(Christmas Eve)
(Post-blogged Tuesday, 12/27/2005)
Woke up early very groggy after a stressful night of weekend preparations for the Christmas weekend and drive down to my brother's lovely home down south - for a weekend full of cooking, babysitting, more cooking, playing with my nephews & neices, eating, cleaning, and more cooking, then some xmess present exchanges, parental stress, screaming children, laughter, story telling, then more cleanup and then a healthy drive home so I can unpack and destress.

I went on a quick training ride before I drove 4 hours down south, just to stretch out and destress before I embarked on the above paragraph. It was a little windy, but nice weather - a mere 32 miles. I was groggy, but needed to do it. Finished up, took a shower and then took the little I had left to pack in the car and just GO.

It was record time, I left at 11:30 and got down there at exactly 3pm. I arrived to a mansion full of children all hopped up on candy and in good spirits n hugs, and a warm kitchen where I was greeted with my brother who was making a soldier's effort in making a chocolate tort**. He was up to his sweatered elbows in chocolate and vanilla fluff, folding things over very concerned of the level of folding it too quickly. To make a long story short, he looked DAMN good doing it (the end result was another story, with a nice ending**).

The weekend festivities were traditional and outlined with a few quirks as we love to just do - we discussed this over a beer, The eve usually consisists of Christmas pagent at the church, then we'd come back and make Oyster stew***, read xmess things to the kids and check NORAD online to see where Santa was travelling before they go to bed...then brine the turkey for the Christmas dinner the next day, while having a beer or two while we lay out all the presents after the kids are dreaming of sugarplumbs and XBOX 360.

We become worn out and head to bed. That's what we did.

**(the "tort" became a very expensive brownie cake, replete with more chocolate and epicurious massaging to turn it into what's been defined as the "Double Death by Chocolate Black Hole Defibulator Cake" - it was the richest thing possible, because the "tort" was taken away because a certain wife turned off the oven instead of hitting the timer button, the "cake" fell...and it needed a rescue. It was just fun, overall)

***(the Oyster Stew is ALWAYS a fun treat to make and to enjoy - we make it from scratch, simpler than it may seem, but oh sooo damn good)

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Happy Holidays! Today was a very relaxing day - I slept in super late, to catch up on sleep before the weekend. Woke up late morning and milled around the house doing last minute preparations before my trip to my brother's house down south (a 4.5 hour drive I'm not looking forward to) tomorrow.

In the afternoon, I took a very leisurely training ride out towards Harpers Ferry, it was very bright out and almost warm (for being in the 30s/40s). All in all, a 44 miler - I decided I needed to take a long ride because I won't be continuing my training until Monday, after I return.

Came home just before dark and packed for the weekend and spent the early evening loading my car with a crapload of xmess packages for my entire family. Went out and gassed up and made sure I had all I need for the long trip.

I think I'm finally in the holiday spirit - and ready for the weekend of festivities with my family. All told, 3 neices, 3 nephews, my two brothers and their wives, my mom & dad - small group...but there will be a few stragglers. I plan to spend the entire time in the kitchen cooking, and telling stories, laughing and just enjoying my family.

I'll be back on Monday after the holidays - I hope everyone has a happy, safe & memorable Holiday!

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I'll be glad when this week is over. And the weekend too. Holiday stuff just stresses me and depresses me.

Work was a casual yet dramatic affair in the morning, then tapered into a productive point before we had to break for the obligatory Xmess holiday "festivities". All in all, it was fake smiles and a friendly gift exchange - the old steal a gift, take a gift thang. I think I made the best choice to grab the real gift...an envelope of 14 scratcher lottery tickets. Would have been my only real ticket out of there, at least with dignity - or cash...lol. (later I scratched them off, 23 bucks - not bad).

The office was to close early to head out to Mortons for a 6pm reservation. I stuck to my guns, in principle - especially after another morning of abuse by ABBA. He can have my $100 steak and eat it too. I was in no shape to spread my office induced lack of holiday spirit on anyone. I had other plans anyways - a date. So I bolted outa there.

I came home and did a quick 30 mile training ride while it was still almost dark...and came home, showered and met up with my date for a quick stroll around the mall for her last minute xmess shopping and a quick dinner at Bonefish Grill. She's off to her family tomorrow early, so we said farewell.

