I think this room brings long posts from me.

Sheesh, parents. You go get milk one day, next you know they've sent you for everything else on your list, to a crowded grocery store on Christmas Eve. Also, the neighbor/family Christmas Eve party has theoretically started, so eventually I'm going to get stuffed into something "festive" (if there's any way I absolutely hate to look, it's festive; I'd even take respectable over that), dragged through the snow, and sat down in self-imposed intellectual isolation.

There's one familiar face I've seen in my trips. I ran into her at the grocery store, and stayed chatting a bit to distract her from work. We'd been in the same homeroom my senior year, even though she was a class later, after my homeroom teacher moved and they had to stuff two classes together for a year. She'd dated the occasional theatre bum, so we were decent enough friends. Yesterday I found out she'd ended up pregnant, and now she's supporting her nine-month-old child. She seemed healthy enough; a bit pale, but she always has been. I saw her again today, and in the interest of getting in touch with a wide variety of people (wider than usual, anyway) got her to agree to coffee on Monday, after she's off work. So, I'll find out more about how the area's gone then.

My brother gets home tonight, for just a short visit, and he's bringing his girlfriend. He's managing to miss the Chirstmas Eve party, but since the host's daughter just got engaged, I can only imagine how much they'd be badgering him about it being his turn next. He's only around for a few days, then off to gods-know-where.

Anyway. I have a half hour to desensitize myself to festiveness.

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