We left the party and headed back to Beford to catch the subway. Check out this "off to see the Wizard" shot that either Katie or Siege managed to snap. Hahaha.
...were the first people in history brave enough to try to turn the area behind the pool table into a "dance floor." (If you're a guy, this usually results in an asskicking. If you're a girl, it's usually interpreted by the male patrons that you're "asking for it.")
Later that night, Rachael, Emily, Meredith and I headed up to the very classy Pat's Bar in Landing, NJ (it's sort of become a holiday tradition over the years).
We hopped in my parents car and drove, ohh approximately six houses down the street to have Christmas dinner at The Little's house. (The Little's are my parent's closest friends in their neighborhood).
After the party, we came back to my house and snuck up to my old high school bedroom to write cards and wrap gifts (and no, my room didn't look like that in high school. I had waaaay more Iron Maiden posters up. Somewhere in the twelve years since I moved out, my mom redecorated my room and turned it into Wussland. Maiden still rules, though. Seriously).
Later in the afternoon, we went down the street to the Hogg's House (they claim it's pronounced HOAG...yeah, right!) - they're friends of my parents and have a yearly Xmas party. They have two kids and so there are always a few random Roxbury High School alumni sightings! Here's Meredith with Matt Anderson and Tim Beech!
Back at my parent's house, Meredith was marveling at our tree. (Ok, more likely she was marveling at the fact that my parents have their tree plugged into a Clapper.)
Oh, and here's a pic of the Holiday Card Meredith received in the mail from her friend Chessa. She took one of Meredith's old modeling pics, cropped it super-close and then stamped a "YOU'RE A JEW!" menorah on her forehead. Hahaha. Classy!
Meredith and I arrived at The Delancey a little early so we could have a few drinks and catch up with some peeps (Like David "Capt. Creepy" Kreitman, see here peeking into the picture to recreate one of his most creepy photo moments from my going away party last summer).
Here's a close-up. (My friend Lauren works at the Apple Store and a few months later when they took this display down I had her save it for me so Meredith could give it to her mom - who LOVES the fact that her daughter is "a model." Hahaha. So cute).
Sweet Tits Whoomped her way into last place! (But at least she managed to block Fatty from gloating with his "I'm number one!" pose in the background).
After the extended family headed home, Grant, Meredith and I borrowed my Mom's car to visit my good buddy Scott. Meredith was rocking the back seat sans knickers (Walmart was closed, remember?) and when I pointed my camera over my shoulder while driving and snapped this gem I almost captured an inadverdent growler shot! (Which I accidentally showed my dad the next day when he downloaded the pics off my cam so he could print out the group pics I took of the family. Doh!)
I got up to help him out and was told that he didn't need any help "figuring out his own camera, Goddamnit!" So I took some photos of everyone waiting. Hahah.
Somehow, Grant and I got into an argument about whether or not tapping the top of shaken-up soda can will really prevent it from fizzing all over the place (I said yes, he said no) and Meredith, tired of listening to us bicker like wetodds, finally offered to buy us sodas so we could just try it out and shut the fuck up already ("Best $0.80 I ever spent!")
After all getting crunked up at The Barn (uh, except for me Dad, because I was the driver) we headed over to The Roxbury Diner (which we all know is really still called The Victoria Diner) for some late night grub. I like how when everyone started throwing gangsigns, my brother's gangsign is to simultaneously pinch both his titties and look "naughty."
...round up a crew and head to the local townie bar that's called "The Barn!" Believe it or not, The Barn actually used to be a restaurant called Seafood Shack when I was growing up in town! Seafood Shack. A winning name like that and they still went out of business. Shocking, right? Steak Shanty is gone as well. Go figure.) Anyway, over holidays The Barn is the defacto place that everyone I went to high school with goes to catch up with everyone else. Here's Amy (my brother's girlfriend), Grant, Brett and Meredith preparing for their very first Barn Experience!
...Tha Grizza! Talk about the two best Thanksgiving guests of all time! We hopped on an NJ Transit Train headed westward towards Succasunna, NJ (where I grew up!).
Meredith had been planning to spend Thanksgiving with her family Uptown, but at the last minute her Grandfather out in Ohio got sick and her brother and mother went out there to see him. Meredith wanted to go, but her Mom assured her he'd be ok. So I managed to talk her into coming out to NJ to experience Thanksgiving with the Battjers. Here's the lucky lady on the subway platform waiting for the A train to Penn Station where we were also meeting...
Die The on Wednesday night, Grant and Meredith took the NJTransit Train out to NJ with me to spend Thanksgiving dinner with my family! (More of this coming soon in a whole separate entry).
Grant's making a face in this picture like he's already mad about the whole fan joke I made up above (almost 11 months later). Before we headed home for the night, we decided to step into the photoboth and commemorate the night. (Because there's definitely not enough pictures of me and my friends acting stupid).
...Meredith and Grant (and I forget who the girl on the left is - someone's friend from out of town? A stranger that met on the street?) over on Avenue A. If it's after 4am and you're on Ave A and you've been drinking, there's a pretty darn good chance that you're going to end up...
Back at Meredith's I whipped out my laptop to do some work and she fired her's up as well so she could work next to me (because she loves being a nerd like that).
Afterwards, I went back to Meredith's to say goodbye and tried to pretend I wasn't super-sad about having to go back to San Francisco all by my lonesome.