Happy Thanksgiving!

From my family to yours, Happy Thanksgiving!

I have much to be thankful for this year, and I hope all of you do as well.

Several years ago a buddy of mine was off studying Classical Chinese in Taiwan. Labor Day came and went without comment and he was never much of a Hallowe'en person, so again no problems.

Then came Thanksgiving.

He comes from a very big family and Thanksgiving was THE big holiday. And here he was in Taiwan with only a few other people at his language class who he vaguely knew. Needless to say he was both depressed and desperate.

One of the gals from the institute, an American, grabbed up my buddy and another American -- look! TGIF (yes, they had one, in Taichung City, if I remember right) is having Thanksgiving dinner! Let's drive!

So they got to the restaurant. There was the Thanksgiving Special! "Turcey (sic) Dinner with Trimmings." Fearful, they ordered it anyway. It proved to be sliced turkey deli meat, warmed up, with brown bean gravy, a small amount of mashed potatoes, and a fruit compote. Needless to say, again, they were all vastly depressed.

The next morning my buddy woke up. Another guy at the institute, who was South African, called to him -- "Get down here! If you don't hurry up all the turkey will be gone!"

Once bitten, twice shy, he went down the stairs ... to a kitchen with cold roast turkey, bread, cranberry jelly, mashed spuds, sweet potatoes, etc., etc.

Bug-eyed, my buddy looked at him. "Where did you get all this?"

"Well, I celebrate Thanksgiving, don't I?"

"But you're South African!"

"Yeah, but I spent time in Japan. Some of them picked it up with the Occupation."

"But were in Taiwan, not Japan!"

"Yeah, but there's an English pub up the street.

"What do the English have to do with it?!"

"Oh well, you see he spent time in Japan, too, and so every year he cooks up big Thanksgiving dinners for all the American expats living over here."

So the moral is leave it to a South African living in Taiwan to find a Brit who lived in Japan who knows how to celebrate an American holiday.

True story and the cooler therefore.

Happy Thanksgiving, folks, and be thankful for dice, friends, and life! Slainte!

Happy Thanksgiving everyone!

I'm supposed to be in NY with my Mom and grandparents, but we ended up having some difficulties on the road yesterday and turned around after about only an hour of driving. So it looks like it's just me, my wife, and the dog having dinner at our house. So, even though I don't get to see my Mom and family, I'm thankful to have a wife and dog who love me!

Thanks! You too!

My sister just called to invite me over. I was wondering if she would, since she knew I'd be home today with just myself and my 'puter. So, that was nice.

I'm flying back home tomorrow, and I'll have the real feast on Saturday with my wife's family, and my parents, who are driving up to help us move. Not looking forward to moving, since There's 3 inches of snow in Kansas City right now. Ugh.

I'm thankful for friends and family, and that I have a good, well-paying job in a nice city.

Happy Turkey Day!

I'm going over to my Grandma's in about an hour to have dinner with my dad's family, then I'll probably swing across town for seconds with my mom's family. Coming from a broken home has it's perks...

Happy Thanksgiving! I'm thankful that my family is healthy and that I'm getting good grades. I'm thankful for my Dad's homemade pies


Not thankful for people calling it Turkey Day, though. Rubs me the wrong way.

I did it just to upset you.

Happy Thanksgiving everyone.

Happy Belated Thanksgiving, Americans. We had our turkey a month ago. Turkeys up here freeze if'n you leave out till November...