Thanksgiving can be a day of joyful family reunion or, a dreaded day of obligation that must be attended out of guilt.
Does Thanksgiving for you mean a warm home with the mouth-watering scents of spices from pumpkin pie, the herbs from stuffing and sweet Italian sausage emanating the air, and the family sitting around the fire watching football and reminsincing about good times from the past?
Or
Does Thanksgiving provoke feelings of fear from Uncle Alcott imbibing in a bit too much cheer and telling embarrassing tales about the time you got sick from grandma’s pudding and barfed all over the table, had a wee bit accident in your knickers, and sadly, that only happened three years ago?
Must you be forced to hear siblings success stories and grand fortunes, while looking at you and asking if you’ve found a job yet?
Do you suffer cousin Ned staggering to the table and grabbing the turkey by its legs from the platter while describing the date he had last week with a pretty coed?
Do you wonder when you sit down to eat, if this year, Grandma Hicks dropped the bird on the floor and let the slobbering hounds lick it again?
And what did Aunt Philomena put in her Jell-O mold? Is it supposed to be yellowish green and fuzzy?
What does Thanksgiving mean to you?
I come from a segmentedly-dysfunctional family. My father was wonderful, my mother was plum nuts. However, she did GREAT holidays, and I always loved all those times. I now have a surrogate family who are terrific including a 3-year-old who is marvelous. This year she mashed the potatoes, all the while standing on a stool, appropriately grunting with the effort. VERY funny, and she did a great job. We had a very nice time together. I hope all her memories will be as good as mine. I also hope all of you had a grand T’giving, too. Happy holidays with NO worries. There are always Weight Watchers and bankruptcy court should you need them. Let the good times roll!
Wonderful description of a 3 year old mashing potatoes and what a precious memory for you, your family and her!
Including children in the preparation of meals, especially baking cookies and frosting them is always a great idea as the ‘work’ for children is actually fun and something they want to do!
Children are so precious in how they actually want to be included in things, even the mundane, like dusting furniture or using a sweeper on the floor.
Sort of a Tom Sawyer painting the fence moment, or was it Huckleberry Finn that did that?
Those are the memories that children treasure forever.
As for dysfunctional families, I wonder if all of us have dysfunction of some sort or another in our families.
We all grow up, or I did at least, believing my family was the perfect family in Norman Rockwell paintings, and then I grew up and found out how wrong I was in my illusions or delusions.
I try my best to forget the not-so-good-times and maintain those childlike memories of perfection, and honestly, the older I get, the easier it is to forget!
Now, what did I have for breakfast this morning and where are my keys?
Kalima, How much room due you have in your house? The whole Planet my be moving.
http://thinkprogress.org/2009/11/25/palin-president-florida/
Good night BITO. Happy Thanksgiving and sleep well.
I’m sure that we could find space for you but no more animals, we have enough. 🙂
This story made me feel a little nauseous, I’ll be alright in a sec.
Good night bitohistory, hope that you will have a restful night, see you tomorrow.
HITO: Multiple incomings. Hope I didn’t step out of line on this, but better me than you or (K).
Way to Seek and Destroy FM.(smile)You rock….
BTW…Hello everyone…
Hi Seek.
BRB, going to look.
Hi sweetheart…
HITO, if you didn’t get the BCC, I hope (K) did. If he didn’t, I need to know and will just cut and paste a copy of it to you.
HITO: I left one of the “T”s out of your address!
Got it.
That email addy is confusing for a reason.
You da Man! (I’m ascared.)
I restrained myself. Believe me, I did!
If I got that, I’d close down that email account and hide under the bed for two days.
Nice!
We can only hope he decides to chose that path. If he doesn’t, he’s still going to be a tad bit paranoid if he shows his pinhead back at HP anytime soon.
As I’ve said before, i’m still just a kind and gentle soul who wants to lead people unto the path of righteousness, even if I’ve got to take their head off to do so.
Well, it’s time for me to go to bed, and yeah, it’s early in Arizona, but that’s what we do.
We go to bed early, and read with the television on, or do other things . . .
As most of us have plans for tomorrow, and might not be able to log on, I will wish you all a very good night and the best for a Thanksgiving holiday.
Remember those we’ve all loved and lost in our lives, and give thanks that we have homes, and can eat great food, whereby so many throughout the world cannot.
I give thanks for my husband, for he truly saved my life, and give thanks for people, past and present who I love and more, those whom love me.
Oh and on a final note –
GO LIONS!
If any football team needs cheering on, it’s da LIONS!
Good night and God bless, or for those who do not believe, may the stars shine on you and those you love!
