First the Lights, Then the Collar Goes Up, and the Wind Begins to Blow

Back, after an hour's delay last night and a long trek from the train with bags grown heavier with gifts. The weather, here and in the Twin Cities, is more late-February than year's end; I'd enjoy it more if I didn't know we were in for a cold slap sooner or later.

This time of the holidays is always tinged with a bit of loneliness; as I told Eddie the Beagle that he was in charge of my parents' house once more, I felt as though I was always leaving home, never staying long enough. Home is here now, it's true--still, the office is nearly empty, people are traveling, everything feels adrift. It's the Christmas hangover. New Year's is coming, but it's never been a favorite holiday of mine. In many ways it's the loneliest holiday there is; the parties almost always feel forced to me (as so many parties do), the crowds desperate for exuberance. But perhaps that's just cynicism brought on by bartending on one too many New Year's Eve's.

Lest you think I am determined to undermine your holiday cheer, I hasten to add that this is still, in many ways, my favorite time of year. The giving is nice--I like it even better than the receiving--but it's the coming together that matters most. I'm glad I have a home to go back to, and parents and siblings and dogs who welcome me. I'm glad to have smart and talented and witty friends, near and far, who make every day better. I'm glad to have had some success at this thing I love doing, and I'm glad at the prospect of still more success. There are plenty of things I'm not very happy about, but for now I'm going to put all that aside. What I hope for us all is that the future is better than the past has been. And with that said, enough mushy stuff and on to the memes.