Happy Thursday! Also Thanksgiving, if you’re into that! Have a delicious dinner, either way.
As always, I’m thankful that so many of you are reading and supporting this little blog.
And if your relatives are being a pain in the ass, or talking about That Man (who’s not quite yet) in the White House at dinner, feel free to come here and vent.
Points to anyone who knows where the picture for this post comes from.
My husband hasn’t left the house at ALL so far today – when we do, it will be to go to our neighborhood Chinese restaurant with the sons.
Bit of backstory – husband is a baker, and normally works seven days a week (small business owner). He gets very few days off, so knowing that he is curled up in bed, watching television shows on his phone with nobody bothering him is wonderful.
We had a meeting with younger son’s teaching team at his high school just before the break. They had much praise for him; the word ‘articulate’ was used several times. We got to see some of his writing, an essay on animal testing, and he writes very well. I got the distinct impression that they were as pleased to tell us the good news as we were to hear it.
Older son is still at the board and care home. We’re working on getting him into a more permanent placement. He is coming to grips with the idea that medication is an important part of treating his schizophrenia, which is a relief.
And I got a good check up from my doctor. Immune system is working, blood pressure is down, and general rude good health. He’s been my doctor since January of ’88, and he informed me earlier this week that he’s closing his office at the end of the year. Silver lining is that I should be able to get a new doctor much closer to home.
All in all, things are better than they could be, which is enough for me.
@Robert,
As someone else who has been in the food business for far too long, gratz to your hubby for taking the time to sleep in.
I had to work today, but thankfully only for a few hours. Dad is in hospital after surgery, so nothing with family this year. However, he’s doing well and should be released tomorrow.
I’m thankful for this blog and the commenters. I’m thankful we don’t celebrate thanksgiving on this side of the pond, because while my sister and I have discovered being drunk makes Christmas a lot more fun, I don’t think I could survive two family holidays so close together. Right now, I’m thankful for all the activists who have banded together across the globe when faced with the Great Orange One to show solidarity, protest, protect each other, offer love and support and tactics and hard earned money to each other. I’m thankful for the ability to make things, both movements and crafting. I’m thankful that despite everything, we have compassion and we can and will fight.
I’m also thankful for the pictures of these adorable tiny ponies. I think I’m a couple of episides behind on MLP at the moment but it’s reminding me to catch up (also maybe dig out my old 90s style ponies.)
Thank you so much, @Paradoxy! I am thankful for you, and you all. I will get in touch, but not today. It has been a super shitty terrible no-good day today, involving guilt trips, car trips (complete with wall to wall traffic), overpriced restaurants, mediocre food, manly-man alpha dog assholes complimenting tits and asses and expecting to be praised for it, insults veiled as jokes, and a parking ticket despite the fact that my paid pass was right on the dash and clearly within time. It has been an ordeal, and I’m gonna, like, curl up under a mountain of blankets and avoid drinking myself into oblivion. Grumble grumble.
Sorry for venting! I will be in touch for the tiny pony. And thank you!
I’m sorry to all of you who had to deal with shitty family members. Internet hugs for you all.
I’m thankful I’ve moved out of my family’s house and I’m now in a better place mentally and physically. We’re not having turkey here until Saturday (because then we all have the day off), but I’m still happy for the “unfollow” option on Facebook, despite the fact that their harassment policy is still shit and they need to get their shit together. Put it in a backpack or something. Sell it, for all I care. Just get your shit together Facebook.
I had to unfollow one of my uncles for posting blatant pro-Trump nonsense about how people are sick of politicians and that’s why we have Trump now, and one of my aunts for sharing a screed about how awful it is that some people say “Happy Holidays” instead of “Merry Christmas” to everyone.
I’m reminded of a tweet:
http://wp.production.patheos.com/blogs/friendlyatheist/files/2016/07/AllLivesHappyHolidays.png
Paradoxy,
I’ll take the Rarity if no one else has claimed her. Although if someone else wants her, no big deal!
I had a pretty good Thanksgiving. One of my two right wing uncles was in attendance and I was concerned it was going to be an issue but he didn’t say anything pro-Trump or anything racist, xenophobic or Islamophobic. I don’t know if he changed his mind about Trump or if he just thought it would be better if he kept his mouth shut but either way, I’ll take it. The main topics of conversation were our jobs, our pets and food. Nice and neutral. I was also glad my mom came over. Usually my brother and I do Thanksgiving with dad and his side of the family and Christmas with my mom and her side of the family and it was nice to have both around for a holiday.
I’m sorry some of you had more stressful Thankgivings though. Kitty hugs to anyone who needs them.
http://66.media.tumblr.com/e702bbcda4f60a2115a828d9c548d7d1/tumblr_nfo19270t31rhl1gao1_400.gif
@Scildfreja
*hugs*
My day went reasonably well in fact. Very little of the predicted jackassery occurred, but it was much louder and more crowded than we’d originally anticipated. We made our way to our friends’ after a few hours. Hubby had a headache and went home early. I spent the balance of the day playing Dominion and watching Arrested Development with them.
