It is the time of year where people attempt to venture homewards, bound by love, family, tradition and expectations. This time last year, I started writing this blog (by the way, my brother gave me a whole hell of a bunch of shit for not keeping it up... I actually thought the website was shut down. Whoops!), ready to embark on a grand and exciting adventure. I am still learning about the ways that that time period changed me, and changed my life. It seems like every day I experience something that makes me realize that Brazil and Argentina were an actual part of my life, and will shape the way I view everything for a long time period.

But now its time for the holidays, and with that comes that strange mixture of emotions associated with the beloved and dreaded idea of spending an extended time with your family. For me, spending time with my immediate family is wonderful - although, that being said, my father and I like to keep it interesting by getting in as many fights as hours we spend together...about everything. and nothing. Spending time with my extended family is also wonderful, but in a completely different way... I feel somehow like I have to be someone different, although I know they love me so much, and I love them. I guess its like you have to be on your best behavior to impress everyone and make sure they know that youre not too fucked up. Maybe in my family, its like a contest. Who is the least fucked up out of all of us? Perhaps we should start giving out prizes to the family with the fewest retarded members. I don't think we would win.

This holiday season seems particularly anticlimactic; my friends are gone, or not back yet, we're not doing what we normally do for Christmas, Daddy's in the hospital, and I am sick of working. Actually, looking at it like that makes it pretty depressing. Ugh. Ho Ho Ho. Haha... I love the holidays, and I'm sure that no matter what I'm doing, it will be something fun and filled with love and laughter (you can't really avoid that in a family that is constantly picking on each other.) but you never know what that could mean... hell, Chinese restaurants look like an appealing new tradition. Something will surprise us, and throw us into a new year (which never feels any different than the old ones) full of change and growth just like normal. What will it bring? What will Santa drop down my poor family's chimmney this year? An X-Box for Zeke? Let's hope so.

Zeke, I hope you enjoyed reading this. I love you.