Well goddamn. I've been out of a) town and b) the loop for about 4 weeks and I'm happy to be home. Let's recap, shall we?

**DISCLAIMER** This could be a long one - grab an Adderall if you have them readily available.

I spent Christmas with the former ex-girlfriend, spliting our time between her mom's house and her dad's house. It's interesting to watch the family dynamic as an outsider, and given the fact that my own family only consists of a sister in upstate NY and a crazy aunt in NJ, it's doubly interesting to watch a somewhat "regular" family interact. Throw in a bitter divorce and it's CHRISTMAS 2006!

I took the train to Wilmington, DE and was picked up at the station by my (still then) ex and her sister, with whom I get along like gangbusters. We laughed a lot, quoted movies and had a fantastic time the whole time I was in town. After 12 hours on a train that ran out of food 4 hours into the trip, I was happy to see familiar faces. And also happy to see food, since I forgot to bring my bag of snacks that I packed for the train ride.

I got to DE on the 23rd, so Christmas Eve morning was all about shopping for people I didn't know all that well, i.e., the gf's dad, mom and sister. I managed to get great presents for everyone in under 45 minutes. I was thankful but my credit card was singing another tune. But hell, it's Christmas.

We spent Christmas Eve at the former gf's mom's house, and the former gf will now be referred to as MMJ, btw. So I exchanged gifts with MMJ's mom, her new husband and sister & it was really fun. We left around midnight to get to MMJ's dad's house, where we were under obligation to wake up on Christmas morning. I got, and gave, a bunch of cool gifts and then we had brunch with some of MMJ's relatives. There was bacon. I was happy. After that, we got all dressed up and went to MMJ's aunt's house for dinner. There was a woman in the living room playing a harp, which is something we never had at a holiday dinner in MY family. It turned out to be a cousin or something, but still, a HARP? I watched football with some of the relatives and then sat down to a very yummy dinner on plates that I'm sure I'll never be able to afford. I was clearly The Odd Woman Out but MMJ's family really went out of their way to welcome me. For example, during dinner, one of the hosts of the dinner put his hand on my shoulder and said "We're really happy that you're here today. Thanks for sharing your holiday with us." Sure, it was a bit creepy, but given the fact that they all knew that I wasn't able to spend Christmas with my sister, it was really thoughtful. After dinner, I avoided the harp concert and decided to watch the Eagles game with some of the family. I believe they won.

The day after Christmas has always been a bit of a letdown for me. All the hype is over. MMJ's dad and I, despite our rather sketchy prior interactions, hung out at his house and with a roaring fire, had a great conversation about books, politics and Manhattan. MMJ chimed in occasionally, but this conversation was all about getting to know one another on a different level. I held my own in the conversation, which was no easy task since he's a republican and I'm an a bleeding heart independent. We agreed that the current administration is doing NOTHING for our country and that we need a radical change. He's more Hillary and I'm more Obama, but heck, I'm arguing a woman over an african-american as the next president. THAT'S progess.

MMJ and I, after she admitted that despite the long distance issue and her internalized homphobia, that she feels like she's empty and sad without me, decided to give it another go...I know, I know. I've taken all the advice I've sought under advisement, but I love her and she loves me. The rest may, this time, just fall into place for us. We left DE and headed back to VT for a New Year's Eve party at a friend's house, then we drove to NY, where I only managed to see ONE friend. (I'm sorry Sundaygirl - I am lazy and old and didn't even get to see Jon, let alone YOU.) I spent one night in Manhattan and had some good quality time with my friend Jackie. We had Indian food and had the chance to catch up with one another like we haven't done in years. I realized I miss my friends, and NY, more than I thought I ever would.

After a spell in NY, MMJ and I headed back to VT for a long weekend. We had a wonderful weekend and almost forgot how much she and I laugh together. At one point she said, "I forgot how good we are together. What the fuck was I thinking when I broke up with you?" to which I responded, "Which time would you be referring to?" Touche.

MMJ left this morning, after a delay in getting on the road to due snow and an ice storm in Massachusetts. I was happy that she was here instead of sliding around on the road, but now I'm really feeling the void. I got very used to having her around and it makes me sort of sad that now I have to watch Jeopardy by myself. She'll be back in a month, where we will celebrate Valentine's Day and my birthday on the same weekend.

Until then...I'll take Long Distance Relationship?Post-Holiday Depression for $200, Alex.

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