"I Still Haven't Seen the Tranny Show" was a Great Trivia Team Name...

I am so grumbly - I hate having to wake up at 7 a.m. to get to work by 9 and I hate that it involves using public transit because with all the traffic at that hour, a taxi would be expensive and take way longer than it should. I am sure all of you back home are laughing your ass off at me for dealing with what I fully realise is a normal, day-to-day requirement for most people, but there you are. I've been spoiled by cheap taxis or houses only minutes away from work and afternoon teaching schedules. It could be worse - even with my overtime hours, I work less than I did last year.

I've been meaning to update the world at large about my holidays, but have been too busy or too lazy and sometimes both simultaneously. Christmas Eve I managed to make it over to Liz's for some lovely turkey and great company. After that, I also managed to make it out to Stompers to hear her friend's band - she's been raving about it for ages, so for all that I was not in any mood to have to move from the sofa I stuck myself in, I did get to listen to some great live music and everyone else knocked themselves out dancing.

The next morning, Liz popped over and she made Eggs Benedict (when she heard, Martha arrived very promptly!), even making mine with turkey, since I am no fan of ham. Martha then disappeared off to shop for our Yankee Swap at Kobawoo, the local convenience store/base black market store - and I ended up with the KD, Toblerone, toothbrush and Tabasco Sauce (immediately regifted to Cleo) - before we watched a bit of The Office (that US version isn't too bad, considering how much I loved the first and thought I would be unable to handle a remake) and got ready for Xmas dinner at Geckos. Liz's food had been much better the day before, but I had a good time and the conversation was nothing short of hilarious, alphabet exes and all. Melissa spent a great deal of time with a bemused look on her face while Cleo, Martha and I talked. Brian and Rebekah had to leave earlyish, as they were working the next day, but we moved on to Seoul Pub once the staff kicked us out of Geckos (while I was attempting to talk with my family in Canada, no less). Will was there, which was fun, and everybody but me was very drunken. The pictures attest to that nicely. We even had a cab complete with TV for the short ride home, which was quite Christmasy.

For Boxing Day, Martha, Annie and I went over to Liz's once again, where she made us clam bake, scallops in pesto, and we wrapped it all up by spontaneously making some shortbread cookies - I hadn't baked cookies since I was about 13 I'd guess and this year I've ended up doing it twice. The cookies weren't as good as we hoped, due to some unexpected substitutions, but they are delicious anyway. A friend of Martha's showed up and we ended up popping over to Soho, as you do. It was the night that I was not pleased to be the sober one - O. was hit on a bit and I really hated the way he choose to respond to that. Liz pointed out that she doesn't know many straight men who would go to a gay bar in the first place and not freak out when hit on in the second, but that isn't my experience at all, so I have to admit to being really annoyed and disappointed. I wanted to bitch at him about the fact that gay people in Korea have so few places where they can hit on people and assume that they aren't doing so in vain and he should be fucking respectful of that, but since he was very drunk there seemed little point. I threw off the remark that I wasn't comfortable with what was happening and grabbed my coat to go.

I spent the entire next day trying to read about 60 pages of the end of a book, Borderliners, but I kept drifting off into naps. It was very relaxing, but I finally dragged myself out of bed and into the shower so I could meet Liz for dinner at Indigo before she headed to Busan on vacation. Talking with her recently has really made me think about things - she has such an interesting story (which is how she, as a writer, refers to everyone's life) and it provides a lot of illumination and things to think about for me. One of the things that O. annoyed me by saying in Soho had to do with him stating that people shouldn't put themselves in boxes by choosing a sexual identity. Coming from a straight man who conveniently found himself happy in the box that society had him in in the first place, I found that comment obnoxious. I would say it took me about ten years between the first crush I ever had on a woman and finally being comfortable coming out as bi. I liked having a box - because boxes that you put yourself in are different. They aren't restrictive in that same way - after all, if ten years of thinking resulted in a box change for the better, I obviously have no problem with the idea that I might box hop again. However, in the meantime, I like the identity I have claimed as my own and, yep, when I wonder if it does require a rethink, I don't always love the idea of having to leave behind that certainty for the creative confusion that comes with change. Listening to Liz relate her experiences has been really helpful for me lately - beyond being an incredibly generous and warm person, she really has managed to come into my life at the exact right moment.

After dinner, I joined Martha and two of her coworkers for a birthday night out in Queen, which was supposed to culminate in finally seeing the Tranny Show at Trance that I really have been meaning to see for several years. We did go - however, even though I had a great seat on the ground at the front, I didn't see any of the show. You might be wondering how that is, and the truth is that I participated in the most PDA I have in years. Not only did I make out for what felt like at least a half hour, but they put the spotlight on us during the show. Thus, I haven't seen the Tranny Show, but I have sort of been a part of it. I probably shouldn't admit these things on the Internet, much less on a blog my poor mother reads, but there you are. An experience on par with having my vibrator catch fire...

After finally finding the time to eat a turkey sandwich, because we all know that the leftovers are almost better than the meal itself, we came in third the next night at trivia - by one damn point! - so no free pitcher of beer. We played with Garret, one of the quiz masters, which was fun, and then went on a hunt for Martha's missing phone, which happily turned up. After that, I tried to get to bed early, but couldn't fall asleep, making my first day of Intensives incredibly crap and tiring. I don't mind my new classes, though a couple seem really light on curriculum. I don't fancy having to do that much supplementing, what with also covering a class for Sara while she is forced to teach biology, but I am happy to see that I will not be required to teach calculus, something I attempted to wipe from my brain about ten years ago. I am teaching a decent mix of older and younger students once again and no bloody Gogo for at least this month.

In spite of having a three day week this week and only a two day one at the end of January, I'm still dreading the work days between now and February, when I will once again be able to return to sleeping in until noon and drinking coffee in bed until at least one, like a civilized person.

Until then, I hope all of you and all of my students can put up with the grumpiness.