plonq | Parting ways

atara and I have split up; she's flying home today, and I'm heading off to Vancouver for the next three days. I am torn between looking forward to spending a few days in Vancouver, and regretting that I did not just call this the end of my vacation and fly home with her.

Christmas with my family went well. We had 22 people in the house for Christmas dinner, and we managed to get through it all without fighting once. I guess the only lowlight of the trip was that Mom invited our pariah cousin over for dinner.; His mother (my aunt, obviously) recently died, and he was alone and mourning. I am glad that she invited him, and he was very grateful for it, but at the same time we were all reminded of why we have generally avoided contact with him for years.

This was the first time that many of the extended family have ever met this cousin, and I wondered how they would react to it. The moment he was out the door at the end of the evening, all the family knives came out. I feel bad for my cousin because I can't imagine how it must feel going through life knowing you leave a bad impression everywhere you go.