I went to a full out dinner party yesterday. With my parents! That hasn’t happened in… I don’t even know how long. Very typical, from what I imagine, list of conversation topics - food (including wines, other drinks and what it means to drink them as well as how different kinds of teas are produced and the hostesses unbelievable cooking skills), travel (”go here but not there”, “oh we had this awesome thing happen to us”, “we’re going here next year”…), memories (intersects with the two above “oh I remember my husband and I…” as well as “oh wow it’s so different now that…”), sports (incluing the Canada vs Russia Junior hockey dilema, Russian patriotism and sports) which led to talking about financing and the different things that caused the crisis and what it will lead to and how to take advantage of it. It was all so smooth and natural I really enjoyed watching it unfold.

During one of our dinners at the Blue Mountain, somewhere by the end of our dinner and the second bottle of wine, we spoke about… well, consuming animals. Not sure how the conversation led there, but the story is that my mother wanted a lambskin coat, untill she found out that they’re made with the fur of the unborm lamb, but aborting them. (she’s just like Madonna btw). Anyways while she was talking about it, I (rather tipsy btw) finished every one of her sentences with “unforn baby lamb”. It was a pretty fun game at the point, I swear! So anyways, we kept talking about how okay, aborted baby lamb sounds horrible, but really, what’s the difference if it was aborted or if they waited for it to be born? I mean I don’t wear fur, yet wear leather shoes and buy leather bags. I eat the meat products while specifically not finding out how it is that they are made. I actually had to politely ask a person to shut up when she tried to explain to me how fois gra is made… And eggs are nothing else than unborn chickens. It’s all very confusing. Where’s the line and why is it so smudged?

In 2009 I want to learn to live in peace effortlessly with my family. It would make me very happy.
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Passed out after coming back from skiing - i love that photo

Me, I went back to the gym today, which is a pretty big deal after the intense pigging out and being unbelievably lazy these past couple of weeks. Yay health.

I cleaned and rearranged my apartment today as well, it now feels like it’s mine again. except for the den that’s overfilled with suitcases still. Definitely looking forward to a whole week of being my own boss again. Wow how sad is that?

In other exciting news, I finished watching all the available episodes of Heroes, and it’s pretty, how they say in How I Met Your Mother, epic. Got a little too unnecessarily complicaed in the middle of season three there for a bit, but the last couple of episodes were pleasant. I watched the first few episodes of Lipstick Jungle I keep hearing about - and in my opinion it’s much more like Gossip Girl than it is like Sex and the City it’s being constantly compared to. Rich women having unnecessary kind of problems… but fairly entertaining none the less. Next - Office. I should really slow down. And make a study schedule. I am four days behind as of tonight.

I missed home, even insanely overflowing with people and things, it’s still awesome.

I finally had the “Russian Salad” today! It was store-bought and not quite as good and the home-made stuff, but new year is officially here.

Oh yea, while driving home we were listening to satellite radio in the rented van - it’s quite amazing! I would so totally get it if I spent lots of time driving. The variety and quality are amazing.

Oh yea. Also. My router’s not working again. Stupid router. ah well, i’ll worry about it next week.

Third day on the hills - and I am still alive! For the first time I actually enjoyed skiing - good thing, ’cause we were up there for three and a half hours. I am no longer afraid of the speed. I feel that I can control what I am doing… at least most of the time. It’s very exciting to see progress like this. The views are amazing from the lifts and from the hill… really made me wish i could trust myself with going down the hill with the camera.

Sitting in a hot tub while it’s snowing those huge gorgeous snowflakes was an amazing experience, just magical.

We have discovered the beaver tails yesterday and had them again today. Tamara had one up on the hill as well - ridiculously delicious.

Getting drunk with parents is fabulous as always -we went to a fantastic Greek restaurant and finished two bottles of wine - the waiter had his suspicious about the Russians confirmed.

Going home tomorrow morning.

omg not another entry! she’s on fire!

While resting between skiing, we have been eating a lot. Also, watching quite a bit of TV. They really like marathons on the holidays, we have watched so much “That 70s show” I love it.

We’re now watching the X Men - The Last Stand and keep recognizing actors whose faces didn’t mean anything before. Like Sookie (Anna Paquin) (who apparently got an Oscar at the age of 11? what?), and Juno, and McDreamy… I guess there’s a limited number of actors out there after all.