It's a calm day afternoon, sun shining through the blinds as I sit quietly next to my boyfriend. They've snoozed the alarm almost five times so far, getting as much sleep as they can before they have to get up and go to work.
A few nights ago, a homeless man died of hypothermia on a park bench two miles from my apartment. This came just two weeks after the city threw out the tents our homeless population use to keep warm in that same park. This city has a long history of treating their homeless like shit, stuffing them away from the view of rich college kids and their parents. It seems like every year they find a new way to make life harder for those who already have it the hardest.
Winter break has been a mixed bag recently. The relief of having this past semester behind me and no longer being able to do anything to change it has helped me so much in my day-to-day. However, the effects of it are beginning to creep in. Rent and bills are stretching me thin, to the point where I have started searching for a job to cover myself financially should my scholarships fall through. I also signed up to sell blood plasma for cash, to cover the short term before I can start getting regular pay. Hopefully this is overkill, but I want to be ready for anything. On top of this I still have to make a bunch of calls and figure out my schedule for next semester before mid January.
Christmas was a great success yesterday. We started the day by cleaning up the mess of yestereday's festivities and putting finishing touches on a batch of empire buscuits my boyfriend prepared. Eventually a minivan pulled into the empty parking lot of our apartment complex and out stepped my boyfriend's dad in a christmas sweater featuring the drag queen Divine, wearing a hammer and sickle ushanka, with a fat cigar in his mouth. Their mom walked out just after, wearing the same sweater and carrying a large box of gifts. We had a pleasant Christmas breakfast on the hood of their car, with plenty of coffee and cinnamon rolls to go around. This was our first Christmas together, and I really loved being a part of it.
Break has given me a lot of time to just relax, which has been greatly appreciated. I got on better terms with my parents, watched Les Mis for the first time in my life, started to put ads out for subletting my apartment, and made plans for my second acid trip ever. Hopefully around this time next year I can put this effort toward something more normal, like planning holiday visits, picking out gifts for my family and friends, and failing some overabitious New Years resolution.
Have a happy holiday season
-- Noah