It's Christmas Time

Tonight the gang and I went up to Nashua, NH for their holiday stroll and Christmas Tree lighting. The temp today was once again in the high 50s to low 60s, so mild that it doesn't quite feel like Christmas time to me (but then again this is coming from a gal who grew up in San Diego and spent many Christmases in shorts riding her bike in 70° weather). They closed of Main Street and had food vendors and stages lined up. We started and City Hall where the stroll started, but instead of waiting for the procession, we walked down the street, popped into a pub for some drinks before checking out the Hunt building that was reopening tonight (we know the architecture who redid the building). The tree was tiny compared to the one in Boston and NYC, but it's a real tree (planted in the ground). When we came out of the bar, the procession to the tree lighting had already started and there were so many people. So we stopped in and ate some appetizers at another place and had some more beers. [I swear, marathon drinking is so much easier than binge (sprint) drinking! But I totally feel like I need to detox after this weekend!] So, we missed the tree lighting (but we did see it before and after they lit it) and we did hear some music but didn't not walk with our candles lit singing carols. It did make me wish that I had a special someone in my lift to share this with, I feel like this time of year is so hard being single b/c I always imagine that being a couple this time of year is so romantic.

I have to admit, I think I might be attracted to the manly men, even if they are red necks who hold blue collar jobs. Of course, my world and their world aren't on the same plane, but I feel more comfortable and at home with them than I do the city boys. I can drink drink drink and not care if my stomach is fat or if I'm wearing a hoodie and jeans with tennis shoes bc they don't care. Man, I think this year may be a tough Christmas for me to get through. My first Christmastime in Boston sucked b/c of a Masshole. My second Christmastime was rough b/c I was reminded of how sucky my first Christmastime was. And this year, I'm done looking at the past, but can't help to think this year's gonna suck b.c I'm still single AND my best friends have left me for the South. We will see how it goes, maybe it will be fine with all the things I have to do in the next month. So happy holidays everyone and enjoy the season.

Relationships

You know that person who makes you smile? The one who doesn't have to say something funny to get you to crack a smile? The one who shares a secret with you? The one you think about when a certain song comes on? I'm sure you do. We all have people in our lives whom we love and care for. We're all part of relationships, whether we define them as such or not. I have the mother/daughter, father/daughter, sister/sister relationship. My relationship with family friends. Then there's the doctor/patient relationships, the professional relationships and then there's the friendships. I always think about relationships this time of year. A Google search for "relationships" comes up in .15 seconds with 510,000,000 results. Relationship definition on Google:

re·la·tion·ship (n)

The way in which two or more concepts, objects, or people are connected, or the state of being connected


The state of being connected by blood or marriage


The way in which two or more people or organizations regard and behave toward each other


An emotional and sexual association between two people

Relationships are not easy, but we all have them. The closer we are to people and the more we let them in, the more we seem to hurt. I know I take things out on those who are closest to me. I also become more vulnerable after letting people in. I'm known for wearing my heart on my sleeve and caring way too soon for people. This time of year I seem to always get hurt. Whether it's from fighting with family, losing a good friend or a breakup or major fight with a significant other. A time of joy and love has for many years been shadowed by the heartaches and trying times. Sometimes I wonder if relationships are worth it? Would I be better off limiting my relationships to just my inner circle? I know as a Communications major, humans need human contact, but I could think of a few experiments to do if I were still in school that would test some human contact theories of my own.

Anyway, what got me thinking about relationships? Besides the family dramas happening around me? Waking up at family friends house with a 22 year old son who brought a girl home and spent the night on Thanksgiving Eve only to go pick up a second girl to bring to Thanksgiving dinner. That boy, who I used to babysit, is such an asshole. I dislike guys like him and hope that I'm never like either one of those girls he brought home.

