Coolest Greatest Most Excellent Thanksgiving Day Ever

When people asked if I could go home for Thanksgiving this year (which I couldn't), I was still excited because it meant I could have two turkey dinners - one with the MF's parents and another one on Saturday with his aunt and cousins.

But I got up this morning and something just didn't feel right, and I was making juvenile mental attacks on his family all day, and I knew that it wasn't anything they were doing wrong - they're wonderful people - it's just that they're not my family. And so when I irritably texted "Save me" to P, she thought she was doing a good thing by calling back with my little niece on the line to cheer me up, my niece who, when I asked her what she ate for Thanksgiving responded by singing a song to me. "Mary had a little lamb, Cah-ween." And it was so precious and so dear, that when I hung up the phone I couldn't bear to make eye contact with anyone, only stare at the little photograph I have of her, when MF's mom asked, "You're really missing her, aren't you?" and I had to run out of the kitchen before bursting into tears, because I should be with my family tonight.

On the drive home I thought about that Thanksgiving when P was working at John Herr's Grocery and had to ring up an old man's cold cut turkey and loaf of bread, which was just about the saddest thing I could ever picture, but here I am now, at home by myself, eating ramen - ramen that is cold and leftover from last week, because I just didn't have the appetite for turkey today.

Shut your stupid pie hole, Beyonce!

On NPR on the way home from work, there was a program about how pop music has a different share of the market now than they had a decade ago, about how fans are no longer interested in full albums but in great singles they can buy separately and load into their ipod, and how sound clips on commercials and TV shows get just as much exposure and attention as cable TV networks.

Then the dude played two examples of "great" pop singles that are out now. One was Pink, the other Beyonce. I actually started crying in my car, and not because the songs were beautiful. These were the worst, brainless, trite, idiotic lyrics I'd ever heard, and I knew that there were some girls in this country who actually think these kinds of songs are empowering.

The line, for example, "If you like it, you should've put a ring on it" is NOT empowering. It just reinforces the same dependent/materialistic/traditional ideals our culture needs to overcome.

She totally didn't even write that song herself. You know a stupider man wrote it for her.

Tisn't the Season

My parents really mean it this year: no gifts. At least nothing store-bought. They say this every year, they really do, and we always end up going overboard with gifts and last-minute shopping and spending and it turns into a huge present-party every Dec. 26th. But this year they mean it, and considering what's happened to our family in light of the housing/credit/mortgage crisis, we're actually listening to the parents this year.

My first response was pissy. I was just thinking, you know, I am the one who is far away and it's really hard for me to do the IOU coupon book doohickey, with the Good-for-one-Netflix-movie-night and the I'll-cook-you-dinner coupons. But then I thought about it a little longer, and realized, I can do a couple cutesy things for my family, and never have to worry about Christmas shopping.

Let me repeat that: I am not Christmas shopping this year. In fact, I get to avoid the mall scene until after the new year. It is so freeing and so empowering, to know that I am not a part of the commercialism of Christmas, at least this year.

I might actually stop to enjoy the Christmas season for the first time since I was a kid.

I may have sold out.

At my work, they have it where employees can try out a certain new product and rate it, or comment on it, or use something at home and compare it to other things, and they will compensate you for your time and effort by either giving you products or vouchers or actual money.

Well everyone has their price, right?

So here is my question: How much would someone have to pay you to do the following: Use this certain shampoo for two weeks as you normally would. When you wash your hair Tuesday morning however, you are not allowed using conditioner. Then you can't wash until Friday. From then on, you may only wash your hair 3 times per week, only with their shampoo, with no conditioner or styling products, or anything. You may (and must) only wash Tuesday, Friday, and Sunday mornings. Again, I have to restate, no conditioner. Or hair gel. Or anything. You keep this up for another 2 weeks.

Name your price.

Liberty Mutual Hates Me

Those commercials for insurance or whatever they're selling, where they play touching Hem songs while they show a person doing a nice thing for a stranger, then one of the on-lookers does a nice thing for another stranger, and so on and so forth, reminiscent of Pay It Forward... Those commercials make me bawl like a baby. Every time I see one.

Well I thought it was over, but they aired a new commercial where the handicapped woman in a wheelchair wheels herself out in the rain to get lifted onto a bus on her way to the voting booth. I am a mess again. Why do they do this to me?!

I'm voting Abock Abamma

While I realize that it is probably NOT cute, but rather annoying to people who are not my family, my sister taught her daughter to say she's voting for Obama. Although she can't really say "Barack" right. It was awesome.

On the other hand, the last time I talked to S she could only say hi repeatedly and still didn't understand how the phone worked. But last night she said, "Hi Bean how you doin' -- good?" And then she wouldn't get off the phone and I kept saying "Bye-bye" but she would say, "No, I'm talkin' now. Where are you -- at work? I'm at Grammy's. Where's D? Is he at school? P and P are at work. Are you at work? Hi. Hi. I'm at Grammy's. Hi."

After 20 minutes I had to hang up on her because she wouldn't give the phone back!