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I guess I'm a little late, but I'll throw out a recap of this holiday season for those that are interested. I flew back to Spokane for Christmas and my birthday, it was fun. Got to see a ton of people that I've missed since moving including a few of my homies from the PDX- awesome. Had a really good but strange conversation with my best friend about the subcultures that we've aligned ourselves with, primarily because 2006 was a really hard year for a lot of people we've grown up with. I won't go into exploitative detail, but a few people are dead, a couple are going to do some serious prison time, some children are now wards of the state and at least one person is plunging pretty deeply into paranoid schizophrenia. It just makes me wonder about the juxtaposition of what I'm doing with myself and what's happened to other people that I've shared a fair amount of experiences with- like why the fuck do I identify with things that are so destructive for so many of the people around me. My friend made a good point when he asked me what else I was supposed to identify with. Then we joked a bunch about going to the gym and tanning and watching sports. Yeah. Even if I wanted it to I don't think that could ever be me.

Those things aside, I got to go to Canada for the first time in 6 years...hooray for not being a felon anymore! My family and I went to the Ainesworth hot springs, kinda touristy, but fun and it was good to spend time with everybody. Hm.

Christmas was cool, I feel a little spoiled by it this year and I had a real hard time carrying my suitcase out of the airport when I got home as a result. I think my mom may be empting nesting a little now that none of the three of us are in the same city anymore.
I also went out to the bars with my little brother and sister for the first time now that they've both come of age. Well, to be fair my sister has been for a few years, but my brother just turned 21 in October. It was funny being the designated driver and watching the two of them getting trashed after four drinks...kids these days.

Oh, I had a birthday, too. I'm now officially in my late twenties at 27. Whatever. It was fun too...more bars...more people I got to see that I've missed. My good buddy also started some new tattoo work on me, coolest birthday present I've gotten in some time I must say, though now I've got more unfinished stuff that I've gotta fly cross-country to finish up. Oh well, I'm stoked.

Overall it was a good trip and it solidified for me that that place isn't home anymore. I don't feel negatively about it, but I'm not so nostalgiacc either. I think I'll always have a connection to it, it's where I grew up, my family's there and I have a number of close friends there, but ultimately I'm indifferent about it.
New year's was kinda cool too, though mellow. Went to my friend's and then hung out at Grendell's in Harvard Square since another friend of our's works there. I spent a good portion of the night trying to hit on girls for my single friends who were not taking the initiative and apparently didn't understand that girls who are exploding out of their tops and wearing hoop earrings on new year's eve are looking to meet someone.

Sorry, reading back over this I don't think I phrased anything in a very humorous or anecdotal way, but that was my ushering in of the new year. I hope yours was good as well as your celebration of whatever it is you celebrate and that you got some cool stuff if nothing else- I'll try to get some pics of the tattoo once it heals up a little. Ack...I'm locked out of my studio until tomorrow, I want to paint!