grey and cold and wet

It's a rainy, cold weekday afternoon in the Northern Shenandoah Valley and I'm attempting to focus on alcoholic mice and miRNA function with little success. Everything I write seems completely plagarized, but mostly because everyone says essentially the same thing over and over again in their brief overviews of alcoholism and its effects on society to start off their journal articles. Half of what I'm reading isn't sticking through the haze of sinus pressure. What I would really rather be doing is watching The Fellowship of the Ring on the very large TV at home whilst curled up on the sofa.

Hanging out with my brothers has proven interesting. They've both grown up a lot in the last year and remarkably making decisions that directly affect the rest of their lives. My mother is moving forward and upward in the wake of her separation from my father. It hasn't been easy on anyone, but in the long run it's a major positive for everyone involved. Not having him in the house has definitely made for a much more relaxed few days at home; no worrying about keeping things on an even keel, wondering how long it would before before something miniscule and inconsequential sets him off again. Christmas Day won't be nearly so peaceful.