Happy Blarghidays...

The bond that links your true family is not one of blood, but of respect and joy in each other's life. Rarely do members of one family grow up under the same roof. - Richard Bach

The holidays always seem like a trying time, especially when it comes to family. Is it due to a recent death or a crippling disease? I guess that depends on how you look into it. If a constant barrage of arguments and drunken disputes is a normal thing for you then skip this post.

My family consists of many people that believe everyone else in the world can read their minds. If this was true life would be so much easier. Mix in alcohol and it's close to playing Russian Roulette. Especially if you're players have angry or violent compulsions when drinking. To say the least, it's not one of my more favorite activities during the holidays. This year I don't have the luxury of working and missing out on all the fun.

When you do electrical work your entire life, you don't look forward to getting home and doing more electrical work. So when you deal with people that argue with you and possibly get violent while drinking, the last thing you want to do is deal with them at home. It's a completely different ordeal. Complete strangers and family are two different values all together. You're less likely to flag a cop down when you're dealing with your family unless it is an extreme situation.

Blend in the opinion that something is wrong with a person because they don't drink or "party" and now they have fuel. The constant "Oh, you're just too good to drink with us", or "Come on pussy! Drink!" starts out funny and turns into annoyance quickly. So my typical holiday has been; show up, eat, exchange, and go to work. Quick, efficient, to the point and I get to miss out on all the fun. This year the option will be; show up, eat, exchange and go do something more entertaining, like go to a friend's house to watch that holiday movie that's on a hundred times a year.

So there's my big holiday excitement. Hope your's is much more of a jolly good time.

-Be Safe.