So it's Official

I love my family. Really I do. I don't even mind my niece that much, and I generally don't like little kids. But I will never spend another winter day in Buffalo, NY, ever.

This was, without a doubt, the worst holiday trip I've ever been on, brought on by a number of factors that I won't bother to go into here. Needless to say, I'm hoping for a good couple of thousands of miles distance between myself and Buffalo by this time next year, so that the traditional trip home to visit the fam can be cancelled with a reasonable excuse. We got close this year, cutting the total visit down to just 4 days (3 if you subtract travel time in the car) and just barely beating out a terrible midwest snowstorm that just missed the county by a few miles. Yet in the four days that I was there, I think a grand total of three things went right:

A visit with my friend Steve;

The grilled portobello mushrooms, and;

Spending time with my family, which in the grand scheme of things was relatively painless.

Now not to ruin everyone's holiday afterglow, but I'm going to go stomp on some colored lights to hear the popping sound they make before they're crushed to oblivion, after which I'll be taking refuge in my own bed thank you very much.