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As 2013 comes to a close, I am just thankful and grateful to all the family and friends that populate my surroundings everyday. I'm sitting in a hotel room in Chicago right now with Jesse while he practices for tonight's show, and last week was a wonderful few days spent with my family. These are the important things, and I just feel lucky and beyond fortunate. Here's to the next great year!

And to writing more - thanks for reading my sporadic posts. I'm working on my best of 2013 posts, too. Sometimes I feel a bit boring, but I always like writing.

Happy New Year!

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If we had a holiday card, this would probably be the picture used.

The holiday party was another roaring success despite the winter storm that landed in New York that evening. Many people couldn't make it, but all the important people did.

Observing/judging/the usual.

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I used Pinterest to inspire this signage for the photobooth and also layered red, green, and white jello shots. At thirty years old, I made my first batch of jello shots. And I got them WRONG. Seriously. I accidentally froze them between layers instead of refridgerated them and the vodka had separated when unfrozen and it was a liquidy mess that at least most people didn't care about and enjoyed because, obviously, free alcohol.

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I saw American Hustle the other night and I thoroughly enjoyed it, and also enjoyed its filming locations. The streets of my parent's current town, Worcester, MA, were the setting for most of the Camden, NJ shots. The train station my friend Rick and I used to arrive in Worcester for shows at the Palladium during college was used during a big party scene. And the setting of my walk into work every day in New York was the background for another scene. I was a bit distracted, but I tell you what, Amy Adams was glorious and steals the show. Steals it!

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What am I going to wear in Chicago on NYE? The ladies of MCS have all agreed we should dress up... usually at MCS shows we're like "yeah, jeans, ladies, jeans." (Nobody says that.)

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Tonight I am seeing Spike Jonze's Her and the rest of the weekend will be putting the finishing touches on gifts for next week and packing up for Massachusetts! I have to work Monday, but I've taken the rest of the year off through New Years and I'm so looking forward to family and fun!

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I've not deserted you. Here's what's happened, here's where we are. By we I mean me. It's always me here, isn't it?

Frito deciding to lease out Travis' lap space for the weekend. "MINE."

First, November is over and thus December has begun which MEANS everything is happening. Everything signifies: cleaning and planning for guests shortly after arriving back in New York from Thanksgiving; my brother and his fiancee visiting for a stellar weekend of shopping, gallivanting, and my husband introducing my brother to his first 'habanero pickleback shot;' my brother being appropriately hungover as he headed back to New Hampshire; a week of late nights at work trying to wrap up the busiest of busy seasons; date nights; big news from a close friend; trying to find time to rest inbetween; I've barely had time to continue S!; holiday shopping; and now currently still in the midst of: preparing for our 8th annual holiday party this weekend.

Got it?

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CATS:

Pee Wee deciding if he likes this tree encroaching on his space.

Voting by committee, the cats have decided they are okay with the tree and will keep it. Somewhat begrudgingly.

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I'm also working on my year-end lists. Music, television are pretty easy. But with film, some of these movies aren't released until the last few weeks of the year. I'm excited that Spike Jonze's Her will be playing next week in New York - that one's high on my 'to see' list.

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Relatedly, I have to go back and start writing my reviews on Letterboxd. I got lazy back in May and started just starring instead of adding words. I'm addicted to words and making things look complete, though, so back I go.

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It's 19 degrees today, a co-worker told me he signed up for an outdoor soccer league that starts tonight, and all I can think about is how cold will it be on New Year's Eve in Chicago?

My guess: very cold.

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Jesse and I are really, really, very bad at holiday cards. We've never made one, though we always say we will... but here we are, again!

Me: I don't have anybody's address, at least not updated since the wedding.
Kelly: What about xmas cards?!
Me: Kells, have you ever gotten a holiday card from me?
Kelly: Actually, no.

By the way, my fridge is chock full of Kelly's annual cards. Something to aspire to one day!

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Relatedly, in the opposite way, my friend Jess in San Francisco and I have decided to become snail-mail pen pals so that we can be like "women of letters" our favorite 'olde' authors were. I'm even shopping for stationary!

Sorry, holiday cards.

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In the midst of coming down from my brother's visit and in preparing for tomorrow's party, I've been able to catch some good things on Netflix.

One: The Fall. It's been on my queue for a while, but when I recieved last week's Entertainment Weekly calling it one of the year's ten best television series, I decided to get to it after my brother left while I rested. It's about a serial killer investigation in Belfast, Ireland led by none other than my favorite FBI agent Dana Scully. Just kidding, Gillian Anderson plays a different, British detective named Stella Gibson who is on the hunt for a killer of women. Splice this with a view into the life of the serial killer, who hunts his next victim. It's creepy, fascinating, and with Gibson calling out double standard bullshit as she sees it. I meant only to watch the first episode, but I stayed up late for another, and finished the rest the next evening.

