Cardiff-Lake District-Scotland

Hello from the freezing (except for those in the Midwest I presume) cold part of the world. I spent a nice Christmas down in Wales, then headed up to the Lakes for a couple of nights and now I'm in Scotland and will be for New Years. I spend most of my days eating and the rest of the time in a post-food coma, hence a vicious cycle of getting progressively fat.

Between Birmingham and now, I realised one thing that I had completely forgotten during my end-of-semester reminiscing and should have figured out after this summer in Colorado: being the only person under 50 for the better part of a 2.5 week holiday can really, really, epically, suck.

Much as I love my family and family friends, between the several maternal (and the odd paternal) figures discussing and advising about life, love, marriage, and looking after your parents when you and they get older, I'm starting to go batshit insane. Taking any advice from the parents has also become several degrees more difficult with each year; yes I know I can put on my hat if my ears are cold, yes I do have a hat, no I don't think I need it right now, yes I will eventually give you pocket money, but not until I can look after MYSELF first. Of course I'm the good daughter, mainly because I don't cause trouble, because I just shut up and sit there awkwardly instead of snapping back and then feeling guilty afterwards.
(I'm fairly sure my parents aren't as overbearing as most, I just have a pretty short fuse sometimes.)

Sigh. Filial piety clashing with desire for more independence.

Scarborough Fair

Actually the weather's pretty shitty right now and all the parsley, sage, rosemary and thyme have turned into mud or are going to be used in the Christmas dinner.

I'll only stay a night here before picking up a friend from Durham and then heading back to Birmingham. Then on to Wales for Christmas!

I am still severely jetlagged, which really really sucks, and the tendency to sleep in moving cars is not helping either.

London

I hopefully will post entries during these next couple of weeks wherever I can get Internet.

Right now I'm in London, and will be heading up to Birmingham in the afternoon to stay with friends. All I can say is that I am super happy that finals are OVER and I can get around to eating and enjoying Christmas. Also, the parents got here this morning so that's even better.

I can also stop worrying about band now that I won't be going back for the Rose Bowl. I will however send the obligatory game day text/call if I can, and if I can't catch it on TV (they don't seem to have ESPN much) I'll track it online or something.

It turns out finals and papers stressed me out so much I forgot to pay my last phone bill (and I'm usually pretty diligent even without auto-pay) . And today I made up for it by double-paying by mistake. =P

Time to go get pub grub.

Back to old Blighty and the Land of Leeks

Yes, here's the treat: 2 posts in 1 day after not posting for a couple of weeks.

I might as well say it right here: I'm still on the fence about coming back for the Rose Bowl. This is mainly due to whatever flight's available and what exactly is going on in the first couple of days.

But there's also another factor: I'm going back to England/Wales for Christmas for the first time in 15 years. That's a hell of a long time for anyone, even more so when you're 19.

I can't wait to have a white Christmas again. Though I'm sure after spending a few days in soggy slushy London I'm going to be hating the snow as I stumble along in probably poorly inadequate clothing.

I can't wait to see my newest cousin.

I miss my grandad a lot. Nuff said.

I don't know when I'm seeing my parents again.

We're roadtripping around the country so I get to see some of my friends studying/living in England. It's been a while since I got to hang out with the girls I call sisters from pre-birth.

So in all fairness, if I can't make it back for Pasadena, I'm not going to be that sorry.

To what extent?

When does it stop being tradition and start becoming masochism? Or are the two inevitably entwined?

I refer, of course, to 18 hours of work/projects/band parties followed by 2 hours of sleep followed by another 15 hours of band related stuff.

Add a morning rugby game the next day and a band banquet and voila, instant zombie.

(Not kidding too much about the zombie part, my neck and shoulders feel like they've gone into rigor mortis from the scrums.)