Back to the AM

Hey Steve:

Great post below. I was laughing out loud at the description of the cookies and their effect on your digestive system. I was laughing out loud at the blown budget and all the rest of it. Yes, I know how that goes. I know it all.

Holidays. Well, my mother, who had been scheduled to come down and visit us, just backed out and is not coming after all. Less than 24 hours before her scheduled flight, she called and said that the last time we talked (when I was only trying to confirm how many reservations to get for a Christmas brunch) I'd hurt her feelings with my brusque and stressed phone-manner. Hurt her feelings to such a degree that she wasn't coming any more.

Who the fuck does that? This is like the third time she's canceled a trip to come and see us in the last two years. Who the fuck backs out of a Christmas trip at the last fucking second? I'm not so much angry for myself; I'm angry for my little son, who is only 14 months but is cute as can be, and who doesn't really have a relationship w/his paternal grandmother (kind of hard when she keeps backing out).

And how exactly is it my fault? What, I'm not allowed to be stressed? Isn't that the point of the holidays? I mean, motherfucker, are you telling me that my family won't see me unless I've been purged of all frustration, doubt, and acrimony toward my family? If that's the case, we might as well just call it a day and save ourselves the trouble of planning for all of the Christmases in the future.

Well, maybe that's God doing for me, etc. Maybe that's the way to look at this. Because now we're home, just me and the wife and the family, for Christmas.

BTW, our budget is blown too. Has been blown. Won't un-blow for months. Fucking Christmas!