Holiday Drivel

So much for Holidailies. I guess I ran out of steam in December. Today's installment is a bunch of this and that.

Department of Humor:

• We were driving along the main road in our city, passing by a steakhouse. Wizard asked what the quality of the food was. Wild Thing chimed in "Is it better than Outhouse Steak House?" Bwahahaha, he meant "Outback Steak House"! How appropriate.
• Yesterday, we spent the day on the East Coast of Florida visiting my parents and WineGuy's parents. As we drove through my in-laws' senior citizens community, we got "stuck in traffic" (you should pardon the expression). On the minimally-trafficked side road that leads to their condo, we got stuck behind a geezer on a tricycle, riding slower than a Galapagos tortoise down the middle of the road. He had oversized mirrors on each side of the bike and was wearing glasses. Somehow, he failed to see or hear my full-size minivan behind him. Once we stopped howling, I politely asked him to pull over so I could pass him. My MIL informed me he's a close friend of theirs. OMG.

Department of Health:

• We visited my parents yesterday. My dad doesn't look so good. He's more decrepit than when we saw him in rehab in September. I don't think he's eating well enough or getting nearly enough exercise. However, he was sharp as a tack when discussing my new birthday necklace with me. [NB: WineGuy was baffled at the high-level jewelry talk. My parents had their own jewelry store for many years. My mother's father and great-uncle were in the business. When I ran my parents' stores, I was 4th-generation in the business.]
• I finally sat down with WineGuy last night. We had a frank discussion about his health and the Thanksgiving drama. We straightened things out between us, and the world is right again. We talked about what happened, how he would have preferred I handle things. I laid out my fears, and we agreed to learn and move forward. BTW, he's feeling much better, and he looks great. He's trying very hard to lead a healthy lifestyle, and he wishes I would, too. One of these days....
  

Finally, I owe a debt of gratitude to my dear friend, Calvin. She is a fellow attorney with her own practice. Her boys are the almost the same ages as Wild Thing and Moose. I called her at the last minute on Friday night to see if she could go to the movies. Calvin jumped at the chance, and we went to see "The Holiday" with Kate Winslet, Jude Law, and Jack Black. It was a real chick-flick, a romantic comedy, and just what we needed. The price of admission alone was worth it to look at Jude Law for 2 hours. Afterward, we went out for a late supper. We had a deep and meaningful conversation about forgiveness and understanding. We enjoyed a vicious little discussion about a nasty case she took on this week. It felt good to exercise those my legal muscles, but it felt better to talk personal things over with another intelligent woman who's married to a proud yet private man.