I am quaking in my boots, my friends. Or, I would be, were I wearing boots. As it is 29 degrees C outside, I am not, nor do I foresee myself wearing them anytime soon. Anyway, back to the point.

I am quaking in my proverbial boots. What has got your confident little Slytherin so insecure, you ask? Two words:

FAMILY. REUNION.

It's not that I don't love my family; I do, just...not up close. I love them about as much and in the same way as I love...oh...the woman at the supermarket who takes forever to ring in the groceries. Or the garbage truck guy. In fact, I would say that I feel closer to Queen Elizabeth 1, than I do to them. I have no idea who half of them are anyway.

One of my mom's sisters lives 3 houses down our road, and I see them on average of once a year. My grandparents I see maybe once a month. Everyone else? Maybe once every 3 years. Most of these people invited today I've never even met.

And that's just my mom's side. On my dad's side, he has his sister who lives in Toronto with her husband and two kids, as well as my grandmother. And as far as I'm concerned, that's it.

Well, I have some cousins/uncles in Boston, and a few in California, but again, they have the significance of being a random body mentioned once in ablue moon, called on their birthday and recieveing money from over Christmas. That's it.

My outer family is not close, as you can see. I am not comfortable around any of them, especially my mom's family, because we share absolutly nothing, excepting bloodlines. I'd much rather have my adoptive family over instead; the neighbours who are at my house all the time, and we at theirs.

Oh well, I shall stick it out the best I can and try and understand the completely different species that will soon surround me. Smile and nod, offer something to drink. Talk about school. I shall survive.

I hope.

And if I do, I shall most probably come back here tonight and tell you all about it.

I apologize; I must go. I have to set up a large tent for all of the old- excuse me- elderly people to sit under.

Love,
J