did you ever...

see Wedding Crashers?

Do you know that scene, where at the dinner table, this very proper (and seemingly normal & loving) family starts behaving slighly horrifically and they sort of turn on each other like hungry wildebeests? Yeah, that was sort of my weekend.

Grandmother was complaining to Middle Sister that she doesn't call enough, and that she has to do better. Uncle was heckling his teen son about losing the cell phone. ("Don't you know not to loan it to friends? Don't ever hand your cell phone to a friend--for any reason!") Aunt was trying to calm down Uncle, who before the party was also berated by Grandmother because he "doesn't look good, and has been losing too much weight." (This comment and other similar comments were made directly to the Uncle himself.) During said exchange right before dinner, Grandmother was peeved when Uncle then defended himself and became offended by her comments. Grandmother complained to Mother the entire way to the restaurant that Uncle is a difficult person who doesn't have any patience for her.

Grandparents are deaf, so they talk very loud in restaraunts and -per the norm- got into yelling matches with the waiters & other family members trying to help them order-- and when it arrived, more yelling over what they did or did not order.


While it was nice to see everyone, I was sort of hoping it would turn into a full-fledged melee--my money is on my Grandmother.