What did you learn over the holidays

[GirlinContempt]

from your friends/family/life/etc?



I learned that my grandfather is possessed by the devil, or some evil nonhuman force outside of himself.

[ceile]

1. That my SO's mom is a manipulative bitch.

Who complains to their children that they didn't get enough presents? They felt so guilty that they gave her some of their's AND some of mine!

[GirlinContempt]

3. yikes

[RetroLounge]

2. That my father has Myelosplastic Syndrome (MDS)

and Refractory Anemia with excess blasts.

A cancer of the blood formerly known as Pre-Leukemia, and that in a few years it will be full blown Leukemia and will most likely kill him.

That and my sister-in-law has a tatoo on her right boob.

RL

[GirlinContempt]

4. 1.

holy shit :hug:

2. Nice

[lizziegrace]

7. RL

I'm so sorry to hear about your father.

How did you learn of the tatoo? Hmmm??

[RetroLounge]

9. She has a rather large, uhm, rack

and it was clearly visible...

RL

[kay1864]

11. And where oh WHERE are those Holiday Photos then?

:P

[reyd reid reed]

42. ....

:hug:

[Zavulon]

5. That it's easier to have my uncle arrested than

try to take the keys from the NFL-sized son of a bitch.

[Fuzz]

6. I learned how to hover for up to 38 seconds with only the help of 2 carrots

and a 3' extension cord.

Other than that, not much.

[idgiehkt]

8. I'm really sorry

I don't mean to be nosy, but I'd love to hear the story behind that.

I don't know if I learned much over the holidays at all, except that my family will always buy me stuff I don't need no matter how many times I beg them not to.

[GirlinContempt]

14. I have a whacko aunt

who was convinced that when my father was forced to speak to HIS father, he was 'honouring' him, and I said no he wasn't he was being polite for the benefit of those immediately present. It degenerated into a conversation about my grandfather (who is the biggest smarmiest asshole this side of the universe) and my aunt said that he was possessed by the devil. I laughed. She told me that no, no, she was very serious and that he was possessed by some inhuman force outside of himself and THAT is why he's such a jerk.


Personally, I think the devil would have better things to do than possess some half blind pathetic old man with no friends or family, and the very idea of giving the shit head a pass on his behaviour appalls me. HE did it, not the Devil ffs. But, there's no arguing with that 'logic'.

[idgiehkt]

16. wow.

That kind of stuff is so stressful. And people wonder why some of us dread family get-togethers. You are right about the devil, if I was the devil I definitely wouldn't possess him either. I think I would possess someone like Colin Farrell, or Benecio Del Toro...at least if the rumors about them are true. :)

But I do know what you mean. My uncle that just died (8 years in prison for statutory) always get a pass by my family saying 'he just got some bad blood', or 'he was born that way'. Riiight.

[LaraMN]

10. That my IL's front yard makes a nice bed for old men, drunk at 3pm.

Of course I had to *discover* the creepy guy.

:scared:

[ghostsofgiants]

12. That when people speak in tongues, it's an actual language and not gibberish.

And that my 15 year old cousin used to be a big fan of ecstasy. My family = wacky.

And that recreating the final scene from The Devil's Rejects in GTA: San Andreas, complete with "Freebird" by Skynrd, is really fun.

[GirlinContempt]

17. What language?

[ghostsofgiants]

18. The language of the holy spirit or some crap, I dunno, I wasn't paying attention.

My grandpa was lecturing my brother about it luckily, not me, haha.

[GirlinContempt]

19. in my head,

your grandpa looks like a pudgier albert Einstein with crazier hair.
Just, you know, fyi.

[ghostsofgiants]

22. Hahahaha!

I wish.

[tigereye]

21. people still do that?

I remember going to a Catholic service of that type, way back when. I prefer Latin, myself, if the truth be told.

[ghostsofgiants]

23. My family is Pentecostal.

So yeah, still pretty common apparently.

[tigereye]

24. interesting

It's actually a rather fascinating practice. Do you still practice it? (if it's none of my beeswax, pls. just ignore the question.)

Didn't mean to offend. There was an RC Pentecostalist movement when I was younger, but I really haven't had any contact with it since I am no longer a practicing RC, or anything else for that matter. But I have a good friend who specializes in the anthropology of religion, and she has opened my eyes to some extent to a more tolerant view of varieties of religious experience.

[ghostsofgiants]

25. No, I've been agnostic/atheist for quite a while.

No offense taken. Anthropology of religion sounds interesting, I wonder if my university offers any such courses. And tolerance of different varieties of religion is a good thing, in my opinion.

[idgiehkt]

44. whoa

I had no idea. wow.

I've known a lot of Pentecostals. My ex's grandad was a Pentecostal minister, and a major porn addict.

[Courtesy Flush]

13. I learned that women need to choose their husbands carefully

My poor little niece was at the house alone, since her no-good hubby isn't welcome in the family. We're being unfair, I know. All he did was beat the shit out of her and put her in the hospital.

