New things! (part 1)

So except for a few revisions to old posts, I've been gone from this blog for the last…<checks calendar> well, way too long. And there are things that have happened since then! Good things, weird things, things that are deserving of explanation.


Category 1: Relationship Things

So with a few exceptions (my trip to Ohio at the start of last month, her grandparents' 50th anniversary at the start of this month), Roxanne and I have spent all or part of every weekend together. And I have absolutely no complaints, because we've been doing very relationship-building things like helping my friend Diana move. And cuddling on the couch to watch her Giants storm to their first World Series victory since 1954. And watching bluesmen tear it up in Fremont. And this!

Her first time carving a jack o' lantern, and she comes up with a pretty wicked Jack Skellington. Not bad for a newbie, eh? (I went with Pac-Man because yes, I really am that big of a nerd.)

Category 2: Family Things

Tomorrow is Thanksgiving here in the States, and early in the morning my mother and I will brave the clusterf**k that is Oakland International Airport in order to fly behind the Orange Curtain to spend the holiday and Black Friday with my grandma, uncle and two littlest cousins. Should be fun, right? Yeah, except for the fact that grandma is best in small doses and two days is pretty damn far from a small dose. Hopefully we won't be subjected to her driving, and I really wish I was joking about that. She is the living embodiment of every last stereotype you've ever heard about elderly drivers. Last year, during the holidays, I found myself with my palm all but welded to my face as we puttered down I-5 to my cousin Harrison's horseback riding lessons at a breathtaking 40 miles an hour, all while the freeway was practically empty for large stretches, except for the odd commuter who must've taken pity on my fellow passengers and me.
And she's just as wonderful out of the car. The last few years she's developed an incredible sensitivity to sound, so when she's a passenger in my car I can't have the radio above a whisper. It's a shame, really, because I could use the noise to drown out yet another story about how wonderful Lenny was and how he hated this/that/the other thing, or how depressed she is about being alone and having nothing to do unless she's on another cruise, or what a son of a bitch my grandpa back in Ohio is. (For the record, "Lenny" was my late step-grandfather Leon Jasmin, and he really was an awesome guy, which I shall expound upon in later installments; I'm just sick of her constantly dwelling on the past.)

There are a few more things, but right now I've got laundry to do and a bag to pack. I'll be back on the weekend, I promise.