Friday, November 29, 2013

Just Like On The T.V.

Have any of you ever seen that show "Parenthood?" You know, the one based in Berkeley where a beautiful, interesting, and intelligent 3-generation family lives, learns, laughs, and loves together? Well, that was literally my Thanksgiving. Except, do you remember that uncomfortable-looking weirdo who just sits in the corner and shifts every once in a while to indicate that she's still alive while everyone around her laughs uproariously about shared memories of the past? Oh, right. That character doesn't exist. And there's a REASON that character doesn't exist: that character is a wet towel. She's lame, yo.

I think you know where this is going. This Thanksgiving, I was that wet towel.

This may not need clarification, but my Thanksgiving plans didn't actually include crashing someone else's dinner. I was supposed to spend Thanksgiving with my grandparents. I won't go into details because it can pretty much be summed up by "poor health ruins everything," but when I walked into my grandparents' kitchen after a 9-hour trek from Eugene, my grandma very eagerly informed me that I would be "spending Thanksgiving with the _____ family this year!" I think she thought her peppy tone would confuse me into being excited about it. In her defense, it almost worked. But then I paused to take it in.

Excuse me? The _____ family? Who are these people? Oh, twenty generations ago so-and-so's brother adopted a son whose birth cousin got divorced and then married the milkman's stepdad, who happened to have the same surname as your great grand half-mammy? I'm glowing with family closeness right now.

Joking aside, it really wasn't that bad. But I had only met one of the attendees before, and that was when I was 8. The only shared memory we had to reminisce about was "Weren't you the sibling that read a lot?" Dinner was uncomfortable, certainly, but I survived. Shit happens, and they were very kind to take me in.

So that pretty much sums up what I've been up to, right? Oh. No? You guys are a tough crowd. Here are some pictures of California to placate you, along with a promise to write more in the (hopefully not-too-distant) future.

From a hike on (around?) Mount Diablo this afternoon.



View from I-5. Not too shabby for a highway, eh? 

Shasta, you looker, you. I want your snow.

Everybody loves goats. At the Lafayette Reservoir.

Don't ask me what that is, because I don't know.


This post brought to you by the RWH clan, Professor Amy and Coach Holly.

6 comments:

  1. Jean-O! I've missed you! Looks like we bother were the wet blankets of Thanksgiving. My in-laws decided that NO alcohol should be served on Thanksgiving to prevent my mother in law from drinking too much. So I had to endure a holiday with family...completely sober. Do you know how HARD that is? I thought I was going to have to run to the corner store and down a 40 ounce just to make it to dessert.

    I'm sorry your day was a bust, but 'tis the season for awkward family encounters! Was there pie, at least? I hope there was pie otherwise your day really sucked.

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    1. So nice to "see" you again!! I feel your pain - I had to endure Thanksgiving with strangers AND sober (had to drive back to where I was staying). The worst. But yes, there was a ridiculous amount of pie so all was well.

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  2. Good to see you, Jeano! That would be an incredibly awkward Thanksgiving dinner. I am glad you survived to tell the tale. Mount Diablo and the mountain goat pictures are my favorites :) You have placated me, for now.

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    1. Thanks, Meagan! The goats were awesome - I still have NO idea what they were doing there. Eating the poison oak? My grandparents had never heard of goats being there in the 60+ years they've lived nearby.

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  3. YAY!!!! So glad you are back, but sad to hear about awkward family encounters after long drives to see the family. I love my rule of not going out of my way to make TG plans because it is never really worth it and someone is always making a TG dinner that I can crash that night. Yep, I have been to some interesting ones in my time in CO. I can only imagine how beautiful your drive was; I love Northern CA so, so much. Please come back soon with new tales of grad school!

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    1. Honestly, my favorite Thanksgivings have all been spent with friends. I'm not sure what that says about my family, but having a bunch of random people come together and make whatever they want usually makes for a good time. But whatever, it was still nice to see my grandparents!

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