A Family Affair.

Family parties are definitely not what they used to be. Everyone came over on Saturday for my grandfather's birthday, and it was one drama after another. My dad was pissed off from the beginning, just mad that people were coming over; Aunt Becky had a stick up her ass for some reason or another (this is fairly common lately); My grandmother was mad at my unlce because he took her car and wouldn't bring it back (He's like 40 years old, still lives with her, and this is common as well; The list goes on. It's a bit sad, really, seeing as that growing up I had such a love for all these people. It's gotten to the point where I can barely stand them.

A lot of their drama comes from secrets and betrayals. For a family that portrays themselves as very together, very close, they have worked hard at fucking each other over. Several years ago, one aunt slept with another's husband. This has been well known for years, and no one seems to think it's that big of a deal. Every once in awhile someone makes a snarky comment about it, but other than that it's common fare. It's sad to see a family so at each other's throats, mostly because it's my family, and I grew up thinking that we were different than that.

So needless to say, I tried not to socialize too much. I mostly hung out in the kitchen, where the beer was. And thank God for the beer.