I had a wonderful winter break, although it started more than a little troubled. Just a few days prior to leaving Knoxville, my beloved Stella decided that her starter no longer worked. First the Firestone people then the Dodge people took a crack at her--and I was left carless. Thank God for Uber. With the help of a really nice Uber driver who was not freaked out by animals, I was able to drop Smoke off at the Hotel Vet (as I called his boarding at his vet's office so he'd think he was on vacation too). I had to leave Stella at the Dodge dealership while I was in California because she still wasn't fixed before I was set to fly out of Knoxville. My neighbor, Annie (also of party office fame) had graciously volunteered to start Stella every now and again while I was gone, but she was relieved of that duty when Stella spent the holidays with the Dodge people. Thanks to Annie for volunteering, though.
Flew back to California, and my first stop after landing was the cottages of Heidi and Danny (Dandi) and Maddie and Randi (Mandi). While it was terrific to see my babies and their significant others, I was especially moved by the warm reception I received from Penelope Pitstop Camille Dias Herbon. My dingo still loves me.
Accommodations were provided by the House of Orth, where I enjoyed my same bedroom with the racecar motif. Yvette, who is never to be outdone as a hostess, ensured that both Diet Coke and Sam Adams were stocked in the fridge.
Of course, food was number one on the agenda, so dinners and breakfasts with my babies and my buddies took center stage. Thanks to Phoebe, Denise, The Trishter, The Princess, Sally, and Linda for taking time from your busy holiday schedules to spend time with me. I don't know why this paragraph is centered on the page--Blogspot sucks!!!
Of course, the majority of my time was spent with the parentals. Evening Jeopardy watching with my Mom and Dad was a must. My Dad thinks I cheat at Jeopardy because I know stuff that he doesn't know, but I can vouch for the fact that my knowledge is all my own. Besides which, I don't know nearly the number of random factoids as my trivia-savant of a sister does.
The days before Christmas went by like a whirlwind. Cooking decorating day was a blast. There was much merriment, especially as a certain nephew of mine (who shall remain nameless although he doesn't read this blog anyway) manfully accepted the challenge of decorating a couple of "adults only" cookies that Maddie and Randi had sneaked in to Grandma's batch of cookie-cutters.
Christmas Eve at Tricia's featured an Oktoberfest theme, complete with inexpensive "photo booth." Sausages and sauerkraut headlined the menu, and Tricia even made eierliquor as a special surprise (almost as good, but not quite, as Petra's homemade stuff). One of the top moments of the evening was when Stacy lit the candles for the first night of Hanukkah and she and Matthew offered up a couple of traditional songs. Nothing says Hanukkah to a bunch of Christians and Atheists as the singing of Adam Sandler's Hanukkah Song, which was performed by Matthew, accompanied by Joe, and chimed into by the rest of us. Drink your gin-and-tonica and smoke your marijuanaca!
Christmas morning festivies were held at Reiner's house--which, of course, came with a fantastic breakfast. Damn, I'm still thinking about that bacon right now. Hmmmmm. I'm headed to the grocery store as soon as I leave campus. Might I find some of my own magic bacon?
Christmas dinner was at the parentals' house, my mom's delicious roast beef with mashed potatoes and gravy and biscuits. The film of the day was Robin Hood: Men in Tights, one of Dad's favorites. It really stands the test of time, as do nearly all of Mel Brooks' films.
The next week flew by, and on New Year's Eve, the unthinkable happened. I willingly entered a church--and not for sightseeing purposes. I had New Year's Eve potluck dinner with the Lutherans at my Mom's church. The people were nice, the food was good, and no deity struck the building with lightning.
My trip back to Knoxville, while delayed by a day due to weather, was not actually that bad. Several of my colleagues here on the 5th floor had a much more difficult time getting home thanks to the terrible weather in the Rockies and in the Southeast. I was surprised to find maybe two inches of snow still on the ground around my apartment when I arrived home. It was gorgeous, but a little intimidating, especially on the day I went to fetch Stella from the Dodge people. While her starter was fixed, it turned out the next day that her battery was not dead. It never rains but it pours. Much thanks to the AAA guy who installed a new battery, right there in the Willows parking lot. Stella seems to be doing fine now.
The main reason I needed Stella as badly as I did was that, by the time I got home, I was seriously jonesing for Smoke. When I picked him up at Hotel Vet, he didn't seem that happy to see me. I was worried that he might be angry with me for leaving him for so long. Once we got in the car, he started meowing like a crazy boy. I put my fingers through the bars of his carrier, and he rubbed against them. I had to drive all the way home that way or he would start meowing again. Once home, he ran around and meowed at every door I had left closed--he wanted to inspect the entire place. Once I laid down on Lovie to watch a little TV, he climbed up and laid across my chest and went to sleep. He's my cuddle baby once more.
Today, I'm in my office on the fifth floor of Dunford, gearing up for tomorrow's first discussion sections. I'll be a TA in a class on the second half of American history, and I'm really looking forward to it. But its going to be a hectic Friday. I've got 50-minute sections to teach at 9:05, 10:10, and 11:15 a.m., followed by my German class at 12:20 and office hours from 1:30 to 3:30. The day is going to be hell on wheels.
Alright, time to get out of here and go to the grocery store. Taco fixings, magic bacon, cereal, Diet Coke--came to Mama!
P.S. It's now Friday afternoon. Sections went well, I'm in office hours, and I'm kicking back!!
Your text adjusted so that it would show how well centered we are!! It was great to see you and I'm glad Stella is all better and that Smoke has forgiven you for leaving him alone. They get lonely without their people to keep them company.
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