Stripper update!

So, I've been in Fresno, CA for the past couple of days visiting family. My maternal grandmother just had surgery on her intestines and has been pretty needy lately, so it was definitely important to be there this holiday season. My mom was already over her by the time we got there, though, because of her constant nagging and complaining. My sister and I kept laughing because when my mom gets the chance, she is the same exact way.

We spent lots of time with family, hanging out and drinking, mostly. It was bizarre to see how many new kids my extended family had spawned off - and many more on the way. Off the top of my head I can think of two cousins who are pregnant. My cousin Patrick and I joked about needing to put name-tags on the kids for the sake of the older veteran family members. My grandma doesn't remember anyone's name who was born after 1995.

I really enjoyed seeing my cousin Rene and her three kids - she's practically a sister, having been raised partially by my mom when she was very young. She lives with an asshole who does not appreciate her, and is disrespectful to her in every way short of physical violence. She's youthful and fun and I know that my sister, my mom and I each would love to "save" her in some way - we want to get her away from the hell that is her life.

My cousin Mike made a point to come hang out with us as well, if only for a little bit. He too is a father of three, the middle boy being adopted. Growing up, we didn't get a long, but its nice to see that we've both come a long way. He genuinely seems interested in what is going on in our lives, and he is extremely loyal and passionate about the people in his life.

The one person I was really excited to see was my cousin Patrick - I rarely get to see him, as he lives in Southern California now and spends more time with his mother's side of the family than ours, but he's really cool. Growing up, unlike Mike, Patrick and I were extremely close. We are closer in age and we enjoy a lot of the same things (and something tells me he may be gay, too.) We exchanged numbers and talked about getting together on Christmas night for my sister's birthday, but it never worked out. I guess, there's always next year.

In any case, I'm back in the city, and am going out tonight with my buddy Josh. I'll take the camera out and snap lots of photos - especially since we'll most likely be in the Castro. Ha!