So I went to the western part of Nebraska, where my extended family lives. Due to forecasts of this Blizzard of the decade or whatever, I took an extra day off work and left hours earlier than I usually do for such days (meaning, I left at 1 PM rather than say 9 PM).
Of course, Old Man Winter did inflict his wrath upon the continental United States and answered all those versions of "White Christmas" (never want to hear THAT song again!), so the Christmas dinner of prime rib was postponed and I stayed in my hotel suite to enjoy a day of true crime documentaries and reruns on cable television. I had hoped to try the "traditional Jewish Christmas", but alas, even the nearby Chinese restaurant was closed. I also thought about seeing this new Robert Downey Jr. movie, but he's not my idea of Sherlock Holmes: I fell asleep on the couch before I could talk myself into braving the weather, waking up at 1:17 AM, far too late to go outside to see a movie.
All was not lost: thanks to a clearance sale at the local Waldenbooks' store, I was able to get myself a hot pink Christmas tree, and thanks to a nearby convenience store, I was able to supplement my rations of rum and Scotch whisky with my favorite California spumante as I soaked in the tub.
It wasn't Norman Rockwell, but then, I'm not a fan of Norman Rockwell.
With the closed Interstate 80, I was made to stay another day out west, and was able to get home, just in time for a fire alarm to ring. Fortunately, no evidence of an actual fire was found. Unfortunately, it meant spending more time in the cold before maintenance and the firemen were able to determine that it was safe for the residents to return to their apartments.
Oh well...it just delayed me catching up on soaps that I missed over the past several days.
Merry Christmas!
