measi's Diaryland Diary ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Only one up... It's nearly 10 p.m., and I'm the only one left awake in the house. My mom's one of those weird people who's in bed by 9 every night. Jim (my mom's boyfriend) goes to bed early too, and we all need to be up early tomorrow. But as always, I'm a night owl and will probably be up until about midnight. I got here safely on Wednesday afternoon. The traffic and the roads weren't that bad at all. The worst of it was in Massachusetts, where we'd gotten about four inches by eight a.m. The traffic was very light, even at 9 a.m., but there were a few backups when cars got stuck behind the plow and salt trucks. But even at the interchange for I-84 heading into Connecticut, the traffic was pretty non-existant. I took I-90 all the way out to the New York Thruway, which connects up a few miles south of Albany. By the time I got out there, only about an inch of snow was on the ground. It's a pretty drive out that way-- in Western Mass I went through the Berkshires, which I'd never seen before (we'd driven back that way in September, but it was late at night and far too dark outside). In New York, I drove down through the Catskills, which are also very beautiful. It was a relaxing drive. I took it at my own pace and stopped when I needed to. The only problem was that due to the snow and the salt on the roads, I had to stop a few times to clean the windshield from salt grime. The last chunks of snow flew off the Jeep somewhere in New Jersey, freaking out the driver behind me who probably couldn't figure out why on earth my car looked that ratty (considering there was NOTHING on the ground in NJ at all). It took me a bit shy of seven hours, which included a long stop for lunch and several bathroom/window cleaning breaks at rest stops. Not too bad. Thanksgiving Day was busy but a lot of fun. We had 21 people here-- 2 were my youngest cousins (ages 2 and 9 months, so they really didn't count at the table). My mom borrowed a long folding table from my grandparents and set up a second table in her living room so everyone could have more room, yet still be close enough that we all felt together. We had two turkeys, lots of appetizers, lots of other food, and good company. It's probably the best Thanksgiving I recall in a while. I did miss [erich], though, and wish he could have come down. But work required him to stay in Boston, so he spent the afternoon with JT and Tan up in Nashua instead. At least he wasn't home on Thanksgiving. I probably would have stayed up there if that was the case. Regardless of the guilt trip I would have received from family. I know my mom would have understood, though. People starting leaving by about 9:30. I stayed up and watched Phantom Menace and then headed to bed. Today we dropped the Jeep off at the dealership in Nazareth for its big checkup-before-becoming-mine (woo hoo!). It was a bit of a relief because over the past three weeks, Mom's been waffling again on whether to give it to me. But today she referred to it as *my Jeep, and told me that I needed to check into the Massachusetts regulations for switching the title and such over. While the car was getting checked, she took me into Allentown to get my hair re-highlighted (back to my "natural" blonde... hee!). I wound up getting seven inches chopped off the back, so it's now gone from waist length to just at my shoulder blades. It feels SO short, but my hair needed a good weed-whacking. It was starting to get really ratty at the ends, despite getting trimmed regularly. It's been about four years since I had it cut short (well, short for me, anyway). It looks much healthier than it did, and that's really what matters. I can always grow it back out again. With how fast my hair grows, it'll be back to my waist by next summer. We met my uncle John and aunt Gail in downtown Bethlehem for lunch and some shopping afterward. Downtown Bethlehem is really cute-- full of lots of little boutique shops in historic society buildings. Soft music plays through hidden speakers along the street. It's all Christmas music now, of course, but during the summer there's classical music playing. It's an adorable part of town and a lot of fun during the holidays because it just gets you in the mood. And it's much less crazy than the malls are. Tomorrow I'm going to drive down to my other grandmother's house in Birdsboro, which is about an hour south of here. Erich and I visited her in early October for a weekend, and I wanted to check in on her since she's all alone now and needs a bit more company. I'll probably stay the afternoon and then head back here. I need to get to bed super early tomorrow night because my maternal grandmother, my two aunts, my mom, and two of my cousins are having a "girls morning out" in New York City on Sunday morning. We're going to see the Radio City Music Hall Christmas Show at a matinee show. And get this-- the matinee is at NINE A.M. It's insane! We'll have to leave Easton at around 6:30 a.m. to get into the city in time for the show. It's going to be interesting seeing me try to drag myself awake and sit in a theater that early. I'm the only member of my family who has seen this show before. It really is beautiful. At the end of the show, they do a life-sized nativity scene with real animals on stage (camels and such). I remember how as a freshman in college when I saw the show, the nativity scene brought tears to my eyes. It's just so beautiful, regardless of what religion one follows. My six year old cousin, Marya, will be astounded by it. Once the show is over, my aunt Vicky will be driving back to the city with my grandma and Marya because she has the nine-month-old at home who's still being breastfed. My aunt Gail, Mom, my cousin Kathryn, and I will stay in the city for lunch, and then I'll probably start driving out straight from Manhattan that afternoon to get up to Boston, and they'll go to the Port Authority to catch a bus back to Easton. Although if I'm really tired, I may drive them back, catch a nap here at the house, and then start driving. I'd rather feel rested before I get on the road, so we'll see. If I get home later, that's fine. Better to take my time and get the sleep than try to fight fatigue on the road in the dark. It's been a busy weekend, but I'm having fun. It'll be nice to get home to Erich, though, and cuddle with him on Sunday night. :) 'night, Mel. 10:01 p.m. - 29 November 2002 ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- |
||||||