home coming

I spent this last weekend in California; attending a 50th birthday party for one of my cousins. Since it was held at my parents' place and my birthday is - ack - in a day, they did a lot of celebrating for all involved.

Now this is my Dad's side of the family - definitely the more crazy of the two sides. Which is why I like them so much. Even though they all claim I'm not related to them because I'm tall and thin - while they are short and stocky - they still have the ability to remind me why family rocks.

1) They can drink like fishes, or at least they used to. Being of Scottish decent, we have no choice but to drink. But unfortunately, they ended up letting the drinking get the better of them and now more than half are in AA. Sigh.

2) They are natural comedians. This is where I get the bulk of my sense of humor. I've never met such a group of wise guys and smart asses in my life. And I've hung out backstage at comedy clubs!

3) They are mostly liberal and opinionated. I'm used to hearing the conservative side from the curmudgeons at work that blast Fox news and talk about their church functions. It's refreshing to hear educated people talk smack about the right-wingers.

4) They like to eat. A lot.

5) Half are homosexual. I can live any of my burgeoning alternative lifestyles vicariously through them if need be.

6) They're huggers. There is just something to be said about people who gotta hug. It's warm. It's cuddly. It's nice.

I had a great time seeing them all and I hope we can get together again soon. I even got an idea for a story out of it, but I'll save that for next time.

grand total: 55080

Quote of the Day: The difference between the right word and the almost right word is the difference between lightning and a lightning bug. ~Mark Twain