Christmas Vay-Cay

Well, we’re back. 1,725 miles later, we’re home, safe and sound, from our week-long voyage down to Hilton Head, SC.

It was a good Christmas, I might add. We drove down to my in-laws in 14.5 hours on Thursday, the 23rd. The next day we went to 4 pm Mass and actually had seats. My father-in-law did his Feast of the Seven Fishes, although we combined them all into three courses.

Christmas day brought presents, plenty of presents. As you probably know, it’s primarily for the little ones. And as far as I can tell, they were all quite pleased with this years haul. For myself, the wife gave me Quadrophenia, the double-CD rock opera by The Who, a paperback The Planet of the Apes, the 1963 source material by Pierre Boulle (the same author who wrote The Bridge Over the River Kwai) that started that late-60s early-70s phenomenon, and the Rush concert/documentary CD, Beyond the Lighted Stage. I also got some fine merino wool shirts and a pair of B&N gift cards. Little One bought me a stress ball “to squeeze right before you start yelling at me.”

There was an uncomfortable dinner party afterwards at their friends’ house (uncomfortable meaning for me because I didn’t really know anyone). Sunday brought Mass again plus snow – Snow! – in South Carolina. There was some drama because up in NJ we got 30 inches. Fearing a possible ticket and fine if we didn’t get our walks shoveled, we had to contact a buddy to plow our walkways. Thanks, Steve, plenty of cold beer and Chambord coming your way tonight.

Watched two terrible New York football losses, but we did so in front of a roaring fire, so it wasn’t that bad.

The rest of the week basically consisted of Nana and the wife doing nice things for the girls – taking them to the stables, to Build-A-Bear, to the park, to the outlets to get properly-sized outfits. My father-in-law was back in his office, so I basically floated back and forth between their house and our hotel room, reading, thinking, and studying. More on that last part later.

Oh – I went to B&N and bought Neal Stephenson’s Anathem. I really only know about a paragraph of information about the book, from a New York Times book review, but it was enough for me to purchase it. Stephenson delves deeply and richly, Tolkien-like, into an earth-like world, focusing on a monastery where math and philosophy are studied without the benefit of technology. There’s some sort of an “extraterrestrial threat” (love that phrase) that requires our hero to leave the order and do some heroic deeds. I read Cryptonomicon way back when I started this blog, and it took me five months to machete my way through it. So, it seems that once I’ve finished The Lord of the Rings and The Planet of the Apes, I’ll turn my word-weary eyes towards this epic.

Helped install a flat screen and upgraded cable box for my in-laws, and also get everything controlled by one remote. With only two calls to tech support.

Little One came down with a mean sinus infection – so bad it was coming out one of her eyes. A visit to one of the emergency centers scored some antibiotics and steroids for her, so she improved by visit’s end. Unfortunately, she passed her germs on to me, her sister, and my wife. The night before we left I only got about three hours sleep. We left yesterday morning, sick and highly caffeinated, at 7:12 am, and pulled into our driveway, 825 miles later, at 9:16 at night.

Still trying to figure out if we’re healthy enough to go over our friends’ house for New Year’s Eve partying.

On behalf of me and mine, I wish you and yours a happy, fun, and safe New Year’s Eve!