Family Ties

I know what you're thinking and you can relax....this isn't going to be about that sitcom from the 80's with Michael J. Fox and Justine Bateman and that kid Skippy. I recently got back in touch with one of my many cousins (this one is my 2nd cousin on my dad's side) and we've been trying to make an effort to get together more. My dad's side of the family is huge (his mom is one of 11 kids and she and all but one of her brothers and sisters has at least 5 kids and their kids have a bunch of kids, etc) and quite a few of us in the same age range all live within short driving distance of each other. It's weird though because we never seem to connect and just hang out to hang out. It's like there has to be a family function to bring everyone together. And when we do get together we all have a great time and say we need to hang out more, but it never seems to happen because no one makes much of an effort. Well dang it, I think that's just sucky. Since we don't get to choose our family, it's pretty damn cool when you have relatives that you would actually seek out as friends. However, because we're related, we all take each other for granted and I've started to feel like I'm missing out on really getting to know some great people. So, for my Chinese New Year's resolution, I'm going to start being more proactive about spending quality time with my extended family. For all the excuses we make about being too busy and having to work and other commitments we make an effort to keep, I think it's important to make time for your family, however distant they may be.

Oh yeah, this is completely unrelated but I heard a really stellar jazz quartet on Saturday night and I'm gonna try to catch them again tomorrow night. I've always appreciated jazz music, but until recently I haven't wanted to seek it out.....it's way more romantic than sappy love songs and the mellow vibe of a jazz club is the atmosphere I've been craving lately. Doesn't hurt that the trumpet player is a cutie either....