The One With No More Basketball

Unlike most holiday seasons, which have defined dates, my holiday season can end anytime. And it did Saturday evening when Kansas lost to UCLA. I'm always disappointed when March is over, not really because of my team but because of my friends. I have talked to Mindy every day this month, and I get texts from my other college best friends several times a day. When basketball season ends, that all slows down, and I feel a little more cut off from the world.

I know that I can still talk to Mindy, but the bottom line is that our lives aren't that interesting. So we really don't have something to talk about every day. I don't really want to hear about the White Sox every day, and I'm sure she's not that interested in the cute thing Chubbs did yesterday, so we really run out of things to say. The same thing happens with my other friends. Now that we're grown up, we don't have a lot to talk about.

Today, Mindy and I made a list of topics that we could potentially talk about next week, and we talk once or twice a week all throughout the year anyway, so as to ease the blow a little. But now I have to go focus on cheering for my second favorite team -- whoever is playing North Carolina. I'm not thrilled about another year where they make the Final Four and Kansas doesn't.

But if Kansas returns everyone, as I think they will, you're all invited to the Gellars next year as we watch Kansas extend the holiday season one extra week.

The One Where I Finally Got Gmail

It's true. No one has written on this blog for a really long time. Mostly, that's because I just have felt very disengaged from the world and haven't really wanted to sit down and write about it. But it's also because Mon and I didn't change over to "new blogger," which I find to be terribly annoying, until today.

I'm trying to be more cheerful these days because my depression is really taking its toll on my kids. Or should I say, my kid. Muggsy can always sense my moods, and when I'm upset, he's upset. He's attacked Chubbs a couple of times in the last week because I guess he must blame Chubbs for my sadness. Or he just doesn't know what to do and then loses his temper at Chubbs. I feel so bad about it. I've tried to get them out for more exercise this last week to hopefully ease the tension. But Muggsy, who maintains his sanity in our small house by spending most of his time in his garage bedroom, has been inside with me all day the last week. It's definitely causing a problem. Yesterday, he barely left his crate. It's one thing when I can't eat or sleep, but when I start hurting my family, it's time to shape up. I just wish I could convince my body the same thing.

One thing that I have to look forward to that has cheered me up today is going back to school. I'm going to get a biology degree with an emphasis in environmental studies. I'm interested in wildlife conservation and animal behavior. I just can't do PR anymore. I hate it. So I enrolled at Cal State Dominguez Hills and got accepted for the fall semester. I went to the campus today to meet with my advisor for the first time, and it reminded me of a really great time in my life. Since all of my high school friends have been haunting me, I've really been thinking and dreaming a lot about high school and a really painful time in my life. Going to Cal State Dominguez Hills, even though it's the equivalent of going to North Texas instead of Texas, reminded me of a great time in my life when there were so many possibilities and I was able to escape my past life. I'm really looking forward to it, even though I'm going to have to take a lot of math classes and do a lot of things that were hard for me the last time I was in school. Of course, CSUDH won't be Kansas -- nothing could be -- but I'm excited about the new doors it will open. I really wanted to go to UCLA, but they won't accept second BA students. So soon, I'll probably be writing even less because I'll really be too busy what with two jobs and school.

And, of course, I have to say, before I end this, on the topic of school, that it is indeed the most wonderful time of the year again. It's the holiday season, time to exchange sports-related gifts with your friends, reaquaint yourself with friends and family, take time off work and prepare holiday treats for your days of sitting at home with the family. It's truly my favorite time of the year. I'm like a giddy kid, less so this year, but I can still feel the excitement in the air. All of my college friends come out of the wordwork -- I've gone through 400 text messages in the last four days, and I've gotten phone calls from several friends that I only hear from in March. So happy holidays, everyone. Hope all your holiday wishes come true (unless you didn't go to Kansas...)