Sweet dreams to all.
Goodnight Sweetie. Happy Thanksgiving to you and yours!
Smoooch!
Good night javaz, take care and be safe.
Poor thing, Lions fan. But, I don’t care about the Packers so why not root for the (eternal) underdog?
And yeah it is early still, but you’re better at delineating your time than I am. This becomes an addictive habit and really cuts into my readin’ time.
Night!
Javaz: Show some local spirit. Support the Cards! Bidwell can choke on it but the city deserves the good fortune.
Oh, shit, I forget the Suns are on now!
monk, javaz and I don’t live near “the city”. We live in the “other AZ.”
Oh, Lord. I’ve been in them parts. Wouldn’t happen to be represented by a nutjob repub, would you? LOL In AZ, the chances are good.
Bito: I technically live outside “the city”. And north. Although some of “the city” extends to across the highway from us in order for Phx to get the income from the merchants.
I thought you were to the south, javaz is in penal county (OK, it’s Pinal, but in AZ, you can never tell)
Well, Florence would give it the penal.
BTW, any of you see the prospective Goddard v. Brewer poll?
That’s right! If it ain’t the Hawks or the Cards, I don’t care who wins, unless it affects those two. Must admit I was one of those “instant” Cards fans the year before, though.
Go Suns! I was just by the stadium Sunday. That’s only weird because I’m only an hour away, but I don’t really make it up there much. Handful times a year at most.
Sweet dreams girl, have a good ‘morrow. I’ll pull for the lions, unless it’s Da Bears.
Happy Thanksgiving to you and yours, javaz..
God bless you and yours as well..
~Seek~
For javaz, getting bit crowded down below.
“A piece of string walks into a bar.
The barman asks, “Are you a piece of string?”
“No”, it replies, “a frayed knot.”
The great thing about those is that you laugh, are almost embarrassed you laughed, and then laugh at yourself for laughing.
Oh I don’t know, I’m as daft as a brush sometimes. 🙂
My favorite holiday movie is “Home for the Holidays” directed by Jodi Foster and starring Holly Hunter, Robert Downey, Anne Bancroft, Chas. Durning and Geraldine Chaplin.
I cry at the end when they revisit the airport runway scene as a young family every time. Downey’s role is wonderfully endearing. Dysfunction abounds…just like when I go to my parents.
It’s a regular for me every year.
Never seen it, but have it on my list now!
Thanks!
I love Robert Downey Jr from his portrayal as Charlie Chaplin.
He is a great actor, whose personal habits got in his way tragically. I was glad he was the comeback kid for IronMan last year.
And Bancroft, she is excellent in this.
Actually all the actors are on fire. The family dynamics of acceptance of each other’s issues really hit home for me. But it is a comedy! I’m making it sound like a downer movie but it’s not in the least. Very funny.
Kalima, If you get a chance, read or listen to this? Is there truth to this story? Seemed bizarre to me.
http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=120696816
they call themselves “herbivores”? Fad? What?
Yes it seems to be true. One bright spark has suggested it’s because they don’t eat enough red meat. Personally I don’t see the connection.
The cosmetic industry for men seems to almost be on par with the products for women on the market. I blame the women, I would never be with a man who spends more time looking in the mirror than I do.
LOL, I stay away from mirrors, I have learned to comb my hair and beard in the dark. 🙂
I should look in the mirror more often before I venture out to feed the outside cats I think. The times people have stared at me funny in the early morning and feeling annoyed returned to look and find my curly, early morning hair to be sticking out on one side and flat on the side I slept on, are too many.
I still don’t check, too scary.
Anyone have a favorite Thanksgiving movie?
Mine – “Planes, Trains and Automobiles”
Favorite scene – When John Candy wakes up hugging Steve Martin
“Pillows? Those aren’t pillows!”
Also love the scene with the rental car at the airport –
You lost my f’ing car, it was not in the f’ing space, and I had to walk down the f’ing . . .
Well, you’re F’ed
Don’t have Thanksgiving but Christmas it’s “Planes, Trains and Automobiles” loved John Candy, great loss, adore Steve.
That’s my favorite too by far.
That is truly a classic, javaz. Have been a John Candy fan for years (loved Uncle Buck). Wish he were still around to do more great comedy.
We had our Thanksgiving dinner tonight, since I have to work tomorrow. It seemed to go well. But I’m wiped out. Time to crash now, but I hope everyone has a wonderful day with family/friends/fellow Planetarians.
