The Raft

I have nights when I become obsessed with Facebook.
It amazes me how the connections happen. I look at my list of "friends" and there is everyone from some of my friends here in town, to Shore Drive, to MassMutual to Brewster High to my sister's in-laws... it's crazy.
Crazier still is when one meets the other - it's like worlds colliding.
A friend of mine from Jay's ING days grew up with a friend of mine from town. Of course they are, she grew up here and lives in Longmeadow now. Which also happens to be the hometown of one Baby Matthew. See the craziness?!?! Everyone is connected somehow. It's a small world, after all.

Allow me a minute to freak out about something. And pardon me (and my expletives) as I lash out on one of my greatest pet peeves.
Snowy Cars.
Sorry, Belle. Here goes-
Why don't people see how extremely dangerous this is? Why do they care so little about the other cars on the road, the other people in those cars, the kids, the grandparents?! It's worse than driving drunk, really. At least if you're drunk you can say "oops. I was drunk."
When you consciously get into your snowy car, you are consciously saying "Fuck it. I don't care if the snow, ice and slush flies off my car, backwards into the windshield of that family car, off to gramma's house, sending them into a tailspin eventually resulting in their death from a 12 car pileup while I drive along, happily, blissfully unaware of what my ignorance and laziness has created. Mayhem and madness, if not death.
And even if I am not that seriously aggravated by it (although I am) - I am more than a little annoyed. And if you know me, you know that my annoyance levels are high. I get really fucking annoyed by annoying shit. My hands fly about uncontrollably and my voice gets very screechy.
I can handle some amazing character flaws. I can accept just about any way any one wants to live their life.
But not if it annoys me.
And the worst is not the SUV or the Porno-Van. It's the lazy fuckers with the little cars. "Ooooh, it's too cold to push the snow off my Cabriolet. I'll just drive really fast on the snow and ice-packed highways until it's all gone."
Assholes.
Ok.
Done.

Tomorrow is Christmas Eve.
My husband's family will be converging on the quiet peace that exists at 131. We will drink and eat too much. We will laugh and make fun of each other and say things very un-Christian-like. But you will be able to see the warmth and love and Christmas Spirit all the way up to the road. (ha ha, driveway joke)
I would be lying if I didn't admit a smidge of apprehension or nervousness... I always do before a large party and this one is slightly clouded by some family drama that surrounded Thanksgiving Weekend.
But I know that once everyone is in, the fire is glowing, the tree is surrounded by everyone's lack of ability to "go lightly this year", our mouths are full and our heads are light with love and the "spirits" of Christmas - all will be forgotten, all will be appreciated and all will be heartwarmingly wonderful.
This is a wonderful family I married into. And I will take the outloud disagreements, aggravations or grievances over the quiet, grudge-holding kinds any day of the week - and twice on Christmas Eve.

Merry Christmas to All.
And if you don't celebrate Christmas - tough shit. Merry, anyway.