I just got back from another holiday party. God, I'm exhausted. I've been going like gangbusters all day. I'm supposed to go another party tomorrow afternoon, but I'm thinking of not going. I'd like a day to just relax and decompress. I spent the whole day shopping, and waiting in line at the post office trying to mail presents; me and the whole world it seemed.

There's also another party on Christmas eve to attend right before the late night service, that I just got invited to. I told them I have Christmas eve dinner plans, but may show up for dessert. Then I'm going to a Christmas day luncheon party. Just thinking about it all makes me tired.

Still, it's nice to go to parties to catch up with people whom I haven't seen or talked to in awhile. Athough I'm not a big party goer, I go to all the Christmas parties to catch up with friends.

Like take my friend who was in the hospital with a bacterial infection. I've been meaning to send a card or go and visit him, but I kept forgetting. Some friend huh? Anyway, he shows up at this party tonight and it was so good to see him. We spent about 20 minutes talking about what happened to him, and how he's doing now. Then I spoke to another friend who I hadn't talked to in awhile, and she was telling me about her new medication for this recurring medical problem that she's having.

Parties are where I get to hear the nitty gritty details of people's lives, and that's why I go to them. Well that and the gossip. I get to hear the gossip about various friends, and that's always kind of fun in a purely perverse way.

Now I just want to sit down and read my new Caleb Carr novel. I love Cale Carr! He's an amazing writer. He's a historian as well, and he includes all these factoids in his stories. I love him, and want to write like him. His stories make me think deeply about issues.

I haven't been writing since the end of November. I kind of feel guilty about it, but a part of me feels like I deserve a break and a vacation since I spent all of last month furiously writing. The December holidays are the worst time to write. There's just so much to do this month, that it's hard to fit writing in.

It feels strange not to write though, and I'm starting to feel it. I'll have to start writing again after Christmas. Things will have calmed down by then, at least until New Years.