Thanksgiving

[Photo of the DVD/Blu-Rays/Video Game bins at Walmart at 10:15pm in Amherst, NH]

Took the T into Belmont, MA on Wednesday after work and rode with my friend up to Groton, MA for Thanksgiving. This is my third Thanksgiving in MA and I am so thankful for having family friends to spend it with, they really are family. I've been drinking nonstop since I got up here Wednesday night. Wine, beer, pumpkin pie cocktail, hard cider, mimosas, more wine, Cosmos (made with a cranberry wine), more wine. We watched the Bruins game Wednesday night at the local bar where I hung out with Townies. Total rednecks up here, I often forget that I'm in the North East b/c it reminds me of Small Town, TX. Everyone knows everyone and people don't seem to leave. I love it up here though.

We started Thanksgiving morning off with some breakfast, I got to see the start of the Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade (something that is a tradition for me, I still remember seeing it in person many many years ago). We took a 4.16 mile walk before coming back to peel potatoes and have mimosas. The turkey smelled so good, it not only made my mouth water but my teeth started to aches, like my mouth wanted some delicious, juicy turkey to chew on. I've been a vegetarian for 7 years now and this was the first year I nearly ate a piece, but in the end, I resist [I guess I do have some self control when I comes to dead meat]. I had plenty to eat: mashed potatoes, sweet potatoes, cranberry sauce, stuffing, corn on the cob, broccoli and carrots, wine and my favorite Thanksgiving, Christmas, Easter dinner item: crescent rolls!

We ate around 3ish and waited for the inlaws to come over for dessert. [Of course, the football games were one the TV so while some napped, others watched the Cowboy's game.] We had apple crisp w/ vanilla bean ice cream (oh so good!), variety pack cheesecake, pumpkin pie, cherry pie and this chocolate cream pie. I had a few helpings of the apple crisp with ice cream, a slice of cherry and a half a slice of Belgian chocolate cheese cake. I think I had 3 glasses of the Cosmo cocktail (cranberry wine, triple sec, sugar and lime juice) not to mention the glasses of yummy Trader Joe's Chilean Reserve Merlot [totally need to check if my TJs carries this $3.99 bottle]. I scouted out the sales for Black Thursday Night/Friday and there really aren't that great of deals this year. But, rode with Phil to Walmart at 9pm and it was insane with all the lines in certain areas of the stores for those waiting until midnight for the electronics sales.

I love Walmart and since I don't have one in the city to go to, I did some shopping while the clock ticked (since the deals didn't start until 10pm). I didn't get the 600 thread count sheet set b/c people got into those before 10pm, but I got a crock pot [but ended up returning later today after scoring a better one at Kohls for the same price]. Phil wanted to get some Blu-Rays and DVDs and man was THAT insane. I couldn't deal with it, so I just watched. They had cops standing by in front of me watching the crowd, so I felt safe. Phil was worse than me, he has never done a Black Friday, and he bought over $100 worth of movies and some other baking/storage containers because "everyone was buying them so they must have been a good deal". LOL.

We got back to the house at 11:30 and it was so clear out I stopped to look at all the stars before bringing the goods inside. I do miss star gazing and there were so many stars out last night, if I had warmer clothes [and weren't going shopping this morning] I may have stayed out to play the constellation game. But, I went to bed and got up at 7:30, ate breakfast and headed out for 8 hours of shopping. Bought a lot of games [2 of them being drinking games]/entertaining/home stuff, some heeled tall boots, clothes, the babies Christmas presents. I hit 11 stores in all: Christmas Tree Shops, Kohls, Target, Walmart, JCP, Bath and Body Works, Victoria's Secret, Modell's, Jo-Ann's Fabric, Dollar Store, and Costco. I got home at 4:30 and after going more than 8 hours without eating and only drinking a little water, I ate a smorgasbord of food and drank some water and soda before having 2 glasses of TJ's Merlot. It was nice driving around and shopping and I enjoyed listening to the radio.

