All I want for Christmas is MORPHINE

Justin continues to improve.  He's got a room, now.  And a morphine drip.  It's making him a little loopy.  It's a little reward for those that have gone to visit:  Let's mess with Justin and see what he'll say!  The nurse asked him, "Do you know where you are?"  "Yeah, I'm in the back of the boat."  He complained to my dad yesterday that he had gotten hardly any sleep because "they moved me all over this damned hospital."  When not rolling him all over the joint, the staff likes to hang drywall in his room, causing "so much dust!"  He has asked to have the cap on his thumb replaced several times. His (friend? girlfriend? dominatrix? god knows) Amy leaned over him and said, "Who do you love the most?"  And he answered "Lisa."  We don't know who Lisa is.  I suspect she brings the morphine.

He's eating a little, but says everything tastes horrid.  We don't know if that's a function of smushed sinuses or the dried blood that keeps coughing or dripping out or what.  And heaven knows the staff isn't concerned.  Mom has been cutting them some slack because it's been Christmas time, but that's over now.  So I expect them to suddenly snap to.  We'll see.

In other news...Christmas at my folks' was quieter than normal.  We were the only ones there on Christmas eve, so I gave the kids all of the "santa" gifts except their stockings.  See how adaptable you can be when there's no elaborate ruse?  See?  Anyway, I gave them What's in Ned's Head?-- a charming little game in which you stick your hand up Ned's nose in hopes of finding the earwax covered q-tip before your opponents find their nasty targets--dirty diaper, pool of vomit, bird poop with a worm in it, etc.  Good times.  In the morning, they got their stockings, stuffed with delightful goodies from stupid.com --reindeer that poop candy, a toilet filled with sour powder into which you dip a lollipop plunger, a nose-shaped pencil sharpener...apparently Santa is a 10 year old boy.

The big hit of the year was the scooters that my folks got for all the bigger kids.  But mostly they liked playing with the cousins.  I came into the basement to find that Lily was taking one of the twins hostage at gun point.  She was annoyed thatI had a camera and charged me.  I was lucky to get out with my life.


Then she made them stick their hands in Ned's Head



Ben, wearing his new shirt, playing with the Lego minifigs he got in his stocking.  He still has the shirt on, by the way.  I'm thinking he should get a bath today...



Julianna, duct tape on plantars wart, trying to train a new Nintendog:



Here's my lot:


And here's the whole cousinpalooza (minus Aaron):



And no Christmas is complete without rampaging scooter gangs and cranky grown-ups.  Be sure to hang in there to listen to Tash screaming like a fishwife.  She was having a bad day (thanks, Stacy, you slag).  And then Lily brings the cute: