The UnChristmas Party

After all of my ambivalence, the UnChristmas/Anti-Christmas party turned out to be quite a bit of fun. Beforehand, there wasn't So much prep that I was involved with that I was overdone beforehand, (actually, the sibling, her friend and I went for a walk up Sleeping Giant for a chunk of the afternoon). And then people started showing up, and I was a bit hesitant, but it turned out well. doctor_nine's presence made me a lot more comfortable over all with the whole thing. And I tried some of the assorted alcoholic products my sister was putting together, and some of them actually tasted pretty pleasant, and it was much easier and more comfortable just sipping bits of those than doing the whole "I don't drink and I don't like alcohol and this is making me a little freaked out" thing. Some of the other folks got fairly drunk though- and I wasn't uncomfortable. It was a good time after all. And now I have a set of glass roses from the yankee swap. (Admittedly, they were family possessions before, but well- they's a bit tacky, but I rather like them. I don't have a vase large enough for them (I don't think I have a single vase, period, actually. But I'll find something that works, I guess.) The whole yankee swap concept is a funny one- it generates a lot of excitement and weird emotional stuff, and then somehow at the end, people swapped a little and ended up with things they found pleasant or at least reasonable for the most part afterwards.

Afterwards we watched part of the Keff video from 1999 as Steve was trying to learn/review Horati to possibly teach it somewhere, and then we watched a good chunk of it as nostalgia. It was fun, and everyone else was a lot more critical of many of the folks we saw as far as their interactions than I felt I had any reason to be. I enjoy dancing, and I think I may enjoy it more because I'm not involved in the politic-y stuff. On the other hand, I lack the connections that my sister has, and the assorted friends from here, there and everywhere. It's all a balance, I guess.

Oh yes, and Steve sent me a picture of Yoda dressed up at Santa, and it frightened me.

The UnChristmas Party

After all of my ambivalence, the UnChristmas/Anti-Christmas party turned out to be quite a bit of fun. Beforehand, there wasn't So much prep that I was involved with that I was overdone beforehand, (actually, the sibling, her friend and I went for a walk up Sleeping Giant for a chunk of the afternoon). And then people started showing up, and I was a bit hesitant, but it turned out well. doctor_nine's presence made me a lot more comfortable over all with the whole thing. And I tried some of the assorted alcoholic products my sister was putting together, and some of them actually tasted pretty pleasant, and it was much easier and more comfortable just sipping bits of those than doing the whole "I don't drink and I don't like alcohol and this is making me a little freaked out" thing. Some of the other folks got fairly drunk though- and I wasn't uncomfortable. It was a good time after all. And now I have a set of glass roses from the yankee swap. (Admittedly, they were family possessions before, but well- they's a bit tacky, but I rather like them. I don't have a vase large enough for them (I don't think I have a single vase, period, actually. But I'll find something that works, I guess.) The whole yankee swap concept is a funny one- it generates a lot of excitement and weird emotional stuff, and then somehow at the end, people swapped a little and ended up with things they found pleasant or at least reasonable for the most part afterwards.

Afterwards we watched part of the Keff video from 1999 as Steve was trying to learn/review Horati to possibly teach it somewhere, and then we watched a good chunk of it as nostalgia. It was fun, and everyone else was a lot more critical of many of the folks we saw as far as their interactions than I felt I had any reason to be. I enjoy dancing, and I think I may enjoy it more because I'm not involved in the politic-y stuff. On the other hand, I lack the connections that my sister has, and the assorted friends from here, there and everywhere. It's all a balance, I guess.

Oh yes, and Steve sent me a picture of Yoda dressed up at Santa, and it frightened me.

Realization Regarding A Piece of Fiction

I've been rereading Heinlein's The Number of the Beast, it being an old favorite, and I've been astounded by 2 things. The first is the clarity with which Heinlein's weird ambivalence about women as superbeings and as beings to be pampered and taken care of comes through, as well as his weird ideas of family dynamics. The second is the fact that Deety is supposed to be my age, 22, in the novel. (She is also supposed to have already earned a Ph.D. and done assorted other wonders. But still...) It's pretty strange. Not the first time I've reread a book and found that the main character is suddenly my age or younger when I had once thought that they were so adult, but it seems that every time it happens, it feels strange.

Realization Regarding A Piece of Fiction

I've been rereading Heinlein's The Number of the Beast, it being an old favorite, and I've been astounded by 2 things. The first is the clarity with which Heinlein's weird ambivalence about women as superbeings and as beings to be pampered and taken care of comes through, as well as his weird ideas of family dynamics. The second is the fact that Deety is supposed to be my age, 22, in the novel. (She is also supposed to have already earned a Ph.D. and done assorted other wonders. But still...) It's pretty strange. Not the first time I've reread a book and found that the main character is suddenly my age or younger when I had once thought that they were so adult, but it seems that every time it happens, it feels strange.