I feel like I'm coming down with a cold. Started with itchy eyes, sinus aches and a sore throat, now I'm having chest problems and that freakin deep cough and losing my voice. I totally need to take better care of myself. This week's lost sleep bank is pretty full, looking forward to sleeping in tomorrow before we go running around First Night in Nashua, then back to the city for me tomorrow night.

If you're reading this, I hope you had a wonderful Thanksgiving and took time to reflect on what you're thankful for. I'm thankful for you [b/c if you're reading this you're someone I consider a dear friend]. I'm thankful for having family around the US and even though I wasn't able to spend the day with them, we were able to communicate. I'm thankful for the family friends I have in Groton; I wouldn't be in MA if it wasn't for them. I'm thankful for the fact that alcoholism does not run in the family [I've managed to marathon drink as opposed to sprint drinking and getting drunk/hungover this holiday weekend]. I'm thankful for having shelter and an abundance of food to stuff my face [which ends stuffing my stomach, ass and thighs]. I'm thankful for being employed and able to partake in this crazy Black Thursday/Friday madness that I do more so b/c by now it's tradition, but also b/c I love not paying taxes [and am quite thankful for the opportunity to borrow a car and drive to NH to shop tax free] and of course, I'm thankful for all the great deals I scored. Now it's time to bring out that tree, deck the halls, bake those cookies and enjoy this festive time of year.

11/11/11 Veteran's Day

Today I was up earlier than I wanted to. The wind was howling and leaves were flying everywhere. I walked over 1.5 miles today to the Metro station closest to me, to save me $1.70 for a bus ride to the station. But, by walking, I was able to stop by the Air Force Memorial and got to see some old AF pilots in their leather jackets as they waited for a ceremony to start. I walked down the hill and debated if I should walk through Arlington National Cemetery. Instead, I opted to continue my way down to Pentagon Row to walk through some shops and get brunch. Instead of a crepe place, I opted for Noodles & Co. [one of my favorite restaurants from back home, that we don't have in Boston- ordered the usual, Mac & Cheese with tofu and broccoli...delicious!] before walking through the 5 story mall, passed the Metro station [so I knew where it was] and went to Costco. I was hoping to get some eye drops there, but they didn't have what I needed, my eyes are so itchy and red from unknown allergies. Sigh.


I took the Metro to Alexandria to meet friends I met over 7 years ago, when I started babysitting for military wives back in O'side. I hadn't seen them in a few years and was so happy to spend the afternoon with them. I've been to Alexandria before. A few years ago I flew to BWI, stayed with an old classmate and took the train into Alexandria for an interview. I never got the job which would have been working at a resort for service men and women in Germany, apparently I was over qualified to do room service or bus tables. It was on that trip that I found a place with my name, Lorien. It's a hotel and spa and ever since then I've been curious about how they say "Lorien". I did not go in today to find out, but hope to stop in tomorrow and see, maybe get a discount or something as well :) Of course, I could have easily picked up the phone anytime over the last 3 years and called them up to see how they say the name.


It was super windy today. The temp was 61° but the wind was so cold, the temp felt like it was in the low 40s, it just cut through my jeans and sweatshirt. My friends husband was still in his green marine uniform from earlier festivities [can I call Veteran's Day events festivities, that kind of sounds wrong?] and walking along the streets many older folks thanked him for his service. It's interesting and he even said it, but most of those who said thank you were probably veteran's themselves, as they all seemed to be around the same age.

We were hoping to have lunch at one of my friends favorite restaurants, Restaurant Eve, but they were crowded and we didn't have time to wait that long, especially with a 11 month old. Apparently a really good restaurant with great lunch deals. So, instead, we went to La Madeleine. Food served somewhat cafeteria styled, and I got something similar to crepes and a vanilla latte. Afterwards, we braved the cold and walked around, stopping at the Torpedo Factory Art Center which used to be a torpedo factory that got turned into an artist studios, galleries and workshops.


