I'm listening to a radio program about the Chimeric brain --- it's all about how, to test human stem cells, they're implanted into animals first, which effectively turn them into chimeras.

Sister 2 was like, "How can you listen to that? It's so boring."

Well, no, not really.

This doesn't necessarily apply to my sister, but I kind of think that we all have this idea of what it means to be cool and interesting, but when you boil it down, all of that stuff that's supposed to mean we lead full and interesting lives...well, they aren't all that interesting.

There's just got to be a point in your life where getting hammered doesn't sound all that cool --- it just sounds like you're on the road to having a problem...the kind where you stand up in front of a group of strangers and go, "Hi, my name is _________ and I'm an alcoholic."

So, the family Christmas party is happening in about a week's time.

It's been a year since my grandmother died --- sometimes, it startles and surprises me that it's been a year. At the time, you don't think it's possible, but you kind of get used to not having someone around. It's a weird feeling, knowing that everyone eventually disappears from your life.

We went to her grave yesterday and afterwards, I just felt like...with her gone, the extended family has just sort of given up all pretense of being close. The extended family's too large, anyway. Eventually, the cousins I grew up with will just be people I bump into at weddings and funerals. Family will only mean my sisters and their spouses.

God, I hope my youngest sister falls in love and gets married one day. I hope she doesn't wind up like me.