New Year, New Stuff

So 2007 has arrived. And all the way from China, so has my couch!




After hearing horror stories of thirty to forty percent of furniture arriving damaged, I vowed I would remain patient and not get my hopes up. The sectional arrived just before Christmas on the slow boat from China and remarkably, it is beautiful, well made, and does not have a scratch on it. So Santa came a little early to San Leandro this year. Not having a couch for six months certainly makes me appreciate my couch all the more. I still have a lot to do in the loft, bookshelves and getting things sorted out are high on the list. It is starting to come together though, piece by piece.

The holidays always bring forth reflection on family. Who is in your family? Where are you going for the holidays? Are you going to be alone on Christmas? For the gays, this is always kind of a strange topic because we form families of good friends and people that support us. We don't biologically reproduce and deal with all of the traditions and headaches of hiding gifts from the kids, having to get everything ready, keeping the idea of Santa Claus alive for the little ones. My nieces and nephews (who are old enough to know a con when they see it) confronted my sister and her husband this year about who really leaves the presents under the tree. My sister sent an e-mail to us relating the story. It was pretty funny. I was raised as a part of this big, white Catholic family and I was always told that I would have a wife and kids of my own one day. Now, at 33 years old, I realize that I likely will not have children and I do not see myself having a wife (Lord help us all)! So the holidays always bring forth conflicting feelings when I speak with my family because everything they are discussing is family related and they speak to me with a sense of pity. "Well, don't you wish you were going to be here with us over Christmas? Don't you have anyplace to go?" I can answer both questions quickly. 1. Do I wish to fly from a non-snowy environment to a snow engulfed mountain cabin where my cell phone does not work and 30 family members are crowded into a 3 bedroom house where I would be sleeping on an air mattress? Hmm... Tough one, but no. 2. As a matter of fact, on Christmas Eve, I had a lovely dinner with friends. On Christmas Day, I slept in until 2:30 PM, watched a couple of movies, and then headed to work where I made double time and a half for working Christmas. Yeah, I did have someplace to go. All the way to the bank. As I have mentioned before, I love my family very much -- in limited doses.

So I am very much looking forward to the coming year. I have made a good list of achievable resolutions, I started making plans for some exciting trips later on this year, I recently got fitted for some Invisalign braces to straighten out my teeth before I turn into Ugly Betty, and I have been immensely enjoying my work lately. I am very busy, but I am starting to see the fruits of my hard labor. I transition into working overnights in a few weeks, so this will present some new and interesting challenges as well as some new co-workers. I am working with a great shift of people currently though, so I will miss cutting it up with them everyday.

I hope you all survived the holidays in peace. Cuidate.