Also, sidenote - the serial killer is disconcertingly attractive. That factor plays into the role, but was also uncomfortable given how despicable his character is. Kind of how Ted Bundy used his good looks? Anyway, afterwards I looked up what else this fine-looking chap might be in, and then I realized where I'd heard his name before. He's lined up to play the main character in Fifty Shades of Gray. I have no interest in that book, film, etc. But now? Maybe? I DON'T KNOW DON'T LOOK AT ME.

Two: Blackfish. Last night after grocery shopping for the needs of the party, I came home to start the first of a few recipes. This one necessitated layering and thus freezer time of 20 minute intervals, so I decided to watch the much-touted documentary about the life of orca whales in captivity, at places like SeaWorld. It's emotional from the onset - it begins with the death of the SeaWorld trainer in 2010 I remember hearing about. It continues with history, science, and enlightening interviews with former SeaWorld trainers. And it should be an impetus for change; I now understand the protests of the Shamu float in the Thanksgiving Day parade, and the many musicians who are bowing out of performing at SeaWorlds due to seeing this film. It's an important film.

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Tonight I continue my preparations for our EIGHTH annual holiday party! This means cooking, cleaning, decorating, etc. Kelly put together a little collage of four of the past holiday parties:

EXCITEMENT!

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Well, I failed in the final stretch of the month. I wasn't able to blog yesterday, but I've always thought blogging should be secondary to actual life activities, so I don't feel too bad. There was a lot of life happening!

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Let's start with Thursday.

Thanksgiving for my family means driving up to New Hampshire for a Parker reunion. Family members fly out from all over the states and it usually reaches upwards of fifty people. And this time we brought Jaime, and I did my best to warn her. She was greeted with lots of welcomes, as Parkers always do.

There were a lot of families with all their kids looking so much older than the year before and as always, lots of dogs. We had our grand feast which takes up four long tables in the house. Jesse and myself (like we do every year) strategically placed ourselves in the alcove that also had a television that would play the football game.

After the meal, the bravest of the attendees changed into their athletic gear for the traditional annual football game. Jaime and myself simply drove up to the field in the car and watched from the front seats - heated front seats. We did not envy those playing out there in 20 degree weather.

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That evening we returned to my parents home to let the tryptophan sink in and watch a movie, like we do. However, the quiet evening and great day ended on a sad note when we learned of the passing of the wonderful Miss Louise. She is at peace now, and she fought to the last, but she will be tremendously missed. Missed especially during these holidays, when we would see her most.

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The day after Thanksgiving, Black Friday to most, but Rhode Island Thanksgiving to us! Yup, we do it all over again the next day. But with a much more intimate crowd that just includes my Uncle Arthur and Tia Kim and their son James. My aunt always makes a grand meal, and this year the meal even went on under the news of the previous night; Miss Louise was Uncle Arthur's mother. But he and the rest of the family did not want to break tradition, because Miss Louise would have wanted it to go on.

The second part of Rhode Island Thanksgiving after the meal includes the rest of my Uncle's family gathering at the house for libations and good conversation. Given the news, the gathering was a bit more subdued without the presence of Miss Louise, but it was still a lovely evening in which we caught up, and mostly reveled in the good memories of this most outstanding woman.

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You can see now, I think, why I didn't take the time to sit at my iPad for a long stretch of time.

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One of my "cousins" (we feel like cousins though we technically aren't - she's my Uncle Arthur's sister's daughter), just returned from a semester in Ireland and brought back with her a liking for Jameson. So last night Katie was greeted we a giant bottle of it for the festivities. And everybody drank to the memory of Miss Louise, her grandmother.

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It was awesome to see and talk with everyone; the room was alive. 

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The ride home was raucous as well, what with my Rdio account streaming the hits, like Harry Belafonte's "Jump in the Line." The whole car was dancing the way back to  Massachusetts, some of us with Jameson to help.

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Only two more days left of this vacation! Today is the last day of November, and though I didn't reach my goal, I definitely got back into the swing of blogging. I will continue, but posting a blog a day may not be feasible with all the December activities!

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Cool I just spent some time writing around 8 paragraphs about yesterday and then the Blogger app on this ipad quit without saving my post. Since blogging shouldn't deter one from their valuable time, especially doubly, I've decided not to rewrite it. 

So it was a really fun and cheeky post and also included a paragraph about how un-charismatic Charlie Hunnam is because we watched him be a dud in an otherwise decent movie Pacific Rim, but it's all been lost in the technology.

Happy Thanksgiving - back to the festivities!