"The Man"

I went to the gigantic Wake County book sale. The Wake County Library system has a weekend each year where they get rid of the old books that are tattered and messed up or they have too many copies. They sell them for really cheap depending on which day you go. The day I went paperbacks were 50cents and hardcovers were $1. I got about 42 books (great number eh?) My bookshelf is now overflowing with gorgeous musty old books. I love getting old books, they have history. New books don't have the right smell and the right feel. With old ones you feel like you're holding a piece of the past and when you read them they hold more meaning. I don't as a general rule like getting new books unless I can really break them in. (not that I abuse my books or anything)


Turkey day was just as bad I thought it would be. After my grandfather hugged me, the first thing he asked was: Do you want to see the bird? My response: Uh... not particularly....mmm dead animal.
Then I had to eat at the same table as Uncle Doug. This was pretty much torture. He spent the entire time asking me questions about Marilyn Manson, self mutilation, "Are you still doing that 'goth' thing?", piercings, tattoos, weed, cigarettes, boys in eyeliner and intentional asphyxiation. Oh Rapture. Oh Joy. Fun. Gosh how I love spending time with my Uncle Doug.
Uncle Robert and his boyfriend Claudio gave me my birthday and Christmas gifts early and made be open them because they wanted to "see my face". I got two really weird hats, a puffy, shiny, plastic, black jacket, a Judas Priest t-shirt and a two disk Iron Maiden essentials set. The Iron Maiden isn't so bad. All of the lyrics are pretty self-indulgent and silly. They really take themselves seriously when they are making absurd songs like, "Bring your daughter to the slaughter" and "The Number of the Beast". I crack up everytime I hear them but the guitar riffs are pretty damn cool.
I spent the rest of the day (Thanksgiving) babysitting for my cute little cousin Caroline. She is so sweet. I played trains with her and read her stories, danced with her and we went for a walk down to the turtle pond. She refers to my father as "The Man" instead of Uncle Stephen. It is soooooo cute. When we were playing with the trains, I told her that Henry had kidnapped Thomas the Tank Engine and so she ran over and grabbed Henry in her teeth and shook him around like a little dog and then carefully deposited Thomas in my hand. Then for good measure she growled at my dad. Awww....