jaysaint Getting it all down on paper…

It’s Christmas week. It’s 70 degrees. Damon is going swimming in the heated outdoor pool. It’s safe to say my reality is shifted.

But all in a good way. It’s great to be here with my Mom, it’s wonderful to be sleeping in the same bed as Damon. It’s hard to overestimate how good it feels to have him sleeping there next to me. And since we’re in vacation mode we’re getting along flawlessly. Which is not to say that we fight. But I think in the normal course of things we get along normally, which is to say that it’s positive, but we’re still able to be fairly annoying to one another from time to time.

Saturday night I got into Orlando about 9pm and Mom and Jerry and I waited around at the airport until midnight when Damon’s flight landed. He got off the plane sporting a newsboy cap and a new short and choppy haircut. It took me a day to get over the hair shock, but he does look awfully cute. Because I’m a copycat I think I’ll go get my hair cut short today. I want to get it done here and pay the Florida rate rather than the Manhattan rate.

Sunday morning we went to the worst church service I’ve ever attended. It was 75% passionless white protestant singing and 25% a totally incomprehensible message that liberally incorporated Tim Allen and the movie ‘Christmas with the Kranks.’ It seemed to make the central point that people who love Jesus will put snowmen on their roofs. Or something like that. Mom said they have a different officiant every week and that this one was awful, it’s normally much better. We will have to take her word for it. After we caught a few minutes of tuba Christmas and then went off to brunch. Vegetarians are for sure few and far between down here. I had more or less a plate of mashed potatoes. But they were good, so that was fine. After the brunch was a definite high point — we got out the golf cart and I drove it all over The Villages, which is what this little city is called. This is a ride right at my speed, and I had a ball. Damon was such a good sport and didn’t even try to take a turn since I was so clearly having a ball swooping around and waving at other drivers. Mom and I dropped him off at the pool, which was as warm as bathwater. She and I went to the store to buy dinner fixings. After that it was serious naptime for me and Damon. We had my Mom’s amazing salad. I’m sure there was other food, but I was all about the salad. I also bought myself a copy of ‘Return of the King’ at Walmart. So much for frugality. I bought all the fixings and made some beautiful sangria, which needed 24 hours to really get good.

Yesterday we drove into Ocala to Christmas shop. Damon and Mom and I did a hilarious round robin where we kept pairing up and splitting up, trying to shop for each other while in the same small radius. Mom has all of her gifts beautifully wrapped and waiting under the tree, so she was the swing. Damon and I needed to shop for each other and for her. I feel great about everything I found and I’m all done now. I feel a little uninspired since I got them both clothes clothes clothes. But it seems to be what they want. I got my Mom two casual, v-neck pullovers — one hot pink and one parroty green. And then I got her a green silk twinset. Then to top it off I bought little pink wooden flipflops. So I’m helping her transition into a Floridian. No such thing as too much color to her, so she’ll like it. Her house really reflects that. It looks Mexican — cinnamon colored walls, others are apple gree — it’s just gorgeous. People are always blown away when they see her house and she gets frequent requests for decorating help. She should be good, she watched HGTV all day long. Her latest triumph is creating a faux fireplace prettier than the real thing.
Dinner was everything I could ever want. Mom made stuffed artichokes, which has always been my favorite food. In a move that will cement Damon’s position as first in my life forever, he gave me the heart from his artichoke. And the sangria was perfect.

That’s pretty much life up until now. Mom’s at doctor’s appointment and Damon is swimming again. We’re all getting along great. Anytime my Mom pushes me a little too hard Damon does a little ‘down down down’ motion with his hand to remind me that I will be sorry if I don’t bite my tongue. So that’s working, and she’s not pushing me much.

In an hour I’ll go off to get my hair cut and then maybe we’ll go to the movies. I think Damon wants to shop some more. And tonight I’m going to make linguini with clam sauce.

This may be the longest LJ I’ve ever written — that’s vacation for you.