He's a jerk, and she's stupid, 'cause she keeps taking him back no matter what he does. She makes more money than he does so it's not like she needs him to bring home the bacon.

I have a theory that women can change the course of civilization. If they all agree to have nothing to do with irresponsible (or dangerous) men, then guys would HAVE to straighten up, or never get laid. These days, women seem to be attracted to the bad boys more than ever. This only makes the men behave worse.

[Darth_Kitten]

34. Women are too tolerant..........

that's the way I see it. It's like why should men improve (not that they are all louses or anything like that) but why should the rude/mean/selfish etc ones improve if no one holds them accountable?

Not that it's women's jobs to babysit men, but maybe if one of these losers decides hey, no woman is putting up with my crap then maybe I'll try to improve?

I don't know........

[kath]

41. Can someone get her some help, before the SOB ends up killing her? My

husband's sister was murdered by her abusive ex-husband on New Year's Eve, 18 years ago this week. He shot her in front of their two young children.

The chance of something similar happening to your niece is QUITE high. Is there someone who could push her to get help/counseling, with the goal of getting free of the SOB before she is killed?

[Courtesy Flush]

45. We've all talked to her

And she's convinced he won't do it again. This past week a classmate of hers was killed by an abusive guy. I really don't think she realizes it can happen to her too.

[Little Wing]

15. That if I drive 55 mph to my parents' house, my receivings / givings ratio goes up

[GirlinContempt]

20. good

[Nikia]

26. I am not very good at reading phonetically (in Spanish)

My in laws church (the church that my husband grew up in) has a number of Hispanic members now. The minister thought that it would be a good idea to do a bilingual Christmas service. It was a nice sentiment, but I had a hard time saying the stuff in the bulletin that was in Spanish. I know Spanish phonetics, but I couldn't seem to be able to figure it out fast enough to say the words with everyone else. It makes me wonder if I would have had a hard time reading English if my mother didn't drill me on it at an early age and that I did it so often since. I don't read phonetically now. I recognize and read whole words.

[SPKrazy]

27. To Be Very Careful In Many Ways

to set boundaries with others and not open up too much to them too fast (especially online)

I learned that it is very hard to be in a closed space for a week with it snowing heavily outside when you are having major problems with your SO, and your father and your son are in the house. In fact it sucks to have been there and it made me crazy as hell. I'm only now coming back to normal.

I learned that some people are not what they appear to be no matter what they tell you.

I learned that the airlines suck, and they screw people over as often as they are able to.

I learned that people are really beautiful in many ways and I love to watch and meet people now, and I used to be terrified of that.

I learned that I miss my family, despite the tense situation I was in.

I learned that no matter what, my son is my priority for making it through anything.

I learned even more that DU'ers help me and give me virtual love and support, and that is cool

:hug: :grouphug:

[spacelady]

43. I have learned that the holidays are not all they are cracked up to be.

Spending them with tense family situations is why we moved to our own little paradise with only visits from those who care to make the effort & phone chats with the rest.
You have made me smile, Southpawkicker, so many times.
Thanks, you are a gem.:hug:

[SPKrazy]

46. You Too Spacelady!

you make me smile!

ever since the peace wreath thread

that's the first time I remember interacting with you

you crack me up in a good way!

and I like your picture on the pic thread too!

:yourock: :hug:

[Mrs. Ted Nancy]

28. My cousin believes in demons. I'm not kidding.

We were at my cousin's house and she mentioned that her home is possesed by demons. I didn't really know exactly what to say, so I let it slide. No need to cause a big stink on Christmas day.
Also, she is getting on in years. A few minutes later, her cat starts to behave strangely (kind of hyper) and her kitchen lights began to turn off and then on again for a few seconds.

She has always been the odd person in the family. I haven't decided what to make of this occurrence. :shrug:

[YankeyMCC]

29. That James Doohan

invented the Vulcan dialect used in ST:TMP and some of the Klingon language used in the movies.

Oh and that my sister is a War on Xmas Warrior...yeah that was fun.

[Ms_Dem_Meanor]

30. My brother is a raving lunatic,

hypocritocal asshole that acts just like our father!!! :grr:
Come to think about it he is worse than our father ever was!!! :mad:

[Kali]

31. That the rear end in our "good" vehicle is about to go out instead of just a U-joint.

and that Pep Boys on Apache and Mc Clintock in Tempe AZ is open on Christmas eve (different vehicle - just an alternator but it was frigging Christmas eve and 200 miles from home).

And I learned how to do a system recovery on a windows computer (Thanks to the DU computer forum and especially Roy G Biv)

I also met my new Russian "step-sister" and her husband. Pretty cool.

[Darth_Kitten]

32. that it's good to be loved.....

