and spiritous beverages. For the first time I tried the Japanese pickle plate/sampler and a new menu item, "white tuna". Then we went to Apre Diem for deserts and "nightcaps" where Nik showed off his belly to all who could not avert their eyes quickly enough. I have to admit he's lost a lot of that "Buddah Belly" and should be quite proud of that. But maybe it's not so polite to show it off in public.

Christmas Eve was spent at my parents house. Dad was able to be home for the holidays and sleep in his own house in the hospital bed my parents still had from his mother. He gets a lot of pleasure from company and loves to have people visit but he and my mother are constantly tearful these days. I hope that the hyper-emotionalism doesn't keep people away. My uncle Ron and wife Joyce came to the house and stayed most of the day. Dinner was smoked turkey on croissant sandwiches.

Christmas Day was spent at my parents house. I arrived noon-ish. My brother and his family came. So did my uncle Robert and his wife and youngest daughter. We exchanged and opened gifts, ate leftovers from yesterday as well as a roast that Mom got with a HoneyBaked Ham gift certificate from friends.

Boxing Day evening was a gathering at J's house in Conyers. Huge group of people of all tribes and ages were there. Lots of food. The Women were all there at some point, with the exception of Pam who is now expecting her own blessed event and is a bit delicate these days. Nik has no memory (or so he says) of showing his belly at Diem.

Monday was my last day off work and I ended up seeing "The Aviator" at Phipps Plaza cinema and doing some shopping at GAP to spend the gift card I had.

Things I didn't know until today

My friend John now has his own spanking new website.

My pal David's family is actually Swedish.

According to Monster, JRR Tolkein based the Elves languages on Finnish and Welsh.

a growing entropy

Today they moved my father into a nursing home. This was actually a huge relief to my mother as the location is very close to my parents' house and it will be much easier for to visit him there. He is at this point still unable to walk. I hope his pain management is much better now but I'll find out more on that when I see him this weekend. That's all I know.

I should be hanging out with friends in East Atlanta tonight at the King Sized show but it's quite cold tonight and I am very cold natured- a complete wimp when the temperature drops. Thus far, I've been catching up with friends via email and snail mail and telephone, but the night is still young.

The "chalupa" I had at lunch today is making me feel like Bloaty Pig. And to think I was so hungry this morning!

the update

This week my father has developed a blood clot in his leg. He has been, in his words, completely pain-free until now. Now the pain in his leg has left him crippled. This was made worse yesterday when he fell while trying to get into the car to go to his daily appointment for a blood thinner injection. Unable to move him, my mother phoned for an ambulance and he's now back in the hospital. This has been a mixed blessing for him and my mother - in the hospital, they are able to manage his pain much more effectively while still treating the clot and a newly discovered "blood infection" of some sort and my mother finally has some relief from taking care of him. So I guess everything is working out for the best.