No Tread on Me

Happy holidays, everyone! Sorry about the lack of posts lately, but it's been a rather hectic few weeks in Alexanderpool-land. Alexanderpoolville? Alexanderpolis? Whatever, it's been very busy. I had a couple of transactions close right before Christmas, which required me to spend a few late nights at the office. Then of course came Christmas Eve, for which we invited over the Cha clan for drinks, appetizers and present-opening. On Christmas day Sofia opened her presents from Santa and I prepared the dinner (a 12-pound "laid back" turkey, tons of stuffing, barley risotto, two kinds of gravy, etc.). Despite some apprehensions, I think everyone really enjoyed the food and left slightly heavier than they were when they arrived. 

On Tuesday morning I woke up and had an inexplicable desire to visit New Orleans, so I called up my cousin Stephen to see if he was going to be around. He graciously invited us to crash at his place (coincidentally, I received their Christmas card later that morning with a standing invitation to visit), and I bought tickets for me and Sofia that morning. After packing, picking up Sofia and Nik's and heading to the office to wrap up a couple of particulars, we were on our way to the Big Easy. The plane was a bit delayed, so we arrived about three hours behind schedule, but the important thing was that we made it safe and sound. 

The next morning we went to Janet and Steve's condo and had breakfast with Jordan at Cake Cafe before they headed back up to Monroe. We enjoyed the afternoon with Jennifer roaming the French Quarter, eating a muffeleta and fried crawfish tails and conversing with Germano-American four-year olds on the banks of the Mississippi before returning to Jennifer and Stephen's house for a quick nap. When I woke up, Stephen had come home, and we made our way uptown to Jacques-Imo's for some alligator sausage cheesecake. Alas, the wait at Jacques-Imo's was about two hours, so we settled on Ninja Sushi instead. After dinner, Sofia and I hit the road to Monroe, where we arrived at Janet and Steve's around 12:45.

The next morning, Sofia ate two different kinds of new cereal (Lucky Charms and Cocoa Puffs, both of which changed the color of the milk) and played with a new set of dogs while Janet and I chatted. After a quick shower, Sofia and I headed over to Nanya's house, after which we gorged at the Johnny's Pizza buffet. For all of you who ever ate at Johnny's, it was as good as I remember, and for less than $20 for three people (drinks included), it's still one of the best deals around. After lunch, Nanya and I drove around Monroe for a while to see everything that had changed since my last visit (quite a bit, actually) and let Sofia nap in the car, after which we headed back to Nanya's. After another brief nap (noticing a trend?), I escorted Nanya to her friends' house so she could show me and Sofia off a bit, after which we went to Janet's and Steve's for Chinese (I'm still not sure why, but oddly enough Monroe has pretty reliable Chinese food). After dinner, Sofia and I hit the road again back to New Orleans, arriving around 2:00 in the morning after a long drive.

Sofia and I flew back to Philadelphia the next afternoon after a pleasant morning with Jennifer and Stephen, recovered a bit on our sleep, and then hit the road to New York the next morning for Eric's New Year's Eve party. Sofia really enjoyed playing with JJ, and I enjoyed several bourbons while watching (and occasionally helping) Eric and Kim prepare that evening's appetizers and dinner. After yet another big and delicious meal, we rang in the new year, bid good f@#%ing riddance to 2011, and promptly hit the sack.

The next morning, after helping Eric and Kim polish off some of their delicious bacon and leftovers, Sofia and I made our way to Allentown, PA to visit Mike and Jill and their ever-expanding clan. Mike and I decided to dine at the local Waffle House (double order of hash browns scattered, smothered and covered, a waffle and a bowl of Bert's chili) for a flashback gastrointestinal adventure before meeting up with Jill, Mrs. Wasserman and the kids at an enormous playground. We chatted the rest of the day while Nina, Milo and Sofia played before Sofia and I made our way back to Moorestown later that evening.

Needless to say, both Sofia and I are a bit pooped. As exhausting as the last week or so was, though, it was great to see everyone and spend so much time with friends and family, especially given the circumstances. It wasn't the way anyone had anticipated spending the holidays this year, but I think everyone had a good time. Thanks again to all who hosted us during our travels; we hope to see you again soon!