So, I could go on and on about how many times I meant to write, how often I thought to myself “Gee, Andrew, maybe you should actually sit down and write what you’ve been up to lately.” I could do that, but I’d probably spend an entire paragraph or two of self-deprication while I could actually be writing.
Dammit. I did that anyway.
It’s been awhile since I wrote. Early December, by my calendar, so I’ve gone a month and a half without a journal of various random crap. How fortunate! Now I get to try and remember as much as a I can.
Christmas came and went, both as the understated holiday that it was this year as well as the oddity of the timing. The understated part was due to various people in my family not having a great deal of disposable income this year, what with my Dad getting the old heave-ho from his job, my Mom being only part-time employed, and my sister not getting her usual holiday bonus. Come to think of it, for a brief shining moment (that continues to this day so far) I was the most gainfully employed member of this family as far as salary goes. With actual work accomplished…well, that’s a matter up for debate. It was a muted holiday, but I think I actually liked that better. Hanne and I managed to find something or another for everyone, and so at the end of the day everyone had something they could take home and enjoy, even if it was as simple as a bottle of wine to enjoy. Needless to say I was hauling out bags of booty like in previous years, but I got the best Christmas present ever: time off from work.
The other half of the holiday oddity came in the form of Portland’s record-breaking snowstorm. Nineteen inches total over a week and a half, the worst in either 40 or 100 years, depending on who you’re talking to. Either way, it made for one crazy Christmas. I wasn’t even aware that snow was forecast, so imagine my surprise that first morning when everything was coated with snow. A day off! Huzzah! Hanne and I happily stayed inside and stayed warm, then walked to the store later to make something nice for dinner. I have this nice little tradition with Hanne where when it’s snowy out, we walk to the store and make something comforting for dinner: macaroni and cheese, chili, or something of the sort.
Well, let’s just say that I was walking to the store quite a bit over the course of two weeks. The second week in, as much fun as I had staying home and playing video games all day, I got kind of sick of walking to the store and eventually we just starting cooking whatever, or trying to see if anyone nearby was open. One day I walked to the store when it was getting all drippy and slushy out, and when I came back I announced that I was ready for the snow to finally be gone in spite of my morning breakfast burritos and coffee and playing video games all day. I ended up getting a total of five unscheduled days off from work, plus the regularly scheduled Christmas/day after Chirstmas/New Year’s days. I also took the day after New Year’s day off, as well, so I had a lot of time to stay home and annoy Hanne by not entertaining her. Or as Hanne so eloquently put it sometime in the second week: “I can’t wait until you get sick of that silly game.”
But hey, I certainly had the time to spare.
Needless to say, having the entire Christmas week off due to snow messed up our plans quite a bit. The original idea was to have Christmas Eve at my Dad’s house with a meal of my sister’s making, then Christmas at our house for presents and a light dinner, and then my Dad’s birthday wherever he decided he’d like to go. We ended up not doing anything on Christmas Eve or Christmas because no one could get out to drive anywhere, though Hanne and I did manage to catch the bus to her parents’ apartment to spend the morning with them for brunch. Despite all the waylaid plans, it was definitely nice to see someone on Christmas Day.
So, Christmas came and went. My Dad’s birthday was celebrated at the Deschutes brewpub, which I always enjoy patronizing. The beer is good, the food is tasty if a bit pricey, and I can avoid walking into a wall in the Hall of Mirrors, a.k.a. the bathroom hallway, I always have a pleasant experience there. I swear, they put all those mirrors in that hallway just to see how many unsuspecting people they can make drunkenly walk into a wall.
For New Year’s, instead of my making a nice dinner for Hanne and myself we joined her parents and her brother who was home for the holidays at their apartment and enjoyed a traditional English roast with Yorkshire pudding and assorted side dishes. We barely made it to midnight, and Hanne was so sleepy I had to drink the entire bottle of champagne myself. Oh relax–it was one of those mini bottles.
After New Year’s, Hanne had a couple of her college friends come and stay with us for a couple of days, so our apartment was pretty crowded for a few days. They were very nice and personable, but of course I felt a bit lost as the three of them would start talking about various places and people, and I’ve found when that happens it’s better to just sit quietly and pretend you know what they’re talking about and then laugh at the appropriate times, because that’s a lot easier and less annoying for the others than interrupting every 30 seconds and asking “Who’s that?” or “Where’s that?” Hanne gave them a nice Portland experience, though, including the requisite trip to Powell’s Books, a movie at a McMenamins theater, a trip to Multnomah Falls, and the SE pub crawl. I was there for that last one, if you were wondering. I’m know to occasionally imbibe a pint or two, after all.
I’m going to leave it there for now. There’s much more to talk about: work, my New Year’s United Nations-style non-binding resolution, as well as just general goings on. Plus, I have a box of produce to put away so that Hanne doesn’t give me the evil eye when she comes home. Right, and so it doesn’t spoil, too.
Until the next time, hopefully soon.