Driving home from Pennsylvania

Cover of "Life of Pi"
This was a really magical movie.

We spent Thanksgiving up on the outskirts of Philadelphia with the Pinkney family. It was at times strained and tense, but overall, it was a really nice trip. Highlights of course included dinner at her grandparent’s Barbara and Nathan, a discussion on homosexuals as a social group, and getting to see Life of Pi at the 309 AMC.

Promotional poster of The Walking Dead.
That’s me. The Walking Dead. (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

I woke up much later than I wanted to. Tamika and I had stayed up to watch the cliffhanging episode (what episode isn’t) of The Walking Dead, but by the time I was about to turn in; it was already 2am.

It almost seems inevitable; every day that winds up being my bedtime. It’s very frustrating. We’ve already identified that the bulk of our frustrations with life come from not getting enough sleep, and yet…

Tamika and I had agreed the night before that we wanted to hit the road by noon, but at 11:20 I hand only just gotten myself; so that wasn’t going to happen. I had a bunch of Zerflin work to get done before we headed out (a review of a Baseball website and some work on a 3D house), so I got through that as quick as I could and helped Tamika fold clothes and get the car packed.

English: Logo from the radio program This Amer...
If you don’t listen to this podcast, you’re seriously missing out. (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

The roads were pretty clear. So after a stop at the Wawa for some gas, a turkey club and a chai, we were on our way. We made decent time, and other than getting blown around on the bridge a bit, it was pretty uneventful. I finally got Waze and the iPhone’s Podcast app to work together, so we were able to listen to Radio Lab, This American Life and The Moth on the ride home.

I dove back into Zerflin work when we got home; and the kids drew on the iPad and played with some glowsticks they got. Tamika was exhausted, so she’s upstairs taking a nap now. Going to try to get dinner ready soon. Salmon, I think. And rice.

Thanksgiving

Merrick Towle gave us Thursday and Friday off for Thanksgivng. I’ve been working a lot of extra hours in the web department, so I took the following Monday and Tuesday off too, and Tamika and I drove up to Connecticut to visit my parents. We had a really nice time. My Mom and Dad made a terrific turkey dinner. They have been getting to spend a lot more time with Nya, and Tamika and I have been able to hang out with Nick.

Tamika, Nick, Mom and I all went out to see Hugh Jackman in Australia. Really good movie; makes me want to move out there even more.

We visited Babchi and Jaju a couple times. Jaju was really happy to see Nya. She walked around picking up all the little knicknacks around their house, and brought them to him. He smiled at her, and gave them back. Babchi lent me the two Jancewicz and Wisniewski (Babchi’s maiden name is Wisniewski) family histories she had, and I’ve been trying to enter in all the data on my Geni account. Paul Jancewicz put together the Jancewicz family history, but I haven’t been able to get a hold of him. I want to digitize it to see if we can find any more of our history.

My Dad and I were talking when we got home, and my dad remarked at how he could go and interview Tommy Einish for hours up in the village, but couldn’t get his own father to talk to him about his past. There’s a lot we don’t know about Jaju. I encouraged him to grab a tape recorder and just do it. He’s probably the only person who really could.

My mom told us that Grandpa Kenney (my Mom’s dad) probably was divorced. Apparently, when asked about it, Nana Kenney said “Oh, she only married him for the money.” That pretty much put that rumour to rest. We don’t really know much about him, either… We know he was probably associated with the Boston Irish mob. But not too much else.

Mom and Dad convinced us to leave Nya with them. They’re planning on coming down once Arion is born, and bringing her with them then. It’s going to be tough not having her around, but it will help us get the house in order in preparation for Arion.
Tamika was cleared to come on the trip ok by our doctor, but feels she is ready to have the baby.

All of us have been sick with colds for the past week, and spending time at my parents was a nice way to get over it. I miss having my parents around. I overheard my mom talking to Tamika, and she remarked that it was easier having Nick around.

I’m going to miss Nya. It’s going to be a long ride home…