Jenny, Dan, Andrew

Tonight, I had dinner with Jenny (my cousin), Dan and their boy Andrew (my nephew who I met for the first time).

A few notes. First, as has been the custom in my family (and I think most Chinese families in general)… the actual definition of “uncle” or “auntie” is pretty loose. When I was a kid, when a friend of the family stopped by, they were always introduced as “uncle” so and so, or “auntie” so and so, regardless of actual bloodline. The requirements for being an uncle, at least in my family, are really quite loose.

Dinner was a blast, and I had as much fun talking with Jenny and Dan as I did just watching Andrew. He seems to take a great deal of delight in the most common, everyday things… and I was happy just watching him be happy, marvelling at things we adults take for granted. There’s lots to be learned from babies.

Jenny and I caught up a bit on our lives, with Andrew bouncing around all the while (high chair, Dan’s lap, Jenny’s lap). We talked briefly about a big get-together in Indianapolis this August (for my sister’s wedding), and all the cousins and relatives we’d end up seeing again. Towards the end of the night Andrew started dancing around (sorta) like a maniac, and it was a riot just to see him bang his hands up and down and twist his body to and fro.

Dan and I geeked out a great deal about computer games, and had this whole Unreal Tournament connection going on. We talked games at great length and Jenny, to her credit, really didn’t complain all that much.

After our meal (we ate dinner at Bob Chin’s), we walked back to their hotel (which I visited with Justin, a long while ago). We decided we were still in the mood to stay out a bit longer, and went to the adjoining restaurant for some dessert.

While we were able to talk some more, we ended up having to hurry towards the end. Atlanta time is about an hour ahead of Chicago time, and Andrew was up waaay past his bedtime. Afterwards, we went up to their room and I hung out there a while. After trying to put him to sleep (unsucessfully), I decided the best thing would be for me to leave and lessen the number of people up and about.

While I had my camera with me, I didn’t end up taking pictures. I’m still not entirely sure where my line is, as far as putting my family on here. I did, however, tell Jenny and Dan about the blog. Like I said – we’ll see where the line is.