my yahoo! horoscope for today: "Relax and enjoy Hogmanay [new year's eve--] nothing concrete is going to get done or be settled until after January 6th. It seems like everybody is getting on with their lives except for you, which is tremendously frustrating. You know you have all the talent and drive to be a success; why are certain goals eluding you? Stop putting so much pressure on yourself. The fact is, it's simply the wrong time for you to make a splash. You need to gather your resources from now until next summer. That will be the time when you will really shine."

the observations for the present are true--let's hope the predictions for the future are as well.

not that i believe in any of this stuff, of course.

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it's the second family christmas gathering at my house right now. my mom knows i was just outside smoking a cigarette, and she knows i'm on the internet right now, and she's still happy with me. because i'm finally learning how to play with little kids.

i am growing up! (no matter what certain currently-acting-like asshole boyfriends might say, in regards to my "childish" answerphone outgoing message.) yay!

i am in iowa now. it smells familiar. nice, like topsoil. quiet except for the congress of birds.

and hey, free internet at home. what a relief.

i'm still jet-lagged, but i'll be in bed soon. i really need to sleep and detox from all the caffeine, nicotine, and alcohol i usually pump myself full of. not to mention i've been eating everything slathered in butter.....ooof.

mulled wine somehow makes me hardly drunk, which is very nice when i want to appear sociable and not get rat-assed. i've been drinking lots of it at the pub...i get so tired of drinking coke or hot tea.

i am going to make a fruitcake. never done it before. lots of dried fruit, not that glaceed shit, and lots of alcohol. and no disgusting brazil nuts, just nice toasted sliced almonds. so far i'm soaking the dried fruits in a combination of dark rum, grand marnier, crown royal whiskey, fig liqueur, and this apple brandy-type thing emily got me from france. can you tell i'm cleaning out the cupboards here at home? i love that mom hasn't gotten groceries in a couple weeks and i can still make two delicious meals out of almost nothing. but tomorrow it's to the store, and to lunch with my friend sonyl.