Having a few hours to kill before making my way back to Arlington, I went back to their house where I got to see their homemade wine cellar and their collection of wines. We did have a red. I don't know which kind it was, but it was good. They are serious about their wines. Serving at the right temperature, pouring it into a decanter first before pouring it into the stemless wine glasses. After pouring use wine, the husband left a to pick up the kids from school. Their eldest daughter, now 11, remembered me. Their son, 6, didn't but warmed up to me immediately. We ended up playing Hungry Hippos before I had to leave. I will have to come back and visit them before next summer when they are expected to be reassigned to different base.

In sad news, I learned that the military wife that introduced me to this family has stage 4 cancer. She has two boys whom I also babysat back in the day, her oldest now in college! [Man, talk about feeling old].

Then it was time to hop on the Metro.

The Metro is more comfortable than the T. I sat on padded seats and it wasn't nearly as crowded as the Boston trains. However, my card didn't work when exiting the Metro stations, which is weird. You have to use your ticket to get into the station and then when you get to your destination, you have to use that same card to get out of the station. So, I have no idea how much money is still on my card or why I couldn't get out of the station. Oh well.

Dinner time was Thai food. We walked up to a Thai place not to far from the apartment and I had super spicy Green Curry Jae and a mango mojito. Yummy. Totally felt the buzz from the 2 glasses of wine and the mojito b/c I had a red moment upon leaving Thai Square Restaurant. There was a metal country shape on the wall and I was like [to myself thank goodness] why is there a piece of art the shape of Thailand, hanging on the wall? Oy vey! Duh! On our way home we stopped at the grocery store to get some Riesling and a very chocolaty cake for dessert. Which we had while watching Desk Set which was my first Katharine Hepburn movie. I totally like Katharine over Audrey.

Goes to DC

In my adult life, I've been to DC/VA twice in the past 3 years. I'm thankful to have friends who at the time lived in Baltimore and Quantico and were able to show me around. Today, I flew into Ronald Regan Washington National Airport on a rainy evening to meet one of my friends from Boston who moved to Arlington earlier this year. And of course, after the pat down at the airport [b/c I refuse to go through the body scanners] I learn that my flight is delayed. Of course it is! It seems that something would have to be very wrong for me to book a flight that actually departs on time. We finally leave about an hour late, so now instead of getting into DC around 8:30, I'm getting in at 9:30. I was in row 7, window seat on the side of the plane I seem to always sit in and had forgotten the whole "board the aircraft from the rear" rule. So, by the time I got on, there was hardly any room in the overhead bins for my suitcase. I HATE that people who sit in the back put their suitcases in the front of the aircraft b/c when we landed, I had to wait and walk back 10 rows to the overhead bin my suitcase was in. People, flying courtesy tip: store your suitcase ABOVE your own row.

The flight was rather bumpy and I can't help but think I'm flying on US Airways. The same airline that I nearly fell from the sky on a small plane flying from BOS to Rochester, NY 3 summers ago. The same airline Sully worked for, who successfully landed his plane on the Hudson. The same airline who has crashed in Buffalo, NY. So, yes, I made some prayers over and over again and gripped whatever I could which was my full glass of soda I just got [as if that would help us prevent crashing to our death in turbulence]. Very bumpy, but we landed safely. I got to see DC at night, which was cool.

My friend picked me up and we went to her apartment, which is a quick drive. We passed Arlington Cemetery and she lives practically down the street from the Air Force Memorial. I met her roommate who works at the pentagon and the 3 of us had hot cider spiked with spice rum and snickerdoodles.

Oh and let me say this. My friends apartment, is like, a real apartment. And what I mean by that is it's the type I'm familiar with, reminded me of San Diego. No security doors, kind of reminds me of resort, many units but not boxy. Inside the apartments are CARPETED!!! Have central heat [although at the moment my friend's heat doesn't work], have normal sliding door closets (mirrored), are not narrow and long, but big and spacious. Oh, and the front door is like a house door, so it doesn't lock behind you, therefore really preventing you from accidentally locking yourself out :)