A low-key New Year's Eve

Even in my wilder years, New Year's Eve celebrations always felt a little anticlimactic. There was Y2K in Chicago, where my friend Chrissy and I partied a little too hard on Y2K Eve's Eve and spent most of the day recovering on the couch checking off other time zones that hadn't imploded. Another year I was outside having a cigarette and missed the countdown and ball drop completely (another reason not to smoke, kids).

Now that I'm older and ostensibly wiser (or I just tire more easily), I actually worry about stuff like being on the roads with the crazies. Since my move to the Near East Side, I also worry about where all those celebratory bullets end up on their way back down. That said, I had a nice time this New Year's Eve enjoying the hospitality of friends Jill & Jon in Carmel. I still almost missed the countdown, though - no matter how old I am, I will always be easily distracted!

Holidays are for reuniting with old friends and family!

Our family Christmas has always been low-key, and it's even more so now that we're all grown up (numerically, at least!) and there are no little kids to amuse us. However, I love the week around Christmas every year because I get to see all kinds of people who are just popping through Indianapolis on their way to other places.

Christmas night was the annual Turissini Family Game Night - where all the sibling rivalry ("I always move his Phi Beta Kappa diploma so it's below mine!"), bitter memories of Apples to Apples blowouts past, etc., came to a head playing Wii until all hours of the night. There is a game where you can steer with your butt. I was decent at this game, no surprise there!

Saturday night my cousin Andy, his wife Melanie, and their 9 1/2 month old daughter Sabina came through town on their way to visit my grandma. I think this little girl is the cutest thing ever, and we've gotten to meet her 3 times now even though they live in SoCal. Photo ops abounded as my mom, dad, brother and I all competed for baby time.

Sunday night was another reunion - my friend Lupae cooked great food and we got to reunite with our friend Seth who was rolling through town from Atlanta. Seth was my little buddy in kindergarten and my boyfriend for a blink of an eye in high school, and Lupae and I have been friends since 1984, so we had a great time catching up. The photo op, however, was not as flattering, and we are blaming Lupae's 9 year old for making us look old since he took the picture. Time flies!

A great Thanksgiving in Southern Indiana

Thanksgiving was low-key this year, compared to our massive extended-family gatherings of the past... the cousins are scattered across the country now, starting their own families, etc. So it was just my immediate family plus my Grandma Hodgin, who still lives in Orleans, IN, about an hour south of Bloomington.

Since nobody felt like cooking, we opted for the Thanksgiving buffet at the West Baden Springs Hotel, part of the French Lick Resort and Casino. Wow. Since it became part of the new casino complex a couple of years ago, the hotel has been completely redone and modernized, but its amazing charm is still there!

The rotunda where we ate, built in the 20s I think, was the world's largest until the Astrodome was built. See the tiny people in the photos for perspective.

The food was awesome too - pumpkin lobster bisque, Cornish hens, and a chocolate fountain! We're doing this next year for sure. It's $300/night to stay at the hotel, so we stay at the Spring Mill State Park Inn nearby, but someday I'll splurge and get a room here.

A final bonus - the hotel and casino bring a much-needed economic stimulus to the poorest part of Indiana.

Better late than never?

Well, I haven't posted anything for oh, almost four months now... yikes. I WILL be better! For now, here's a photo of my cozy fireplace last Sunday, somewhat decked out for the holidays (no stockings yet). You can always follow my shenanigans on Facebook, if you really care that much!

A beautiful day on the Near Eastside

Leeza and I went to the Feast of Lanterns in Spades Park on Saturday evening... relaxed, ran into some friends, and listened to music (headliners: Rev. Peyton's Big Damn Band). Great people-watching, dog-watching, and kid-watching, good food (Jamaican patties from Da Blue Lagoon), a nice relaxing evening lit by paper lanterns.

A great day at the State Fair

Saturday was a beautiful day for the Indiana State Fair... we visited the Klan sheep in their little costumes (note: apparently they're not really getting ready for a rally; these are to keep their coats clean), the cheese carving lady, the wittle bunnies and chicken babies, and a baby cow only 2 days old. Good times! Funnel cake! Everything you could ever want on a stick!

NObody expects the Fair Train!

While the Fair Train has some retro aesthetic appeal, and makes neat loud whistle noises nonstop during the month of August, it also has an uncanny ability to pass by right when I'm trying to drive somewhere...