1000th Entry!
So, rather than rant and rave in Storyfan's comments, lol, I figured I'd talk about my family's version of Christmas here. And wish that we could cut out the crap like Story does :P
This year will be spent with my father (divorced parents, you know how it is) and we'll be having Christmas Eve dinner at his place, rather than at his mother's, for the first time in my entire life. That used to be the absolute highlight of Christmas for me...But my grandmother's health and memory are deteriorating (we think it's either dementia or Alzheimer's) and everything will be different...The food will be different (no more Czech dumplings and schnitzel :'() and one of my uncles has moved out of state so he and my aunt won't be there. Fun. That sucks, because of all of the people on that side of the family, they were the ones I got along with best...I love my family, don't get me wrong, but homophobia tends to run rife and anyone who's a little different (queer or otherwise) tends to get talked about. There's a lot of backstabbing and I don't like that too much. Anyway, it'll just be different and I don't like change.
It will be fun later on, though, because I'll be able to sit around with my brother and step-sisters and talk about trying to catch Santa. Keep in mind I'm (supposed to be) 21, my brother's 18, Mad is 15 and Tayla is 10 - we're all well and truly old enough to know better, but it's fun.
Christmas day is usually a hassle for us, lol, because we switch houses part way through the day. So, this year, we'll be coming back to my mother's just after Christmas lunch so we can catch up with out maternal family. With them, it's funny...In a lot of families, Christmas is the day that you can get everyone seated and talking to each other. Best behaviour stuff, you know? Not for them. At least there's no backstabbing, lol - we will stab you in the front. Nice. Though not that this side of my family is without its issues. Ugh.
I used to adore Christmas. I loved everything about it. I used to beg mum to put up the tree in, like, September, lol, which was always met with a resounding "I don't think so. Nice try". I loved gathering the family (both sides separately, lol) together and being a part of it - even if I always had to sit at the kids' table (I've had nightmares about the wretched kids' table!!). And the presents, too, of course.
But I don't so much now. It's three or four days (again, divorced parents...Everything takes twice as long to do) of food which takes until Easter to eat, people talking at, over or about other people, too much money spent on presents you know someone will return or outright whinge about and too many people all in the same place!!!
Yes, I know, I'm coming off a little Scroogey, and I'm sorry, but there's something to me that has been lost here. It's not the commercialisation of the thing - though don't even get me started about that - or the overlooking Jesus' birthday (or whatever the damn thing is that we're supposed to be celebrating) because, let's face it, I'm not a Christian...
But there's something missing...The awe of the Christmas lights and tinsel (God, I could have lived in that damn tree), the anticipation of Santa and the reindeer, knowing that you'll be showered with gifts when you saw everyone....Frankly, I'd just like a good book, a cup of tea and to be given a wide berth. One year, I swear, I'm going to do something
Anyway. Enough of that.
Today, boys and girls - and girls who are boys and boys who are girls and everyone else - is my one thousandth journal entry. And I can not believe that I just spent it ranting.
I started this LJ on April 13th, 2004 because I think, if memory serves, I was prompted to by Dr. K. LJ was my first real online thing - the first thing (aside from my email, of course) that I paid any attention to. I met my first real OL friends here, some of whom I like better than some of my real friends. Sadly, some of whom I consider almost family, lol.
This journal has seen me through a lot. Like, a lot. My last years at high school, my first relationship (or whatever you'd call that), my mental health issues and battle with depression (which has since reared its ugly head...But not like that, thankfully), medication and therapy. My subsequent relationships and experiences were all documented here, as well as the simple mundanity that is this life of mine. It's a fantastic outlet, really, and one that is unlikely to get me into too much trouble. There are people here with whom I can share my fanfiction (I don't terrorise my family or friends with it), my other interests and various proclivities.
Suffice it to say that if my LJ was a real and tangible thing, it would be amongst the first things I would grab in a fire...Along with my paper and pen journals - which, I'm sure, really could get me into trouble.
