Vacation

I've been fortunate enough to of never had to work the week between Christmas and New Year's. I headed back to our Nation's Capital on December 23rd for my Dad's birthday. This began my week of excessive feasting.

Usually, I am not a big holiday person, but there are few things I enjoy more than being home on Christmas morning. Santa was good to me. That afternoon, Mom and I drove to her friend's house outside of Annapolis. This has been a long-standing tradition and one I always look forward to. It's full of great food and conversation. This was the first time I had seen Sally since Kristin's funeral almost 2 years ago and just as long as I had been in her house. It was very therapeutic for me.

The day after Christmas, Mom and I made our 3rd Annual Waking-Me-Up-At-5:30am-To-Go-To-The-Mall. Surprisingly, we were not the only people there. I did get some post-Christmas bargains, which made the trip worthwhile. We were home by 8am and I promptly retuned to my jammies and hibernated for another 3 hours. The next stop was to my favorite restaurant, Pines of Rome, for their world-famous white pizza. And just when my stomach couldn't take any more, I had Italian again with my Dad for dinner.

On Tuesday, I had breakfast with Jenn. That afternoon was spent with Jamie and Karen. Later that evening, the three of us and Matt followed a long-standing tradition and went bowling. Despite not having "the Ellen" with me, I did pretty well. But what really made it special is knowing that you have friends that you don't get to see very often, and still pick up like no time has passed. I've known Karen and Jamie since I was 5 years old and Matt since the 4th grade.

The next day I took the Metro downtown and went to the Corcoran Museum of Art. There was a complete Andy Warhol retrospective on exhibit and it was amazing. I have been a long time fan of Warhol's work. His theories of the media and fame, I have always found interesting. Plus, I always feel so elegant walking through the Corcoran. I made a brief stop at the National Christmas tree before heading home to pack.

On a very rainy and foggy morning, I drove to Foxwoods casino to meet up with Robin, LoveBunny and Robin's sister-in-law Deb. It looked like the gambling gods were very much against us, The slots were mean and the roulette tables were downright cruel. I couldn't get a roll going at all. We were all feeling pretty dejected. It was still early so we decided to check our keno tickets and get a snack before calling it an early day. To my pleasant surprise, my keno ticket was a winner!! We enjoyed a nice early dinner and I was back in Hoboken by 9pm.

Yesterday I got up early again and headed to the Met right when it opened to see the Van Gogh drawings exhibit. The line was incredible. It took a half hour just to get into the exhibit and I just happen to be behind 4 of the world's most annoying people. Once I got into the exhibit and get as far away as possible from them, my annoyance quickly turned into awe. I have never been so impressed with a showing ever. It was extraordinary. Despite the crowd, it was fantastic. I wish I could have seen more of the drawings up close. I even bought the catalog to read more about the exhibit. I love getting lost in the Met. The weather was so lovely when I left that I walked from the Met to Port Authority via Central Park.

Since then, I have attempted to tidy my room up and do laundry, watch movies and the like. As for New Year's Eve, I plan on rockin' it in with my man Dick Clark.

I wish everyone a happy and healthy New Year. My best to everyone. HAPPY NEW YEAR!!!!

Quote of the Day:
"When I was young, my ambition was to be one of the people who made a difference in this world. My hope is to leave the world a little better for my having been there." -Jim Henson