HITO: No, I wasn’t on much today other than my review of what went on at 2 AM. Then I had some other things I had to do, talked to (A) and ran out and did an errand in town and then talked to (A) again. Had midafternoon lunch at a cafe with internet connection and did 10 miutes worth of “work”. But you know who is going to be on my radar real heavy. Nasty creature, that one.
Another incoming…was monitoring HHell. You’ll see.
You mean the Pathetic Pariah? Yeah, I just posted that. He’s on the main.
HITO: I just tried to access that one and couldn’t. Also tried his profile and it was said to have been removed. (LL20) Is he off sulking again for having been such an arse or just hiding for fear of the consequences?
Ooh, you guys sound so intriguing or as Sister Sarah would say, so espionagy and that is just so darn mavericky! Yup, yup, commonsense conservatism, and keep the faith!
~wink~wink~ you betcha!
OK, Javaz, we’re discretely gossiping in public. We’re talking “dirty laundry” and the unfortunateness of it.
Now I remember touring the east in the summer of 1972 (or was it 1973) looking for the right place to hang, but found myself around too many intellectual hippies. Sort of the types who identified with that most educated of psychodelic rock bands, the Airplane.
I prefer to imagine you being all mavericky and espionagy!
Love Grace Slick, is that her name?
You betcha, that’s Grace Slick all right. Look at that picture, then compare it to today’s where she looks more like somebody’s biker grandmother. I know someone who did sound for them at Berkeley. She is so small.
Well, my husband and I do that, too.
Oh, look how old they look now, while we go into denial about looking the same or worse.
That’s why Keith Richards is a great role model for us older folks.
No matter how bad we look as we age, Keith looks worse, but he sure can still play a mean guitar!
Javaz, it’s all for the good of the nation we do what we must do.
(wink)
Javaz: I always love the drawings showing Mick still belting them out from a wheelchair a decade or two from now. Of course, if you want bad, I was seeing Ozzy Osborne last night on “Dancing with the Stars” (My wife watches, I cringe) Now there is a demo for what not to do to your body and mind.
OMG!
Ozzie was on Dancing with the Stars?
Never seen that show but know about it, and also knew that Tom DeLay was on that, but Ozzie?
Javaz: Ozzy’s daughter was the one performing, I think she started out as horrible and ended up placing 3rd in the finale. Imagine having Ozzy and Sharon Osborne for parents!
No kidding.
I think they had a reality show, and if my memory is correct, Barbra Bush loved them and Ozzie was at some speech Bush Jr gave and mentioned that, and Ozzie stood up all stoned looking, and Junior said enough and told him to sit down?
Did that happen, or was that a dream?
and that also too. Jimmy cracked corn and “I don’t care” 😉
We play guitar, much to the regret of our friends and family and neighbors, but one of the first songs I learned as a child was ‘Jimmy Crack Corn.”
The very first song I ever learned after switching from steel string Hawaiian guitar was Bob Dylan’s “Blowin’ in the Wind”.
Isn’t that something?
Shows how old I am.
I was on for much of that. That is one sick puppy — transforming to Mr. Hyde Jr. before our very eyes. Talk about one person generating a lot of turmoil. Hito–I am sorry to hear that Dey decided to exit again. A number of us jumped to her defense when sick boy was going after her.
I tried to tell her that, but she is so caught up in it and, like many of us, has her own fears and demons. As I said, I reviewed the occurences and found it apalling. Brownie dumped (or had taken from him) his other known sock a few minutes ago after a really pitiful wail to the world where he got taken to the woodshed by several others.
I noticed Lawliet appeared earlier and I just couldn’t stand any more of his bullshit so I left. I assume that’s who you mean? Lurching back and forth between apologizing/wailing for pity and vicious attacks — wow. A shrink’s dream case.
Dey made an incredibly touching post last night. I was very impressed by it. It is too bad that an empty husk like AC was on the thread and pissed all over it.
Yes, that is precisely who I mean. And yes, he could be the research case for an entire class of psychiatric students and they’d still not get to the bottom of his behavior.
GD piece of horseshit. I apologize to all horses and their feces for the comparison to him.
Thanks for your assistance. I was sorry I fell asleep early last night. The direction it took was terrible, again. Hope Dey shows up tonight. Showing her friendship will be soothing to her. Only so much a soul can take.
Incoming. Also, what do you think of the potential avatar?
incoming, and one of them is a real beauty.
Good afternoon/evening everyone.
Javaz, your description of family gatherings made me giggle, thanks. I thought that I had escaped it by moving here but we have our own nightmare day here, it’s New Year’s Day.
Oshogatsu starting from the morning of the 1st of Jan, is an excuse to drink, eat all day long, sing songs and generally make a fool of yourself.
