Friday, 12/17/04 - 9:50 am.
Things got so much better after I finished my last entry. I would also like to point out that today's my 7th month anniversary with Joseph, but he, um...isn't here. As you may know. Damn.
It was pouring when my parents arrived, tired and wet. They'd left their hotel, stopped by Denny's (I do not understand how they pulled having breakfast there through, as they can't speak english), then stopped by "a store owned by a chinese man" and bought umbrellas to make it to the house. It's a nice story to tell their grandchildren. And they DO have grandchildren already, duh.
So they, along with my brother Carlos, my nephew Javier and me had lunch. My nephew Renan arrived at 1:30, as he's in finals. By that time rain had gone away, so my brother decided to go to Barnes & Nobles.
But first I had to pick up my niece, Rebeca, at school. I got a phone call from my brother Renan at 3:40, he told me to pick her up at 4. I put on my headphones, took my coat and walk out the door, in front of my dad, who didn't even say "take care", as he would have under other circumstances. I wish things were that easy at home.
It was great, taking that old church shortcut to my niece's school, listening to the Traveling Wilburys, freezing. I was so happy to be here (I still am, duh). I waited for her outside the school and took her home. Then Carlos, Renan (nephew) and I walked to B&N, that's in front of the neighborhood, across the highway (it took us like 10 minutes to get there).
That place takes my breath away, and it seriously made me hesitate about spending my savings on the digital camera.
Wishlist
- Queer Eye For The Straight Guy calendar
- CDs that I can't find at home (all of them by former Beatles)
- Beatles books, biographies (especially Harrison's)
- A journal (to record the story of my friends and I at the university)
- A wood man, I don't really remember what they're called. Models or something.
- A Calvin & Hobbes book that's quite cheap for all it has inside.
I stopped looking around when I realized I had the list above. I hadn't even started looking at the real deal, literature. I decided to look around for christmas gifts. I brought presents for the ones who live here: two brothers, one sister in law, one nephew and one niece. Which means I am missing: a mom, a dad, a sister, a nephew, a brother.
Usually at home I do not feel bad if I don't get them presents, and I do not feel bad if they do not get me presents. But for some reason, that doesn't happen when I'm in the United States. And that sucks, that shouldn't be that way.
- My nephew: Dad, can I open this box of candy?
- My brother: no, son, that's a present.
- My nephew: for me, right?
- My brother: no, for a coworker.
- My nephew: eh, what is christmas, anyway?
I ended up buying a daily planner for 2005 and a John & Yoko postcard. Oh, and at least I got the present for my brother, a Bulldog calendar. In my family, when it's about giving gifts, we go for asking the person what he/she wants. It's more practical, and that way you're sure they're receiving something they'll really like.
I'm thinking of going back to B&N right now and buy planners for both my parents. So that I'll only have my sister and my nephew left. I might go, walking, on my own. I love it, I never get to do that home.
(And the exercise is good, too. I'm trying to stay away from the excesses of Texas, gastronomy-wise...it's so hard, though. The amounts of food that flow back and forth are ridiculous. Delicious, but ridiculous. My brother Renan was preparing some scrambled eggs this morning, and he added so many things..."we only use salt at home", I said, watching quizzically how all those species with odd names blended in with the eggs).
Anyway...my brother Renan caught up with the three of us at the bookstore, so he gave us a ride home. Denise, his wife, was here, and it was nice seeing her. She seemed to be in a good mood, and I wondered if she and my brother had worked things out and planned on getting back together.
At night I went to my niece's choir performance. We were having dinner at 7:45, and my brother says it's at 8. I didn't even finished my milk...but that's ok, when I came back I had a slice of pie I found at the back of the refrigerator. They always have so many leftovers, and once in a while you find a mine of gold, like apple pie.
I sleep on the couch, did I say that? I do. It's nice.
This morning at 6:30, my niece was having breakfast when my brother Renan (his dad) called. He didn't spend the night here because he was working at the hospital. Suddenly I heard her say "good news" and she starts jumping with a huge smile on her face, yay, you guys are getting back together!. And now everything, everything is perfect around here. My sister and my brother Alan are arriving next week, so we'll spend christmas together (although Frog is missing here!).
This was a long entry, wasn't it? Well, somebody has to tell the story about my days in Houston (*cough* me, because nobody else would).
prev / next