Seems like my Christmas rounds get more convoluted every year, to the point where I should probably invest in a sleigh with eight tiny reindeer or just give up on the whole thing and stay home. Neither of those things is likely to happen in the near future, though. It does seem a bit much, flying from Austin to Boston, immediately taking the treacherous mountain pass to western Mass., returning the next day, then heading south to parties in Middleboro and Rhode Island, then riding a bus up to Maine the following day. Was it worth it?

In the case of the North Adams leg, the answer is yes. Much-needed laughs were had on the way and upon arrival, much-needed commiseration and venting followed, then more laughs, then more booze, then some groovy bomb shelter-era board games, more booze, then the usual wave of exhaustion that hits when I realize I've been awake for 20 hours. A visit to the Mass MOCA (that'd be the Museum of Contemporary Art) in the morning was welcome, too. I do love the big weird art and they've got plenty of it.

On the other hand, this year's trek to the south was a case of diminishing returns, and although you can never entirely count out the Christmas happenings in Pawtucket, RI, this was definitely an off-year. Not that it was a complete bust, just...underwhelming.

My ride to the South Station deposited me at the bus terminal almost three hours early, and the bus ride itself is four hours, and all this added up to way too much time for me to be alone with my thoughts about the Upsetting Thing. Not really the optimum use of my Christmas Eve. I gotta put it out of my head, but goddammit, it just ain't right. I demand a rewrite. I want Ashton Kutcher to step out from behind a curtain and tell me I've been Punk'd.

Finally get home to the ancestral manse, drop off my luggage, head over to dinner at my sister's. The kids are on a Christmas Eve high, which takes my mind off the bad stuff for a while. That continues the next morning, as dozens of presents are suddenly and violently parted from their wrapping paper. My haul includes DVDs, books, socks, and a digital camera. Here is the first picture I took, the remains of my favorite readin' swing, which was demolished by a falling branch during a snowstorm last week:



I've manage to avoid leaving the house for two days, except to get a haircut today, so I'm starting to regain my equilibrium from all the to-ing and fro-ing. I may make it through the holidays yet.