hot thighs, eggnog & greeting cards
unfortunately, thanks to an approaching ice storm, after turning in my exam and running various errands, i had to vacuum my house, quickly pack my bags/suitcase, load up my car and hightail it out of dodge instead of staying for my friends' christmas party last night. it's a damn shame, too, b/c i'd been looking forward to their scary-strong, bourbon-laced eggnog. but i made it to my parents house where i'll be for a couple days before catching our flight out west for the holidays.
i got a really sweet hand-written x-mas card from ArchitectBoy a few days ago in the mail (in case you wondered, yes, we're friends and have remained in touch). i probably mentioned that he moved to Maryland in august. he seems to like his job, as there's always tons of urban planning projects in the greater DC/Baltimore area, with lots of assignments in Maryland. but i think (know) he found leaving here to be quite bittersweet, and he again stated as much in his card to me. speaking of cards�.
i used to LOVE writing x-mas cards each year, but this year it seems like a chore. i AM actually in a festive holiday mood. it's just that i'm way too tired and burned out from school to tackle them. maybe tomorrow will bring a change of heart and lift me from this post-exam coma. honestly, i struggle with how to handle cards every year nowadays. the majority of my friends (mostly married, some w/ kids) now send pre-stamped family photos or generic letters, which somehow makes me less inclined to send a genuine hand-written note in response, because, what is there to say? i�m guilty of trying letters once (last year), partly b/c i�d moved and had a big life transition, and i'd also lost touch w/ lots of people. so it was a good time and easy way to contact most of the friends in my address book. but i'm not converted to letters. my letter/photo-sending friends mean well, and as holiday letters go, some are amusing and written as well as that kind of letter can be. i love all of my friends, and it is nice to basically learn that they're alive when we might otherwise drift apart b/c our lives are so busy and maybe have diverged over the years. YET, what�s with my basic disdain for generic letters and photos?
at first, i thought maybe it�s b/c i�m still unmarried, but the more i think about it, the more i realized how powerful a force the way you were raised can be, and how much it can explain your worldview and the way you do things. growing up, my parents were always very proud of my sister�s and my accomplishments (we were high-achievers, big surprise, there!). BUT, mom & dad were�and are�very down-to-earth people. they always felt that it was a little bit too braggy and showy to do letters and pictures, and were always mindful that even among friends, human nature can play out, and not everyone wants to hear all about your vacations and the awards you won in the past year. my parents reasoned, �why give your friends a reason to feel jealous or uncomfortable around you, and why send precious pictures of your children to people who might not cherish and care for them or might eventually throw them in the trash?�? they were always acutely aware of, and sensitive to these kinds of things, and to this day, every December, they hand-write their stacks of cards, with a personalized note in each. part of that probably is deeply ingrained in me. but be sure to check back with me sometime in the future when i'm married with, like, two very talented children. ;-)
*PS, have you ever played Mah Jong? why didn�t i discover it until now?!!
