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Well, another holiday season has plowed through Educaitland, leaving me flattened, with tire tracks. Christmas break began with a delightful visit from Thjora, Corby, and the Bloo Eyed Devil, and a semi-conscious viewing of The Two Towers.I'm still not entirely sure which parts of the movie I dreamed...not the movie's fault, mind you. I was just really, really tired when I saw it. The Samurai and I put some miles on the Space Van, driving to the Florida panhandle to see the Samurai's pilot brother and his adorable family. Most surreal moment: driving through Eufaula, AL, at midnight, and seeing no less than twelve cop cars and at least as many policemen with guns drawn in four blocks. Educait was alarmed! No, none of the cops were after me; turns out quaint, charming little Victorian Eufaula has a bit of an oxycontin problem. Florida was nice; spent lots of cuddly time with niece and nephews, and visited with Cud'n Jimmy and Cud'n Mike, both scions of my late mother-in-law's family. Large, booming, folksy fellahs, but fun. Best story was Mike's tale of testicular torsion, incurred in a fall from a stationary bike. Nothing beats hearing all about your husband's cousin's "sugarplums" for holiday cheer! We followed the Samurai's dad, the Preacher, up to Mi'sippi after Christmas, for deer huntin' fun. Well, the guys had fun; Educait watched bad TV, read, shopped at WalMart, browsed lots of cool antique stores, and got propositioned by drunken Mullet Men. Lemme tellya, there are parts of the South where it's still 1984, and the Preacher lives in one of 'em. Took lots of cool photos of Preacher's beautiful old neighborhood, sidestepping beer bottles, used condoms, and deer legs along the road. More surrealism: eating TWO meals at the 82/55, a greasy spoon at a highway intersection (hence the name). They served farm-raised quail, "chicken on a stick," and a "seafood platter" consisting of fried catfish fillets, fried oysters, and three pairs of frog legs. I ordered breakfast, both times. It's safer that way. We came home just in time to go to a New Year's Eve party given by one of the Samurai's colleagues, a cool geek named (what else?) Mike, at which I was pronounced "well-preserved for forty" by a very drunk twenty-year-old. Grrrr. Spent New Year's Day with my sweet brother Raj, his amazing wife Kim (the best cook in our family, hands down), Blackbear, and Alex, the Cutest Nephew in the World. Oh, and I also got my latest coating of dog spit from Sarah the Wonder Moose. Gotta love the chocolate doggie! More on our stoopid two-day school week later! On the Headbone Radio:the new Beck album, Sea Change, perhaps the most depressing thing ever recorded by a living human. I can't wait for: Abhorsen by Garth Nix, the final book in the Sabriel trilogy, due Jan. 7! |
 
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Tales of Southern Climes