So, I guess three cheers (or a thousand cheers) for LiveJournal and its capacity to save people from dying of boredom. Here's to a thousand (oh, gawd) more entries!!
This year will be spent with my father (divorced parents, you know how it is) and we'll be having Christmas Eve dinner at his place, rather than at his mother's, for the first time in my entire life. That used to be the absolute highlight of Christmas for me...But my grandmother's health and memory are deteriorating (we think it's either dementia or Alzheimer's) and everything will be different...The food will be different (no more Czech dumplings and schnitzel :'() and one of my uncles has moved out of state so he and my aunt won't be there. Fun. That sucks, because of all of the people on that side of the family, they were the ones I got along with best...I love my family, don't get me wrong, but homophobia tends to run rife and anyone who's a little different (queer or otherwise) tends to get talked about. There's a lot of backstabbing and I don't like that too much. Anyway, it'll just be different and I don't like change.
It will be fun later on, though, because I'll be able to sit around with my brother and step-sisters and talk about trying to catch Santa. Keep in mind I'm (supposed to be) 21, my brother's 18, Mad is 15 and Tayla is 10 - we're all well and truly old enough to know better, but it's fun.
Christmas day is usually a hassle for us, lol, because we switch houses part way through the day. So, this year, we'll be coming back to my mother's just after Christmas lunch so we can catch up with out maternal family. With them, it's funny...In a lot of families, Christmas is the day that you can get everyone seated and talking to each other. Best behaviour stuff, you know? Not for them. At least there's no backstabbing, lol - we will stab you in the front. Nice. Though not that this side of my family is without its issues. Ugh.
I used to adore Christmas. I loved everything about it. I used to beg mum to put up the tree in, like, September, lol, which was always met with a resounding "I don't think so. Nice try". I loved gathering the family (both sides separately, lol) together and being a part of it - even if I always had to sit at the kids' table (I've had nightmares about the wretched kids' table!!). And the presents, too, of course.
But I don't so much now. It's three or four days (again, divorced parents...Everything takes twice as long to do) of food which takes until Easter to eat, people talking at, over or about other people, too much money spent on presents you know someone will return or outright whinge about and too many people all in the same place!!!
Yes, I know, I'm coming off a little Scroogey, and I'm sorry, but there's something to me that has been lost here. It's not the commercialisation of the thing - though don't even get me started about that - or the overlooking Jesus' birthday (or whatever the damn thing is that we're supposed to be celebrating) because, let's face it, I'm not a Christian...
But there's something missing...The awe of the Christmas lights and tinsel (God, I could have lived in that damn tree), the anticipation of Santa and the reindeer, knowing that you'll be showered with gifts when you saw everyone....Frankly, I'd just like a good book, a cup of tea and to be given a wide berth. One year, I swear, I'm going to do something
Anyway. Enough of that.
Today, boys and girls - and girls who are boys and boys who are girls and everyone else - is my one thousandth journal entry. And I can not believe that I just spent it ranting.
I started this LJ on April 13th, 2004 because I think, if memory serves, I was prompted to by Dr. K. LJ was my first real online thing - the first thing (aside from my email, of course) that I paid any attention to. I met my first real OL friends here, some of whom I like better than some of my real friends. Sadly, some of whom I consider almost family, lol.
This journal has seen me through a lot. Like, a lot. My last years at high school, my first relationship (or whatever you'd call that), my mental health issues and battle with depression (which has since reared its ugly head...But not like that, thankfully), medication and therapy. My subsequent relationships and experiences were all documented here, as well as the simple mundanity that is this life of mine. It's a fantastic outlet, really, and one that is unlikely to get me into too much trouble. There are people here with whom I can share my fanfiction (I don't terrorise my family or friends with it), my other interests and various proclivities.
Suffice it to say that if my LJ was a real and tangible thing, it would be amongst the first things I would grab in a fire...Along with my paper and pen journals - which, I'm sure, really could get me into trouble.
So, I guess three cheers (or a thousand cheers) for LiveJournal and its capacity to save people from dying of boredom. Here's to a thousand (oh, gawd) more entries!!