I need to give my friend...and colleague, Aloel a hearty hug again for the lovely gift she gave me..and the hug before I left the office tonight, it was beyond a sweet gesture. I must have an angel looking after me. And she has a cool wink.

Came home and installed my new DVD/Writer on my old mac...to salvage it and turn it into a server...it went flawlessly. I was able to burn all my old crap onto a DVD and transfer it to my PC for backup/re-editing. I have a shitload of writing that has been in hibernation for almost 2 years....stuff that I've been working on for the last 6 years. I feel a whole lot better now.

Time to finish packing/laundry before the xmess holiday weekend.

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December 21st - Winter Solstice, the shortest day of the year. I'm Glad it was. It was the crappiest day all fudge packed into one shitty day, workwise. The day was soo horrid that I decided that I'd not attend the office party (tomorrow night) in complete protest for how unappreciated the shallow gesture of a $100+ dinner at Morton's will be. I cannot stand to handle any more time with that company, I've been brow beaten beyond recognition. Fuck them.

Life is too short. I have better things to do with my time (aka, sending out resumes). After work, I replenished my demeanor by taking a well deserved jaunt out into the frigid elements and hammered the stress off my fat ass. Even after almost 30 miles, I was still pissed, playing over bullshit scenarios from the workday in my mind in constant rewind. Grrr!

Came home and relaxed to the domestic bliss of laundry and cleaning out my fridge while having a nice glass of Chardonnay to go with some Oyster Stew. Fuck them.

I'll turn this leaf over soon, I'm in a bad funk with my office. Fuck them, I threw a few resumes into the wind. Happy Holidays office, NOT.

Here's a few unprocessed photos of the White Chocolate & Pumpkin Creme Brulee I made the other night (recipe will eventually appear after Xmess). It was a total labor of love, but when you are in love...you make things of labor.

photo by d. scott gregory Pumpkin & White Chocolate Creme Brulee click on photo to enlarge

photo by d. scott gregory Pumpkin & White Chocolate Creme Brulee click on photo to enlarge

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It's only tuesday - feels like a thursday, unsure why. But this week is all fucked up anyways, with the holiday approaching and time to be out of town and next monday off work. I realized today that tomorrow is the first day of Winter (Winter Solstice - December 21st). Besides that it will be the "shortest day of the year" because of the lack of daylight, it will mean that the days will soon start to grow longer (in daylight, YAY!). Even if it will be the First day of Winter - I feel like it's already been "winter" for the past 6 weeks. We've had numerous snowfalls, lots of ice, and cold cold weather. Most people will find it just pretty...or annoying - the snow and the cold. I don't mind it. But I partially dislike cycling in it - and to be out in the elements for a few hours a day cycling in it, while dark, and avoiding the ice patches - well, a bit much sometimes. But I still love it. It still beats sitting indoors and eating a tube of Pringles while watching shit on tv.

Work was just that, work. I went on a VERY cold training ride tonight - but it was refreshing, unreplete with the parabolic snotcicles, and craziness of racing down the 'burb streets at hyper speeds to stay warm, shocking a few dog walkers wondering wtf is that. I have flashers on my backside, dual beam hallogen headlights, reflectors all over, glimmering in the xmess lights. It's like that stupid ass movie Tron, except at frigid temperatures, amid the smells of steak and dryer sheets.

Finished up and drove home for a night of pure laziness - the last banyon of any relaxation this week before the holidays really set in. So I made a huge salad and proceeded to play Halo for a while (I rarely ever play video/computer games). But it was fun, was the first time I really got into it. I can see why so many people just spend hours on end being mesmerized by the pedestrian entertainment of it all. It was a guilty pleasure. Served it's purpose for the night. Oh well.

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New work week, albeit - a short one so to speak, before the holidays. But still a work week. Blah. Trying to wrap up a few things at work before the holidays begin and other things at home.

It's become cold again - I went out on a really chilly training ride tonight. It was 31 degrees when I left (Index of 21 degrees). I could only sustain about 5 laps on my 5 mile loop. The only thing that kept my spirits up was seeing the new xmess lights that people hung up over the weekend. Twas a nice display, blurred while I whizzed by. Finished up frozen like a popcicle, came home and finished a few domestic tasks to settle in for a slow evening of correspondence and what not.

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...another day of cycling and domestic mayhem. Sunday night anxiety settles in before a short workweek before xmess. Ho hum.

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