Culture Clash
2004-12-20,

The annual potluck went pretty well this year. Everyone had a good time, the turkey came out perfect (thank you, brining), the kids played, there was a decent balance of foods brought, and all was generally well. And only one dining item got broken this year - a cheap (and, thankfully, empty) wine glass. Last year I think we lost two plates, or a plate and a glass. Parties do take a toll on one's dinnerware.

The best part of the evening for me was watching the locals trying to deal with the chaotic and askew conversations of the 'city folk'. Cleveland (Lakewood and Cleveland Heights, mainly) met Medina in a culture clash to be cherished. I won't get into discussion topics here (though I may just do so for my Nine-Toed Friends, to keep your eyes peeled), but suffice to say it was not what I imagine to be your typical holiday fare for a semi-rural suburb. Left-leaning and open-minded, to be sure. I don't believe that anyone was offended or shocked, per se, but certainly at a loss for words. I certainly enjoyed expanding some horizons. Medina's chock full of people that could use a little enlightening.

We decided to have a 'signature drink' for the evening, which was called a 'Swiss Account': .25 oz. Bacardi Select, .25 oz. chocolate liqueur and 2 oz. Goldschlager; shake with ice and strain over ice. Yum. If you try it, up the proportion of chocolate liqueur, as it didn't come through as much as we'd like.

Sunday was spent quietly, part of the day with all four of us watching videos of the kids from the last number of years. We had to drive through a snowstorm to deliver the kids unto their father's place, which was fun. It amazes me the things that people think are a good idea to try when there's 4 inches of snow on the ground. Just this morning I watched a guy pull out of a gas station parking lot and nearly get squashed by a semi. Anyway, H and I stopped at the mall in Strongsville to do some final gift shopping and spend some quality time together. The last month has been quite hectic and it was the first time we'd had some real time to be with just each other for any more than the few usually tired hours we manage between work and sleep. Turns out it was a much needed respite. I'm looking forward to finishing up our shopping together tonight. Who knows-- maybe I'll even start enjoying the Season for a while.

PPDD may be on us to some small degree. We keep finding ourselves repeating lines from the show whenever something relative comes up in conversation, and I keep expecting H to break out into one of her monologues at random like she'd been doing for the last month to get ready for the show. And last Monday I found myself wondering if I had rehearsal that evening. Still, I'm glad the show's over, fun as it ended up becoming. It's been quite a year. Let's hope I'll have time for it again once 2006 rolls around.

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