:D

I so needed to get away from the city. :) I also realized just how really generous my Mom is. I knew she was, but I really "got" all she does for people. :)

[WindRavenX]

33. That suburban Utah is my personal hell

lifelong blue staters: count your fucking blessings.

[bicentennial_baby]

50. sweetie....

we did warn you...regardless....many of these :hug:

[Madrone]

35. I learned that sometimes when you least expect it -

Life comes along and knocks you on your ass and turns your whole world upside down. And not in the way we all expect and are used to, but instead because of something GOOD. Something you never thought you'd see in your lifetime.

And I learned that I'm exceptionally happy to have it happen.

[Dastard Stepchild]

40. Whatever this thing was....

It sounds wonderful. :)

[JustABozoOnThisBus]

36. That I really don't NEED two desserts

jes' groanin'

[Redstone]

37. That getting a new puppy and a new kitten within a week of each other is

a lot of fun, and makes for a merry Christmas for the family.

Not that I'm going to make it an annual event, but I'm glad we did it this year.

Redstone

[riderinthestorm]

38. To get drunk early and promptly fall asleep on the couch for the rest of the night

Perfect!

No brawls with the racist BIL, no bickering with the RR mother, no enduring of the despicable silences (with the follow-up of soul-searing disappointment) from family that SHOULD have stepped in with common decency....

I usually don't drink at these gatherings EVER but decided to do something different this year and accepted the first drink proffered at 2 pm. Once I've had my first drink it's guaranteed clockwork that I will be asleep within 2 hours (fine, so I'm a lightweight, this time I used it to my advantage!)

And voila! It worked. I didn't even have to do clean-up since I was already asleep in my plate at the table by that time.

I hit all the bases for Xmas! I was pleasant and neutral during gift opening, present during dinner and completely non-confrontational! I have learned.

[Dastard Stepchild]

39. That I really enjoy the company of my family...

Mine and my husband's. I'm lucky. I already knew I had a rad family, but I married well, too. All in all, a good and caring group of people.

I love the holidays. I'm not bragging or attempting to be obnoxious. I'm just really, really thankful. :)

[Generic Brad]

47. I learned that one of my neighbors is installing a hardwood floor

And her work crew is only available at night. Nothing like constant hammering nightly from 6:00 PM to 2:00 AM!

This has been going on every night since Christmas Eve. Tonight it is quiet because the building management figured out who the responsible party was and finally put a stop to it. Either that or the floor installation is complete.

[LibraLiz1973]

48. I learned that 2 members of my family (Uncle & Cousin)

are fucking assholes with no respect or consideration for anyone

[Rhythm]

49. 21 shots of rum can turn the nicest guy into an a-hole...

We had to throw a friend out on Xmas eve, because he was too drunk to realize what an asshat he was being.

He's since apologized, but still...

[GirlinContempt]

55. 21 is quite a few

[name not needed]

51. That if you go to Fridays and order a bowl of lemons,

they will bring you a bowl of lemons, no questions asked.

[AllegroRondo]

56. whole or sliced?

[dropkickpa]

52. That my mom comes by it honestly

Grandma B's last words to me before leaving this morning? "Thanks for coming, I'll probably be dead before you visit again". Me and Dad laughed because I told him "I almost told her that's right, I'll only be back once you're dead". This woman has driven away me and my siblings with her judgmental and toxic attitude towards us (2 are professional tattoo artists, I HAVE tattoos AND a bastard child, and the rest never visit). I guarantee I'll be the only one to go to the funeral, and that will just be to support my mom and make sure the old bitch is really dead.

Dad's mom's (Gramma) last words? "I'm so glad you were able to work it out that you'd be able to visit this time! I know how hard it is for you to get the time off work. I love seeing you and I am just so proud of you!" Like night and day. This woman has never judged me, only loved and supported me unconditionally and she is very proud of my accomplishments. I want to be her when I get old!!

An assisted living facility can be the greatest thing to happen to some people. My Gramma has had some health issues, but she refuses to move in with either of her children as she does not want to leave her hometown, even though she has no family left there. Since she moved into the home, she is taking her medications on time and at the right dosage, she is eating well, she's lost weight and regained a ton of mobility, her health is doing fabulous finally (she's 89!!), and she is busy all the time (the social butterfly)! She looked so good, I am now extremely happy that she agreed to move there (I had some concerns at the time).

And that it IS possible to drive round-trip from Pittsburgh to Muscatine Iowa (12 hours) then back again (another 12 hours), and be away from home for only 63 total hours.

Both me and my Dad have decided that once the Grannies have passed, we will never again set foot in Iowa. Before Gramma passes, I would like to figure out a way to go and visit just her, because I love her so much I named my daughter after her.

[WCGreen]

53. That every little fucking kid in the world looked at me like I was

the Bad Santa....

[deadparrot]

54. That watching reruns of National Spelling Bees on ESPN2

with drunk and/or elderly relatives is great fun.