Bling Bling in the ATL

Last minute, decided to surprise my mom at christmas. Hopped on a plane, hitched a ride to her house and hid under the christmas tree with a bow on my head. The cat thought it was a great game, mom was genuinely surprised.

I'd been all worried about going because my moms nutty sister and her marine husband were in from Okinawa, with the two girls they adopted - one from China and one from Samoa. And my dad wasn't invited, and my mom and her boyfriend have split up but are still living together. Recipe for a christmas to avoid.

But it actually just all turned out great. My dad did show, and he and my forever-absent brother got my sister got a G4 ibook, which I'm wifng from right now, and she cried. It was like seeing tiny tim get new crutches, or however that story pans out. She's perpetually poor, and all her gifts were homemade hot sauce that she made with her hippy boyfriend at hippy school. I wish I'd had the balls to ask her if they were 'magic' during present opening time, but oh well. Gave my brother a guitar and spent the afternoon teaching basic music theory, chords and such. The babies were adorable - both 15 months old girls with pigtails making crazy noises over dinner. Fun.

Anyways, I've been thinking of Christmas as an ancient anglo harvest fest, and I quite like it that way. It takes the pressure off gift giving. Its a time to celebrate whatever you've accumulated over the year. If its not much, someone else will have made something, and you can celebrate with them. Not bad. NPR did a special on 'wassails' - part carolers, part trick-or-treat-ers who demanded beer and wine and figgy pudding from all the lords in the neighborhood at the end of the year. I like.

Not sure what MadTV/Fox thinks Christmas is all about. They did a series of increasingly gross skits last night. There was a skit panning Michael Moore as a hollywood elite liberal who ruins christmas for children. Then 'Woody Allen' saying he liked his women like his Matzoh - yellow and flat. When they moved on to a rap artist, I switched the channel so who knows - maybe it was good. Those people. Make me sick.

Earthquake, Tsunami in south east asia. The boy is in Vietnam, still, wrong coast, but I did worry til I looked at the maps. He still hasn't written, and I wonder if he will. Make me sad if he didn't, but... I wouldn't be shocked. Things have been that topsy turvey.

Offered to be bumped off my flight this AM, and got 400 Delta dollars and an extra day in Boston out of it. Its incredibly dark here, snow, charcoal sky, charcoal trees, charcoal earth. The sunset is the grimmest thing you ever saw... just a little splash of pale gray on the horizon. I could use my delta dollars to come up here a few times over the next year, or I could visit my friend in France, or see her when she gets back to Greece, or hitch along with Cousin 007 when he journeys down South in the spring, or put it towards my Samoa trip. What should I do?

- ATLBB