meeting the fockers

i've got a lot to do tonight before the weekend comes and i have to meet will's family. i'm getting my haircut, doing laundry, and hopefully getting some good rest in between. i've been sick for the past few days with a stomach virus that left me sore and tired. but with my last post in mind i will also say i'm grateful that it's over and that i'm able to bounce back to my healthy self with the help of a little gatorade and sprite. (i'm sipping on a can of 7up at my desk right now.)

so with some freshly cut locks and clean duds i'll be off to michigan this weekend to meet will's dad, grandma, cousins, and friends. i'm not too worried about it. i can't imagine will's family to be unwelcoming or unkind. i also feel like i have the confidence and personality to be able to get along with new people. yet, first meetings with the parents of past boyfriends have run from one end of the spectrum to the other.

one boyfriend's parents were so unaccepting of people outside their culture he only ever drove me past their home. the next set of parents actually met me after their son and i had broken up, creating a very seinfeldesque situation where the two of us were pretending to be together. the final set of parents were very nice, and up until the time that i broke off the relationship i'm sure they thought i was great. i suppose less than perfect relationships make for less than perfect family meetings.

meeting someone's family is already a little nervewracking, but add to it the circumstances of being in a relationship with their beloved son and you're inevitably being critiqued. they want to know who you are, what you are, how you dress, how you speak, your religion, political stance (wait, maybe that's just me) and the list goes on. i'll have to go through my typical introduction, including an explanation for why i moved to chicago and why i'm not a teacher yet, which is always exhausting. but once that part is over i'm sure it'll be fine.

in the meantime i'll worry about what's happening today: my haircut and my laundry.