finally on my way

Well, here I am on a jet plane to see my folks back east, with my laptop squished between my beer gut and the seat in front of me. I guess this will make it to the blog long after I write it... anyway, I've got my favorite Christmas songs on my iPod blasting in my ears and a Heineken in my hand. Parking was not too bad, but I feel sorry for anybody dropping people off or picking them up, because that was a clusterfuck. Checking in was easy because I have elite status from flying so much - there were very few frequent fliers actually flying today... the lanes for the little people were insanely long. It was evident when boarding as well, there were so few of us pre-boarding... while sitting there already installed into our seats, we watching the armatures (SHG's word, not mine) board and deal with carry-ons and overheads and such, Alvin and the Chipmunks doing some Sleigh Ride from the John Waters Christmas Album, and then Tiny Tim doing Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer, were in my head via my iPod, so it was quite appropriate. It was like having a little soundtrack.

I think I am finally getting into the mood for Christmas this year. I was in a good holiday mood earlier this month after a spate of Christmas parties and festivities over the course of two weeks. Then it was quiet, end-of-year stress at work kicked in, and I really got into it with my ex. Then M&V got into on an earlier post in the comments section, and I tried to clean up the fur that landed all over the place, but I guess I did not succeed.

Anyway, I essentially lost all of last weekend and wound up all strung out this week, with Christmas as a "to-do list" item rather than an event to look forward to. I am usually ready about two weeks ahead and then enjoy the season. Well, not this year. The dogs are on their way from Austin back to my house in Houston after a sojourn there with the ex. I really miss them. They will be in Houston until I am back from the holidays in a few days. I cannot wait to see them. The kitties got extra cuddly in their absence.

The good news is that two deals I have been working on forever came through at the last minute this month, so I barely made my numbers at work, phew. Of course, another one that I had good confidence in blew apart at the last minute, and it was a very important one. That really fucking depressed me and pissed me off - the customer went with the inferior competitor at 1/2 the cost of our offer...well, you get what you pay for with these kind of tools - good stuff in, shit out. They'll be back.

So, it's been a mixed up, rough couple of weeks. Things will be peaceful at my folks', they're quiet, somewhat reclusive people. With just the three of us, it can get kinda quiet since I think and function completely differently from them, so I bought my dad King's Table. We should be able to kill several hours with that. I also need to help my Dad buy a new car for my Mom, who does not really drive. Well, that's a story for another blog post in a few days.

I am looking forward to seeing them in a bittersweet way. I miss them, but they drive me nuts. We sort of have this understanding that though I should be left to my own devices in life they are allowed to voice their opinions loudly and frequently, and I am allowed to filter them out.