We leave the house after a glass of sake on an empty stomach and set out on a taxi journey of 30 minutes to the house of my mother-in-law/brother-in-law. The minute we arrive we are greeted and offered ozoni, a clear broth with a huge and sticky rice cake in the middle. By the time I’ve tried to chew it and then decide to just swallow chunks of this sticky rice square, I’m full. It sits in my stomach for hours, feeling heavy, making no room for even a sip of water.
During the next hour family members, friends and the remnants of the people who work for us, meaning the ones who will stay in Tokyo instead of visiting with families living outside of Tokyo, will start to arrive. We move upstairs to a large tatami floored room, which is often either too cold or too warm and start to park ourselves around the 2 large, oblong tables.
The tables are covered with dishes of food, the traditional Osechi, where everything looks so good but is deceiving because it is all very sweet. Sashimi, always just a few inches from my sensitive nose, can’t eat raw food, have an allergy. Sushi freshly made by my sister-in-law and then the usual plate of sliced ham, boiled eggs, tomatoes and broccoli for me.
When the 20 odd people are all gathered around the table, my brother-in- law gives a toast for our New year with sake and then the morning begins. I have never seen a group of people having the stamina to literally eat and drink for over 5 hours almost nonstop. With my legs stuck out in front of me under one of the tables, I become uncomfortable after about 30 minutes, try to extract myself often to move around in the cold hallway of the second floor to bring my circulation back and slide under the table once again. When I was younger I used to drink as much as the others but feeling bad for 3 days after we returned, I’ve learned my lesson.
Everyone gets a little louder, reddened faces are in a constant grin, eyelids droop and words are slurred but the booze is still being poured while my legs and back are getting stiffer, At 3:30 in the afternoon, I start the traditional pointing at my watch to my hubby, he does his traditional nodding and rolling of eyes, I’m always fooled by his enthusiasm to leave soon for the comfort of our own home, it never comes. My body feeling like a board I search the room for two people who can still stand on their own two legs and ask them to either order a small crane or pull me out from the position that I now seem frozen in and slowly make my way down the stairs to wait for hubby to emerge. After a few irate shouts from the bottom of the stairs, I usually find an able bodied person in the kitchen to tell hubby that if he wants to stay he can but that I’m leaving in about 20 minutes. Sometimes we leave together, he falls asleep in the taxi on the way home, often I leave him there for someone else to bring home.
On my lonely return, our furry ones are hungry, I am greeted by irate little faces and swishing tails, both inside an out, Mommy instinct flares as I see to their needs. Crashing on the sofa, I throw my clothes on the floor, catch my breath before I change back into my well worn, comfy sweats, I’m home.
I make myself a well deserved cocktail, grab the cordless phone and start my New Year’s international “Happy New Year” calls around the world. Hubby arrives an hour or so later, goes straight to bed, not to emerge until the following afternoon.
For another year this performance is over, the slide into the New Year is slow for me, I dream of returning back to the days of champagne before midnight with close friends by my side, the luxury of getting up when I want to the next day, a life without human cranes or cramps…………………………………………
Oops sorry, I was daydreaming again.
Hi Kalima. That was so well written, I felt like I was there.
You should send that into The New Yorker.
LOL thanks Hito, I’ve just made myself shiver thinking about the next one.
Good morning Kalima. What a good story. I had myself there for a while.
Good afternoon bitohistory, you are most welcome to take my place. 🙂
Thanks for describing your experiences from a culture we think of as much different than ours because we have far more in common than we think.
I’m sure times like the New Year are tough to be away from your roots but thank goodness for the multimedia age which make so many long range relationships possible.
KQ, all being well, when you get your mike, you are on my international calling list.
Good morning, Kalima!
Loved your story, but saddened that you cannot fully enjoy it and then suffer for 3 days after!
Wait a minute, maybe you’re the smart one after all!
Thanksgiving is not the only holiday that we Americans make fools of ourselves.
We have a holiday practically every month of the year, some months two, and then really, every Friday night is PARTY night and then there’s Saturday and Sunday football.
I can’t say that I miss that part of my youth, and my husband and I have slowed way down to a crawl when it comes to partying since it does take longer to recover.
And when you start to get our age, we don’t want to miss any day and make ourselves feel sick.
It’s wonderful as always to see you, Kalima, and I look forward to the day you find your notes and can tell us more about the Japanese culture.
When I was still on my feet, dinner with friends every week, later going to clubs and dancing nonstop until the early hours, taking off my heels and forgetting them as I left barefooted and walked to find a taxi in the fresh, moist early morning air, was something I loved to do. Any excuse for a knees up, I was a party girl and we did our share of clubs, opening parties, Embassy receptions or parties for which I left my shoes on, just to be polite. I miss it yes, but I’ve also lived it with no regrets. I’m content.
