Okay, I'm on vacation. Being at home is supposed to be restful. Let's just say it is not, no, not so much.

Leaving here on the 5th to do the job in North Carolina, I got them to offer more money and some perks. The money still stinks, but Rachel really wants to do it and what else are we gonna do? Financial need deems that some money is better than no money.

Home is kinda rough. It's been a rough year for my family. When I was last home, last Christmas, I woke up New Year's Day on a friend's couch to a phone call from Mom, Grandpa had died that morning. Started things off with a bang.

Speaking of bangs, in February (or March, not sure) my sister and all the various nieces and nephews she had with her in her van were in an amazingly violent accident none of them should've survived. They've been in and out of the hospital to varying degrees all year, but the upside is that my sister should've been killed and was saved by her seat belt - as was her then-unborn daughter.

THEN my uncle Richard, who helped introduce me to my love of sci-fi, and I do mean to phrase it that way, died of cancer which had supposedly been in remission a couple of months later.

THEN my crazy aunt who had lived with my non-deceased grandparents to take care of them discovered she had cancer a few months later. She used to be "haha, what fun" crazy, now she's "what in God's name are you talking about" crazy. She's not easy to be around, and she moved in with my parents. I haven't had a moment alone with my parents, to speak of. I miss them, and I'm here. To top it off, though she's more than financially able, she doesn't contribute anything financially - even to her own keep. I can't explain how that works.

So... that'll be enough to cap a year for anyone, I think. I come home once a year, lately (I aim for more), and though I knew it all happened as it happened I was home for little of it - just my Grandpa, God rest his soul. All of this hits me at once.

I spent the first two days home kinda depressed. Then the laptop made me happy. I'm so frickin' shallow. And poor, now...jesus christ...

Happy birthday yesterday to a friend so close and old I wouldn't hesitate to call him a brother, Dustin Gaines, who now has (count'em) 364 days to Carousel.

Oh, and by the way - for some reason the "Comments" link now reads "Poseurs"... so keep in mind it isn't a value judgement.