Xmas 2006

[prog]

Back from Fairfield. The last 36 hours were spent suboptimally; I touched the face of boredom, though I managed not to slide into its howling maw. The answer to "Gee, should I take my laptop?" is yes. Even in internetless places it's a toychest and writing desk, and these can keep me occupied for quite a while. But I chose poorly, and so had only a novel and an iPod, the latter with no ability to recharge. I made do, barely.

I think I've already complained about my whole family (parent and brothers both) being made into racist paranoid goobers by their fears being reinforced and amplified through all the Fox my parents watch and the Art Bell that Ricky listens to, and probably by their local culture as well. I keep forgetting this, and I tend to forget again it a few minutes after every reminder, because, you know, family.

But they are so scared of the Saracen Menace. I mean, honestly, it haunts them. Half of the conversations we had veered into some graveyard-humor joke pointing to the inevitable day when the skies would darken and the Muslims would come raining down, scouring the earth with their acid breath and terrible steel mandibles, unstoppable in their mithril carapaces and vulnerability only to weapons of +2 or greater enchantment. Or whatever, I don't know.

And a lesson in humility for me: Peter spoke excitedly about the Xmas bonus he got, a $50 Hannaford's supermarket certficate, and his wife's $10 cash bonus from her full-time volunteer job. $60 worth of groceries! He was honestly excited at this bounty. Meanwhile I practically blow that much on coffee in a week.

Other than that this was the first time all three McIntosh sons and both parents were gathered together in I-don't-know-how-long. More than two years. The total time of the full convergence was one hour, long enough to eat dinner. It was a fine dinner. I told my mother I'd have to teach her how to steam vegetables, though.

Mom and dad are coming coming down with the cat the day after tomorrow. They sent me home with a truly silly amount of cat stuff, but Shadow won't be wanting at least.

(Deleted the voice post that came before this post.)

Comments

[kyroraz.livejournal.com]

I always bring my laptop when I go to Maine. Then again, I go up to a) check that my family is okay b) let them know that I am okay, and c) come up to actually get some work (me work, not work work) done and avoid my landlord. Then again, for me to do work here, I actually do need my laptop.

I remember even when working for R-cus in Waterville that I made enough to pay the bills and do okay. Mind you, I was fairly compensated in W-ville, but even I would have been excited about $50 back then for food. That was like 2 weeks worth of food. Now, I spend that for like 3 dinners worth of food at the sucky Shaw's (there's a reason I buy groceries in Maine).

Of course, I had my own financial humbling to the point that it will influence my financial auditing this year coming up.

[dianamp04.livejournal.com]

Wow I thought my dad's family was bad. They have yet to have Muslims rain down on us. In Missouri, we just get acid that rains on us. However, I did have to ask today, in a serious way, the question "How did we go from banning trans fats in New York to killing grandma?" And inform my aunt that Korea is not a county of China...

[ahkond.livejournal.com]

I was obliged to parry the traditional anti-Democrat gambit from my Dad, who has become convinced over the years that Democrats are immoral opportunist elitist hypocrites. He's still furious at Kerry for allegedly neglecting his Senate duties during the '04 campaign, but I pointed out that Kerry only missed votes where his vote wouldn't have made a difference, not counting the times when the Republican Senate leadership misrepresented the count of committed votes and neglected to inform him, or refused to delay votes a day or two as agreed to let him and other people get back to Washington. Oddly, his loathing of Democrats doesn't seem to be related to policy issues, just character. He's dealt with local Massachusetts government too long and all the cronyism and sinecures and incompetence has soured him, and he blames the party.

But no anti-Muslim ranting, thank goodness.

[katre50.livejournal.com]

Man, no one told me where to get my steel mandibles when I signed up. I feel gypped now!