How I’m spending my Thanksgiving


Happy Thanksgiving, everyone! I have to admit, I woke up a little mopey today. This is my first Thanksgiving that I’ve been totally alone. Last year the gloom didn’t quite catch up with me, since I spent my Thanksgiving weekend doing a speaking tour in Vancouver. Even though I was technically surrounded by strangers, they were so nice that I felt like I was surrounded by friends. I used to love Thanksgiving since it was one of the few times in the year that I got to spend time with my brothers (they’re 11 and 14 years older than me). Well, and the awesome food is a perk. But I don’t have the money to fly home for a weekend, so I’m on my own.

But I couldn’t stay mopey for long, because I know I have a lot to be thankful for. Like having great friends who bake you peanut butter chocolate chunk cookies as a thank you for taking care of their cat while they’re gone:

Or for having enough money and cooking ability that I can splurge on a nice Thanksgiving meal for myself:

For having a great roommate who’s letting me play his copy of the new Zelda game while he’s gone:

For having an adorable kitten who’s helping me play Zelda. And by helping, I mean she thinks the Wiimote is her mortal enemy.

For being able to spend your Thanksgiving sitting around in your underwear instead of all dressed up:

(No photograph for this one)

And for having such advanced technology that I can Skype with my family even though they’re on the opposite corner of the US.

Happy Thanksgiving!

Comments

  1. says

    You might want to dress up for the Skyping thing.

    By the way, I hope you have a good time; you deserve it. Enjoy the company of your kitten, your game, your dinner and your (distant) family, and be aware that there are many people around the world who’ve never met you but still care about you.

  2. says

    I know the feeling girl. I spent my thanksgiving kind of the same way. Only instead of Wii I watched the Buffy Vampire Slayer Marathon. Rest was pretty much like yours just lounging in underwear being a little lazy but still thankful for my family and friends.

  3. Heisenberg says

    what in allah’s name sort of retro-ass pepsi can is that? You might check the expiration date on that, miss!

  4. Abe says

    my loneliest thanksgiving was in 2000 when I didn’t realize most restaurants don’t open for that day so I forgot to buy groceries. I think I had bread any milk or something for means that day. That was my first year single, living alone and in a new state…

  5. badandfierce says

    Last year I had a pretty lonely Thanksgiving. I spent a lot of the day in bed, since I was still getting over the bronchitis-with-complications from the center of the earth. Moped around, played video games, spent quality time with my rats. Then I made an immense pot of chili hot enough to read by. A college friend from Florida dropped by at about ten and then my roommate and his girlfriend got back in Midnight. I almost poisoned the girlfriend a bit. Do not give chili containing cayenne, habanero, Anaheims, and chipotle to a New Englander. It was pretty neat. I like chill holidays.

  6. Bruce Winningham says

    Love the photo of Pixel. PZ is going to have to come up with a pretty amazing cephalopod tomorrow to try to top your cat.

    Happy Thanksgiving!

  7. says

    I’m thankful I have a new job, even though I won’t get my first paycheck from it until Monday (it’s been a long three weeks – I started the new job on the 7th, after quitting my old job on Oct 27th – and I still haven’t gotten my last paycheck, or a month’s worth of backpay from that place – agggh!).

    Happy Thanksgiving, Jen!

    BTW – what is that on your plate? I see mashed potatoes, and stuffing (or mashed yams?) – but that other thing…? It doesn’t look like ham, it doesn’t look like turkey, it vaguely resembles a porkchop – or maybe spam…?

    Well – whatever it is, I hope you enjoyed it; I’m sure because you made it yourself it was extra special, too. I ended up going out to a local diner with my wife, and had a “tri-tip dip” (basically a tri-tip sandwitch with grilled onions and mushrooms, with au-jus for dipping, and fries). It was one of those “last-minute” things; they were supposed to have prime rib as a special, but they were out!

    But hey – I’m alive, my wife’s alive, we have a roof over our head, good jobs in a down economy, money in the bank, and food in the fridge – no complaints here!

  8. says

    Happy Thanksgiving to you, too! Not that I celebrate it here in Sweden, but maybe we really should. We’re thankful for things as well, so having a day to really express that would probably be a good thing.

    And just so you know, I (and many others with me) are thankful for getting to read your awesome blog!

  9. says

    I, too, had a lonely (but cat-filled) Thanksgiving! Played Mass Effect, watched Mythbusters, tried to play games with a cat draped completely over my forearms (that’s tough,) made stuffed peppers for dinner, and drank a few bottles of hard cider. Good times all around!

  10. Greg23 says

    Ditch the Pepsi. Those things are no good for you, even if sugar vs. HFCS. If you were going to eliminate one thing for a healthier diet that wouldn’t be a bad place to start.

  11. Azkyroth says

    We didn’t.

    And do you really not see why (1) directing unsolicited diet advice at a young woman who was talking about something else entirely and (2) implying that she might not know that soda contains a lot of empty calories, seems condescending?

    Really?

  12. Svlad Cjelli says

    Bah! Thanksgiving? Eat your roast horse and punch the polar bear. How will we have time to bulwark Jotunheim if we sit around thanking turkeys?

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