I would have liked to visit more countries with hubby after he retires but traveling anywhere has become hard over the years, the long flight would trash me, making it hard to enjoy the time left. Maybe one day before I meet my maker, I can do it again, who knows what miracle treatment might be out there, until then, I have my fond memories and a truck load of photos, much more than some people might have had. I consider myself lucky.
I will start the hunt for my notes javaz, I promise, I just have all these Christmas card to write first, always something. 🙂
Wonderful story.
I’d like to share some humor. This is “Mr. Bean Wakes Up Christmas Morning”, about 3 minutes. There is a terrific scene towards the middle of a gigantic turkey that is funny.
Hope you enjoy.
Cheers, I love Mr. Bean.
KQ, how did that window of the video get in there?
I didn’t do it, did I?
Insert a “v” in between the “http” and “://” in the internet address after you cut and paste the link.
Thanks, I will remember that.
(Who did it for me? Adlib?)
Sorry to hear about the little social butterfly. Hope all is well. Talked to (A) several times today. Look at your last HITO entry from last night for new persona. There is one attached to (K) late entry also.
I KNEW IT!
Chariot indeed.
Glad you talked to her. She’ll be OK, Seek says she was using Sandy before. We’ll just have to make another for her to use.
BTW, Socialbutterfly was created with a knowledge she wouldn’t last. She always did my dirty work. Glad I used her to post the planet wordpress addy. She died nobly. I can’t wait to run into the pariah…he’s still posting as lawliet.
BTW, incoming..
No, no, no.
One of these days you will tire as some of us have with the HP and all the bullhockey that happens there.
I do still visit HP to read the articles, but you know the articles I read?
Entertainment.
That’s it.
HP has the best entertainment articles and they are better than TMZ or anything else I’ve found on the net.
Hey, shoot me.
I do like reading about entertainment and actors and actresses and was particularly interested this week in the articles about that American Idol guy that did the gay kind of show on some award show.
I really do not follow that kind of thing, but I enjoy reading the entertainment articles on HP to try to keep up and act like I’m hip, you know, I’m with it!
Nellie listed other sites somewhere on PPOV but I prefer reading other left wing blogs that are actually left wing blogs for my news.
I do read right wing blogs, too, just to see what they are saying, and really, there are some articles on those I actually agree with.
Ut oh, I’ve gone too far!!!
🙂
Javaz, you cutey patootey…and so you should enjoy your indulgence in the Entertainment section.
That’s the only reason I go over there now…entertainment of a different sort. Thoroughly enjoy messing around. Relevancy is not an option anymore. BTW, I also enjoy their hard hitting Ent news. Esp the photos of the celebs and it’s cheaper than People Mag subscription.
Oh, I love Mr. Bean, too and wish I could watch that vid, and maybe someday we’ll get DSL lines up here.
One of my favorite Mr. Bean skits was when he played a priest and was giving a monologue and kept picking up the communion hosts and dipping them in the wine and snacking on them.
That was hilarious, and doubt that would go very well over here with all the Catholics, but it was hilarious, and my husband and I are Catholics!
(lapsed Catholics, but Catholics nonetheless!)
From one lapsed Catholic to another…that is hysterical. Bet the Vatican had a field day with that one. Bean’s BBC years were so much better than his American movie exploits.
LOL. Rowan Atkinson is one of my favorite comedians.
We adore Mr. Bean. Thanks for my morning laugh, things are starting to improve all round.
Hadn’t seen that one before, so funny, thanks!!!
OK it’s not a turkey story but it’s a chicken story I love to tell, sort of an urban legend because I’m not totally sure if the story is true.
The story is when the French aerospace engineers were testing prototypes of Airbus they asked aerospace engineer consultants from the US how to test the ballistic proof Plexiglas cockpit windows. Supposedly the US consultants told them to make a pneumatic cannon and fire dead chickens at the Plexiglas to see if the windows or seals break under the stress. Well the French were said to report back in panic saying that the chicken flew right through the window, decapitated the captains chair and became embedded in the back of the cockpit.
With a huge chuckle an American aerospace consultant asked “did you thaw out the chicken?”
Obviously they had not.
LMAO!
That is funny!!!!
KQ, really–laughing out loud. Turkey bowling with a cannon?
Silly joke.
A cat hijacks a plane at Heathrow, threatens the pilot at gunpoint and says, “Take me to the Canaries.”