The Ides of March

Well, it's been at least a year and a day since I posted something new in here, so what the heck, why not? I'm currently up at the top of the mountain and there isn't much going on, so here goes.

Hmm. Now that I have your attention, do I actually have anything to say? Umm, well, Christmas was good. Let's start there.

Christmas was more than good, actually. It was amazing. It was just what I needed to see my friends and family and to have a week to do it this year (unlike last year, which was about three or four days). I spent a lot of time hanging out with my brother, which was great, although it didn't do much to help me in my quest to stop smoking (nor his, for that matter). It was also really good to see my Dad and hang around with him. Since Mom died I find that I've grown a lot closer to him, and have come to respect him so much more. He's actually a person to me now, not just a parent. But there's also something so comforting about being around my parents (well, parent, but Carol has a parent-y vibe about her). I think it's a feeling of security - like all the world can go to shit but it doesn't matter because Dad's there to protect me. I know I'm 23 and should be able to take care of myself, but that's what I do everyday and it's nice to not have to sometimes. Just sit and relax and enjoy. At any rate, I was very glad to see my family.

Speaking of family, this was Christmas #2 with the "steps" (I would call them in-laws, but that totally doesn't apply). Once again, quite an interesting experience. My dad mentions every so often how Shawn and I are so much different than Carol's kids. I suppose that makes sense, considering that we grew up in different families and environments, and it's weird to see the two worlds "collide", as it were. Bascially Shawn and I are pretty laid-back compared to Carol's kids. Christmas with the steps is a very loud experience. There's considerably more alcohol involved than I'm typically used to as well (which I'm not complaining about). Carol claims to have seen me passed out with a bunch of empties lined up beside my bed one morning, and while yes, there were empties, I was anything but passed out. It was a good night's sleep!

Coming back after Christmas was anything but inspiring. Leaving everything that I just described to come back to a city I don't like that's always gray and rainy, to a job that is seeing it's busiest days of the year. Few friends, less family, just one great big vacuum, syphoning my will to live into non-existence. Ha ha, well, maybe that's a bit dramatic, but you get the point.

Apparently Matt was feeling the same way and has decided to move home because of it. This has left us in an interesting position with the band, as I've decided to stay. It wasn't an easy decision to make, but when all's told it seems I have a lot more of a future here than I would were I to move home.

Right now we're trying to figure out whether or not we should find a replacement or make a go of it as a three piece. I think we could probably pull it off just the three of us, and this prospect is kind of exciting because I think we can go pretty far. It's just a matter of figuring out how to make it all work. Should be an interesting year.

I suppose that's all I have to say or feel like saying right now. Thanks for reading, and hopefully I'll find the time to write in here again before March.

Oh yeah, one more thing - I haven't quite mastered the art of blogging, so I'm not sure how to reply directly to people's comments, so this will have to suffice for now. Thanks to everyone that does comment, and thanks for the heads-up Steph about the CFCR play. And for Deann's benefit, the band I'm in is called Bella. Thanks for checking out my blog and feel free to give us a listen at www.bellamusic.org.