Friday, December 19, 2008

4 (or "may the winter be cold outside and warm in our beds" indeed.)

i'm in bed reading ben snakepit comics and eating indian curry, which was the closest thing i found in the apartment to migas.

i began anti-malaria drugs yesterday which is a hard hit in the amount of time i have left. two weeks.

i also braved the mall with alex yesterday to do sears holiday portraits for our families. they turned out pretty well, for sure. after five years of being best friends, we finally have photos together.

after the mall we returned to his house for the tradition of cookie baking and love actually watching with his family. the holidays with the houstouns is the closest thing i have to family gathering and christmas spirit. it's relieving on many levels, being welcomed into a large family and tradition. sitting in front of the fireplace with a glass of champagne or decorating a christmas tree while tessa plays the piano...a dinner table set for nine and hours of discussion after the meal concludes. it's an environment so unfamiliar to me that it's somewhat of a living fantasy every year.

alex leaves for colorado on the 23rd and will only be home for a day or so before leaving for palestine on the 1st. i'm excited and nervous for his departure.

dc is full of invitations, as well as some repulsions. i left towson and baltimore with smiles and surprises...the last night of the semester i played my first game of beer pong (too gross) and drank a lindeman's lambic (too sweet) and talked for too long about plans that won't actually be made (two nights in a row). the following night gave me incentive to stay in baltimore, more than ever, but alas alas, things will hold strong while i am away.

so i look forward to the coming days, shuttling around maryland and the district, where my heart strings won't snap or sting, just flutter.

1 comment:

aunihusted said...

hey hillary! looks great-- you're a terrific and insightful writer! i look forward to hearing about all your adventures. merry christmas and keep in touch! -auni