Applying the Good/Bad/Strange Ratings to. . . Thanksgiving


I hope it doesn't sound like gloating when I say it felt really good to be able to sleep in (minus elderly-feline-obligations) this morning.  It has felt like going non-stop for over two weeks, with work and home duties, so to "press the pause button" on life today was more of a necessity than a luxury.

So, how was Thanksgiving, you ask? (And by the way, thank you for asking!) 

The Good:

--"Calvin" (my almost-8-year-old nephew) loved the sweet potatoes I made.  I mean, he was even evangelizing to his siblings (all sweets-haters) about them.  "You gotta try one!"  Bless his heart.  It was the first time they were my responsibility to make and Wednesday night I thought they looked really awful as I baked them.  Calvin might be getting something extra in his birthday card next week.

--Niece and I hung out for a while thumbing through American Girl and Target toy catalogs together.  Very interesting what third-graders are into nowadays. Her second younger brother "Blarney" periodically demanded my attention to his Lego-building feats, quite proud of himself.

--My uncle's (girl)friend played the piano for us and did a spectacular rendition of "Linus and Lucy" and the other compositions from "A Charlie Brown Christmas."  She even can tell you what was going on in the program while said songs were playing (Snoopy ice skating, Lucy's "I don't eat December snow," etc.).

--It was a good meal.  My sister did this asparagus and mushroom side dish that was delicious, and of course my mom did wonderful stuff with turkey, chicken, stuffing (dairy-free for me).  Even better, My Maiden Aunt didn't say a negative word about what I wore/weighed/cooked that night. (I'll admit, I'd been a little apprehensive the days before, especially because the non-family guests my parents had invited, canceled, so there was no incentive for manners.)  

The Bad:

--Injuries.  Normally, I attend pilates class on Wednesdays, but there wasn't a class scheduled for this past Wednesday.  On top of that, I was owed a makeup class because I couldn't go earlier in the month as I had a school event.  So I went to the "boot camp" on Monday not knowing what to expect, except that we'd be doing exercises requiring me to wear sneakers.  
And then I fell during warm-up.  Stupid uneven floor (fake cheap wood laminate) and side-steps I didn't take my time on because I was trying to keep up with the class.  I banged my left knee first, and then my hip, knocking my low back completely out of line.

--Rain and bad traffic.  Even though I didn't have to travel for Thanksgiving, I had to sit in terrible traffic Wednesday night, on my way to the chiropractor in NJ.  I had planned to go first thing in the morning, but things were a mess, and there'd been a terrible accident.  It took a long time to get to NJ, especially because I was hurting, but I made it there and back.  I just had to ice my back and my shoulder in between checking on the sweet potatoes.  

--My nephew Bunny's whacked-out behavior.  Man, he was an unholy terror in the full throes of the Terrible Twos, further amplified, as I found out in a casual comment from my SIL to Older Brother, by the fact that he hadn't napped.  (We'd been led to believe they were late for dinner because they were waiting for him to wake up. Must be the default excuse.)  I know, he's just a little boy, but my gosh, the word "No" meant nothing to him even if it came right from his mama.  At least he didn't hurt himself, even if he came close a couple times (kitchen floor, cellar steps).

--I only got one day with Younger Sister.  Not even, actually.  She and YSF drove up early to my parents' Thanksgiving morning, but I had the worst time getting out the door before noon.  There was "cupcake suicide attempt" even as I was heading to the car--meaning, the cupcake carrier broke open and the cupcakes nearly hit the floor, saved only by the lid of the stupid (now trashed) container.  So I had to go back inside, take off my coat, and scrape/re-frost my formerly perfectly piped cupcakes.  But anyway, YS and YSF were only staying the night and left this morning to go visit our grandfather in north Jersey, and then they were going back to DC. It's just never enough time.  

The Strange:

--On Monday, when I was driving home from grocery-shopping after school, the guy in the very nice Mercedes in front of me decided to get out of his car while we were stopped at a red light.  To give me TWO MIDDLE FINGERS.  I don't know what he thought I'd done that offended him so--in fact, he had been driving practically on the edge of the road, under the speed limit, and I'd been trying hard not to get too close or follow him over that far right--so between that and the fact that he'd gotten out of his car on a 33-degree night in what looked like his boxer shorts just made me crack up laughing.
I guess if I'd given it more serious thought, I should be grateful he didn't do more than that dumb gesture.  Road rage isn't just an urban thing.  How sad to see the holiday spirit alive and well in the fancy 'burbs where my school resides.


And how was your Thanksgiving, if you celebrated?

 

Comments

Dave E. said…
A belated Happy Thanksgiving, Kate. Little Brother put on a traditional spread, which I always appreciate. However, I didn't get the double flip-off from anyone this week. Maybe I need to work harder on that. ;)
Kate P said…
Belated Happy Thanksgiving to you, too, Dave! I love that your little brother did the cooking and it sounds as if it was delicious.

If there is a secret to getting the double flip-off, I don't know what it is. Might just be Philly holiday spirit at work.
Sara said…
I may need little sister's mushroom and asparagus recipe. Sounds veggie friendly.

And it's too bad you didn't get pics of the boxer-flipper-offer. Oh no... now I just got a mental image of the boxers themselves being flipped off. Now THAT would have been quite a story too.

As for my Thanksgiving, it's just Richard and myself as no one wants to be around us wacky vegetarians. Halfway through Thursday we figured to screw it and I made homemade stove-top popcorn instead which served as din-dins. The Tofurkey is actually in the oven right now, as I type (full disclosure - there's a wee squash cooking for me, as the Tofurkey is so very processed).
Kate P said…
Sara--Mmmm, squash. (No idea what Tofurkey tastes like!) I miss popcorn dinners so that sounds yummy too.

Yes, thank goodness those boxers stayed on that dude's scrawny legs. He was no "Magic Mike." I might've taken my foot off the brake from laughing too hard and hit his fancy car.
Sara said…
And if you had hit his car after he flipped off the boxers, THEN what would he have flipped off then? Sounded like he'd be pretty out of options - or at least the ones I'd want to consider.

Not that I wanted to consider the boxers.

Yeah, gonna leave that one alone now.

As for Tofurkey, imagine salty bread that tastes like it has been waved at a bad imitation of turkey/mushroom stuffing.

It's not quite that horrid, but it definitely reminds me of bread.

The wild rice stuffing inside the football of fake turkey product is actually quite good, I must say.
Kate P said…
Oh yes, please don't flip off anything else, dude! I can see it really IS cold tonight, so thanks for the weather report and please get back in your car so no one has to pay a deductible! Hahahahahaha!

Salty bread? Sounds sponge-y. Ew. But I do like wild rice! I can't remember the last time I had wild rice. Putting it on the shopping list. :)

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