Self Delusion

Back when I was a kid, we had a family reunion on the 4th of July. For some reason, it eventually switched to Labor Day. I went a few times as an adult, but then the big anime convention we go to started happening then...and to be honest, it's the one big thing I do with my kid, and I'd rather go there.

This year, a bunch of us decided, Why can't we go to the 4th of July one? There are still extended family members going, just not the "earles". The ones descendant from my grampa, see.

So we started planning. Some of the cousins are excited, because they can't go to the Labor Day one due to school having started or other things.

But.

The aunts, my mom's sisters, are pitching a fit. "The 4th is NOT the reunion!" my aunt says on facebook. Awesome. Good for her. I told her this:

I haven't been able to see the family at the "real" reunion for years, between work and other things. For me, it'll be a reunion as long as there are people there to be "reunited". Doesn't seem to be any reason we have to leave people out because they have other stuff going on during Labor Day, may as well have two and get as many people there as we can!

I imagine it'll piss people off, but oh well. I'm so tired of the older generation planning everything for the younger - it was ok when we were kids, but jeezum crow - we've got cousins in their 40's now, it's time to let go! Several of my aunts live right there in town - they won't go because it's not the "real" one. However, my sister and a cousin are bringing their families down from friggin Idaho to visit. So I guess they'll sit there and stubbornly not see relatives they haven't seen in years, simply to prove their point.

Why can't people just be happy for other people? Just because it's not in their set parameters, doesn't make it wrong. And in this case, not only is it NOT wrong, but it's going to turn out pretty alright for a bunch of us. Cousin Renee's son hasn't seen this part of the family since he was like a year old. One of Boo's daughters is in high school, mine is about to be a senior, Tammie's oldest is graduating...really? We should *not* get together because the date isn't the one carved into the middling-aunts stone heads??

Anyway. I'm done whining. I'm not even sure I'll get off work that day. I know I'll be off on Labor Day - I'm going to the anime convention. So there.

I'm only posting to say, I just declined all of the friend requests I had. There were like 50+ of them, and I didn't know any of them.

Here's why: If you aren't my friend, I won't accept the request. I'm not collecting a large friend number, and I am not on the public forums enough to get to know people that way anymore.

So - if you want to be my "friend", randomly adding me isn't the way to do it.

I've got a blog here. and here, if you like chickens.


Note to people who are already friends with me here - I'm glad I got to know you before I got all anti-social. For reals.

I don't use this blog much, no. But I am sitting here in front of it now, and I have hands with fingers that can type so here goes.

Updates since last time:

I still live in a shithole apartment in a town that could be called the deep south of the northwest. Hicksville. Right next to Hippieville, coincidentally.

Changes:

a roommate. A pretty good one - a grownup with a job. He pays money and everything, and has longterm potential and hey! I like him.

a job. A pretty good one - a grownup job. It pays money and everything, and has longterm potential and hey! I like it.

Can't beat that with a stick, huh?

Still not into the whole "outside world" thing. I like to sleep. I like to stay home. I haven't been the best at staying in touch with people who really deserve to be touched (so to speak). I kind of feel bad about it, but I kind of can't feel it too much right now.

I'm good though. I can do what I need to do, working and shopping and getting things taken care of that are necessary (are there two "c"s there?). I pay my bills and go to school events for the kid and feed the animals. I make sure we have coffee and toilet paper and internet. I dye my kids hair purple and my hair red. I call my mom once a week and my dad once a month. I answer the phone when my sister calls and when friends from far distant cities call because they have relationship woes.

I'm good. See? I'm smiling right now. Can you feel it?

Five things about me...that you may not have known.

1. I have a large family - 5 aunts, one uncle, over 30 cousins. Three brothers, two sisters + several steps. The are all over the place now - from Alaska to Hawaii, Asia to Mexico.

2. My first cat was named Dario. I don't know why. When we moved, my mom gave him to a friend of the family named Norman and told me he was going to live in the mountains and would have an emerald collar.

3. My nickname from my sister is Frog. It's because she used to make an annoying rhyme out of my first name and came up with "toad" but I got bigger than her pretty early on so she decided to change it to frog, which I liked better.

4. I have large feet and hands, especially in relation to my height.

5. I used to raise rats. My first one was named Lestat, after that Akasha and Enkil (how original huh?) and their babies, later it was Odo and Garak and Mab. Garak was a bald rex, and my favorite for always. Most recently was Scabies, shown here:

let me tell you about my brother.

He's started telling his life story on his myspace blog, and it's pretty cool. I am surprised about it, because he remembers more of the good things than the bad. I'm glad for that, it made me remember them as well.


If you're interested in the part he wrote about his lovely sisters (those who don't know can guess which one is me) you can read it here.

I bitch about my family alot, and it's easy to think that lack of contact with him meant that he just didn't give a rat's heiny, but it looks like he really does.