Thanksgiving, before the triptophan gets to my brain.

I can't remember the last time I consciously enjoyed Thanksgiving as much as I did today. Turkey and its trappings aren't usually up there on my list of favorite foods, but my cousin Janet made this ridiculous turkey with butter/mushroom/sage glaze that almost tasted like steak. It was ridiculous. Her son, my cousin Alex, made both amazing shallot mashed potatoes, and balsamic/red wine sauteed onions ... plus the standard pumpkin flan. After months of Boloco chicken caesar wraps eaten alone hunched over a book, this concentrated dose of home cooking was definitely what I needed.

Also, said cousin Alex and I have really gotten to a place where we can relate and kind of be friends with a small f. He and I like to sit around and talk politics/books/movies with the older folks, and it's a nice change from just two years ago when he would rather have seen the football game than other humans.

Speaking of politics, my father and I had the mini-debate with Mom about her blind idealism regarding Barack. Don't get me wrong. I have far from made up my mind yet. In fact, I don't even know where either candidate stands on the death penalty. But, on some level I instinctually believe that Barack won't make it for 2008. For 2012 I think he might be able to waltz right in, but perhaps only after Hillary prepares American for someone who is not old, balding, male and white. It will be interesting to see if Oprah comes out for Obama, because he may suddenly have thousands of middle aged woman converts who previously would have stuck with Hillary. I plan to really research things, read the memoirs, watch the debates, and really make my vote count, now that I have time to think about things that might actually influence my life, instead of ... Statistics.

We also talked a bit about the difference in their generation vs. our generation when it comes to post-college activity. I am really not sure which one is better, if either, but it is interesting to consider the main difference, which seems to be: They were focused on staying young, while we really seem to focused on growing up. A 9-5 and an early bedtime was the goal for many of us upon moving out and starting to pay exorbintantly high rent. For them, it was what they avoided. That of course resulted in many years of aimless wandering and a very late decision as far as life plans went.

So I don't know which one I prefer ..... but I do kind of miss dancing on tables. And in cages. ;)