abracanabra | Entries tagged with in-laws

Got home yesterday evening from a trip to the in-laws in Wisconsin. I've been skimming through LJ entries, but tell me what happened while I was gone. We left last Thursday. Saturday was one grandmother's 80th birthday party; Sunday was the other grandmother's funeral.

I had a relatively good time, though I seem to have picked up an illness from one of the kidlets. We survived hitting a deer on the way in, an 80th birthday party for the crankiest grandma in the world, the Artificial Christmas Tree Incident, and a funeral and afterparty. The niece and nephew were adorable, though the girl was croupy (in an "aww, that poor little sick kid" sort of way)--and I think she passed the sickness on to me, 'cause my respiratory system is feeling sub-par. There was much pointed nagging about when we are planning on trying to reproduce. (Answer: This year, except that Phil is bribing me to postpone by promising an exotic vacation.) Apparently, there is even furniture set aside for when we do.

( Read more... )

20:42 Made it home from Wisconsin, despite deer-slain headlight. Foundling even came out to say hello, instead of hiding for 3 hours.
23:05 It so happens I've got plenty of cardboard and 2 cats. This might be good: ping.fm/cTIn4
23:25 Ugh. New Gmail buttons are slower. Annoying.

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We are in Wisconsin for an 80th birthday party and a funeral. Yesterday was the 80th birthday party; today will be the funeral.

Phil's grandmother was told that she was going out to dinner for her birthday, and then they went to Phil's parents' house instead, where about fifty people were assembled with enough food and drink for a hundred.

Grandmother was pissed. She did not want a birthday party. They had lied to her to get her to go there. And although she was happy to see all the people who'd come in from out of state to see her, they shouldn't be there. None of this, of course, angered her as much as the people who gave her money in her birthday card. Um. No, feisty independent grandma does not like thinking that other people think that she needs their money. Alas, independent grandma is also becoming senile dementia grandmother, so after she had left, there was the Inevitable Conversation about how to a) get her car keys away from her, and b) get her into an assisted living facility.

And all the close relatives were shocked that she was emphatically not delighted by her surprise party.

Fun times.

The in-laws stayed in the other room and enjoyed their drinks, listening only occasionally when voices were raised.

Also I took lots of photos with my camera, so we'll see how those turn out.

10:48 M-i-l's in town, she drags us out shopping. But it's to places like Shuang Hur (best oriental groc) and Midtown Market, so I'm ok with that. #
10:51 Tor's wallpaper of the week has Dave McKean hotness: www.tor.com/wallpaper.html #
22:06 While we were out with friends, m-i-l did all the dishes. By hand. #

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10:51 Photographer on MPR talking about "pieces of light." Yes. Exactly. #
11:58 Dear applicants, typos in cover letter = Fail. #
12:16 Well, hot damn. Bush Foundation wants me to shoot candid photos during their retreat. Asked my rates. Hmm. #
12:26 Don't have the $$, but between retreat photos & Xtine's wedding, am seriously pondering getting a fancy DSLR. #
17:50 Cousin-i-l is a bass player in The Commuter Exit--pretty good agro/emo music. Myspace: www.myspace.com/thecommuterexit #
17:52 Garlic-dill cheese curds are among the finest foods you can buy. At a gas station in Wisconsin. #

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Survived the trip to Wisconsin. Very pleased to be home. House, cats, and possessions appear to be intact. (I'm always a little surprised to find this. Pleased, but surprised.) There was chatting with the in-laws. I slept Enough*, for the first time in months. There was a wedding. It was nice. There was fried chicken at the reception. It was fried. There was a road trip home. It was sunny. There was a gas station. They sold "Sex Olives." WTF?

Tomorrow is going to be unpleasantly busy. Full work, last physical therapy appointment, mandatory critiques to finish. Calling insurance to find out why the hell they didn't cover all my bills this time.

* Enough = 3 12-hour nights, apparently.

21:22 At a wedding in Wisconsin, but I can't dance and still can't drink. This is truly tragic. tinyurl.com/3vdy7p #

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Home from Wisconsin. Gathered truly excessive quantities of loot, mostly from The Mad Scientist, who really did go craaaazy (list forthcoming). Himself spent quality time with his godson and niece. I managed to stay mostly sane, despite lack of internet access for most of the visit. I also caught a nasty cold (or brought it with me); today was worse than yesterday, so I'm hoping tomorrow's better!

Driving in was interesting, since we had about 10 feet of visibility in front of the car in the fog--that same night his parents hit, killed, and field-dressed a deer (and an uncle took it off to be mounted after butchering it the next day).

I had the usual culture-clash issues, but mostly everything went well, and I only had to step up (against general conservative red-neckedness) a couple of times, in a mostly unobtrusive way. His grandmother is growing crotchety and senile (as mine already have).

Came back and were greatly pleased to discover house unburnt, valuables unstolen, and cats undead--er, alive, that is. Bonus thanks to whoever shoveled our front walk (

mischief03?); when I told the Mad Scientist it was done, he made various promises of sexual favors to the shoveler(s), which he then hastily recanted in hopes of not worrying the wife.

While we were there, also saw Aliens vs. Predator Requiem. ( No spoilers, mostly opinions, but some people like the mystery. )

I had forgotten how impressionable young boys are. All you have to do is ask, "Are you strong enough to do [X]?" and they will.

So funny.

Adult boys still have some of the same inclination, but you've gotta be a bit more subtle about it.

Still funny, though.

1. Strawberry margaritas.
2. Cherry moose made for me as a taste of home.
3. The first Christmas gift: "Strange Days" DVD.
4. Seeing a cousin's reaction to Belize and her first trip outside the USA.
5. Strawberry margaritas.

Frantically searching for an internet-access CD to cart to Wisconsin, waiting until cat-fluids could be scrubbed from the carpet, stealing a phone cord, finding a phone jack behind the desk, realizing that said desk was the original Immovable Object as well as being impossible to disassemble, seeing husband attempt to drill through a solid inch of wood and electrocute himself, having everybody else give up on the whole idea, locating another phone jack, rearranging Christmas presents, carrying assorted computer parts into living room, installing AOL using personal information that I don't actually know, and using a ten-inch monitor: Pain in the Ass.

Having internet access at the in-laws': Priceless.

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