Okay, so I lied... Can't you forgive a girl for being busy?

I guess I'll backtrack, then. Thanksgiving was really great--much too short. My grandparents and aunt (Arlette) came down, and it was really great to see them. My grandparents went to Portugal in September, and...well, if you know my grandmother, I don't have to tell you that she went on for a while about it. (You see where I get it from.) I got to see all the pictures and everything. It was a lot of fun. Plus they really liked Mark, and Mark liked them. (Always a good thing.) Mark's sister and younger brother are coming down for Christmas; I'm kind of nervous about meeting them. In fact, I had a dream about it last week. I had just filmed my first sex show/direct-to-video adult movie (you KNOW it had to involve porn!), and while Mark was supportive, I met his twin brother and sister-in-law (who are not coming for Xmas, by the way) soon afterward. Apparently my cinematic debut had gone to video in a matter of hours--Mark's brother had already seen it. And he acted like a total frat boy about it on the surface ("High Five!"), but somehow I knew that he disapproved. It was really weird! And the film involved a donut, I think... Don't ask!! Anyway, this dream is obviously about my being afraid that Mark's family won't approve of me. I guess that's natural. Well, at least I got a cool dream out of it.

Last night I had a dream that I was pregnant. But it wasn't just me--it was as if there were a baby boom among all the 24-year-olds I know. Is that about heightened responsibilities, or craving a family life when my career seems to be taking off? Maybe I'm just excited about meeting Margaret Jean for the first time.

Oh, yeah, I forgot! I bought plane tickets last week! I'm flying into Newark on December 26th and am leaving on New Year's Day. Hooray!! I hope your work schedule will cooperate, Cathy. We must must MUST go to Ruby Tuesday and get D-cup size goblets with lots of rum and umbrellas and Swedish fish in them and walk around the mall drunk off our asses. Maybe Helen can get the non-alcoholic, non-Swedish fish version. Either way. I can't wait to see you!! I am so totally excited. Three weeks!

Though I ought to note that I will miss Mark a lot. It'll be the longest time we've spent apart since we started dating. I just hope my baby doesn't get lonely without me. I do feel a little guilty for not bringing him with me, but his brother and sister will be here for a few days, and he couldn't get off work for the whole time I'll be up in New York. So I really didn't have much of a choice...

In career news:
1. I will be singing "O Holy Night" at the Wilmington Choral Society Holiday Sing-Along Concert. Hopefully nobody will try to sing along with me on the high A-flat.
2. I'll be doing those damn recitatives from "The Messiah" again this year. Not that I mind--they're some of the nicest music Handel ever wrote. Doesn't that bring back memories, Helen? Memories of me screaming at Davin after our concert because he had laughed when Janak said I was fat?? Hell, that was six years ago. That was before I knew why I liked "My So-Called Life" so much... ;' )
3. I e-mailed Mary (my undergrad voice teacher) last week, with much trepidation. (For those who don't know or remember, she freaked out when I left UNC--and I took serious offense to it, for good reason.) She wrote me back the next day, very amenable to writing me recommendations. All that agita for nothing. Well, I guess it pays to have your journalist-boyfriend edit your personal correspondence for you... :)
4. I am almost done with my graduate applications. I will finish them tonight, come hell or highwater. (Have you ever thought about what that phrase really means??) So this post has basically been a great way for me to procrastinate.

Anyway, I'll let you know what happens....