About spoilers

I decided this weekend that I'd better set to and watch DEXTER before I ran across some spoilers that would ruin the finale for me.

Both Tattoo Queen and my sister say the season ender's supposed to be a doozy.

Given the amount of dicking around on the computer I do, it's amazing I haven't come across the ending or plot elements yet. At this point, if the season's ruined I have only myself to blame because I'm rolling those dice for reasons I can't pin down.

Maybe I want my enjoyment ruined.

I came across a link to youtube vids of people spoiling the ending to Harry Potters. I have to confess when I bought the last book years ago, I worked myself up into a state of paranoia that someone would yell out the ending while I was in line or on my way to the car. Lucky for me, that didn't happen.

But my worry wasn't ill-founded. There were douches around the country who did spoil the ending for HBP and DH.

Of the two books, I think having HBP spoiled would've been more disappointing.

Not to mention the sheer asshattedness of wanting to be the person who spoils something for someone else. I still cringe at spoiling the end of HOUSE OF MIRTH for a lit class, and that was years ago and done purely accidentally because I was carried away with discussing the book.

I don't know why it surprises me that people can be sadistic, but it never fails to amaze me a little bit.

An evil luxury

I received a Snuggie (yeah, I'm too lazy to look up the spelling) as a gift.

The thing is evil.

I was one of those who scoffed and sneered, but now I'm a convert, and it might be a version of Stockholm Syndrome.

It's better than a blanket. It's better than a robe. No gaps in coverage to let in the cold air: I can tuck it under my chin and my feet at the same time- no Sophie's choice of which end of me to freeze.

It's soft and warm, and that's where the evil comes in. Sure, I'll be cozy on the couch, ready to read or watch TV, but the Snuggie will start its seductive whisper.

Put the book down. Turn off the TV. Close your eyes and surrender.

Even if I'm fully awake, twenty minutes in its cocoon will have me nodding off.

It's perfect for reading and watching and heaven knows what other activities, but I don't get much of those done when I'm in its diabolical embrace.

Family's never out of reach

My brother and his family came up for the holidays.

He's one of the outliers in my family, living far, far away from New England. I used to be an outlier myself until I moved back here.

I love when he and the family visit. Traveling during the holidays- traveling at all is a big old pain in the ass, and the fact that they're willing to do it makes me love the time they're here all the more.

He and his wife flew up for an overnight- from Florida!- a few months ago for my sister's birthday because that's how they roll.

This time, they drove straight from their house, switching off every 200 miles. I think that's one of the signs of a solid relationship: letting someone else take the wheel and being able to survive 20+ hours in a car with three kids without any bodily harm.

I miss the outliers, but it'd be selfish to want them here all the time when they've made the best decision and home for their families, which just happened to take them miles and miles away.

Ringing in the old

The problem with January first as the start of the new year is that it doesn't feel like it.

We're in the middle of winter, still in the first semester at school and reeling from the holidays.

My year starts at the end of August. That's the time I make those resolutions and look back over the summer and come up with some blanket assessment.

Getting up the energy to resolve and renew is nigh impossible when all I want to do is hibernate and the season of family gatherings is on a downslide (only one birthday in January and February and none in March) and exams are a couple weeks away.