You are all wonderful. Happy Thanksgiving for those who are having it and happy whatever to everyone else. I’m personally celebrating the festival of Buy All My Christmas Gifts Online. This is a similar but superior holiday to last weekend’s I Think It’s Black Friday Because I Guess I Don’t Have Enough American Friends So I Am Going To Buy Some Things At Full Price celebration.
Edit: @Dalillama, I’m sorry for putting my foot in it in the Tila Tequila thread. I did a terrible job of communicating. I don’t mean to make it a big thing I’ve just felt guilty and embarrassed the last couple of days.
I’m thankful that there is an amazing commentariat here who let me be part of it.
Big hugs (or best wishes) to everyone who’s not looking forward to the family get-togethers. I’m going to see my sister and her fiance, and then see my father and his fiance; but other than that it’s not going to be a family-ish Holidaymas season and that’s probably for the best.
The work project that I spent the last four months on has just been cancelled; and in retrospect if we knew at the start what we know now, we would never have started it. I’m not happy to have spent the last four months wasting my time, but am very thankful that I still have employment after it.
I’ve begun Christmas shopping for friends and family, or as it’s otherwise known, “EJ buys lots of books for people and then asks if he can borrow them when they’re done with them.” It’s an enormously fun thing to do. I’m thankful that I live in a city with enough small bookshops to let me do it on foot rather than via Amazon.
Just got home from non-turkey day at MIL’s. Husband is wasted, but had a pretty good time. I say ‘non’ turkey because it involved tamales, mac and cheese with enough cheese to clog a city of arteries, pecan pie and not a scrap of turkey was involved. There were also two cute little dogs involved that kept me from moving for a good bit of the time because at least one was sitting on me.
Fortunately we didn’t have any worries about political friction as everybody there was on the same page, even if my MIL’s husband and son do tend to talk over people. My MIL unhappily wondered why her ex-husband (my spousal unit’s father, who was going to be there until car difficulties) could be such a brilliant man and at the same time so utterly deluded and racist about so many things. They both grew up in the same (racist and xenophobic) environment, but she got better. (As did the spouse, when college happened to him.) She said she’d cried for two days straight after the Unspeakable Day. Sadly, the FIL has not grown in his outlook and is unlikely at this point ever to. My own family’s halfway across the country for the most part, but everybody in it thinks the Orange One is a crawling horror from Ry’leth so I guess the carrion comfort is at least no politics will be clashing even over the phone.
MIL’s husband and his son are more sanguine about the whole thing and thinking about it for the popcorn value despite both being Democrats, but my inner snarker is noting that white guy privilege might help with that bit. As a white woman past the wall with mental issues, I’m scared shitless of what could happen and I know so is the spouse. So I’m thankful for this page because I’m trying hard not to freak out right now and need a vent place to rage maybe, for my lovely hushuman who seems to love me despite myself, and for our our well-aged kitty owner whose main concern is that I feed her treats on schedule. Oh, and I’m thankful for Ben and Jerry’s ice cream. I’m always thankful for that.
Happy Day After T-Day!
We went out for Pakistani food and then went to see Loving, which were, respectively, delicious and enjoyable.
It’s hard for me to believe that I lived through the period during the legal fight over interracial marriage. It’s also hard to believe that the Lovings were (1) so perfectly named, and (2) so perfectly photogenic. But sometimes truth is indeed stranger than fiction.
I’m grateful for this commentariat (thanks, David!). And I’m grateful that I’m not the only person who’s mad as hell that Trump (allegedly) won.
@Paradoxy
You don’t know me, I guess, as I very seldomly comment, but would love to have one of those tiny ponies! Preferably Rarity. But any would be fun! Where can I email you, if a stranger like me qualifies for lovely pony goodness? 🙂
Oh, and for everybody: been loving this commentariat for six years now. Though it has changed quite drastically, and many lovely people unfortunately left, this is still one of the few places online I really enjoy for the thoughtful friendlyness interspersed by mocking those who deserve it.
So hugs to all who want them!
@Everyone who wants a pony:
Y’all can email me at [email protected] with a preferred shipping address and which pony you would like, and I’ll do my best to send them out. I’ve got a few requests for Applejacks from a friend of mine, but I can do two Rarities for Tahia and WWTH.
I am planning to open more of these in the future, because I don’t have the complete set myself yet, and I want to get SFHC a Dashie. Roommates do though! I got them a Princess Twilight Sparkle yesterday when I opened a few, so now they have everyone but the pencil toppers, which we don’t really care about anyways. :U
If you’re out of the country though, your package might take some more time to send off, so just keep that in mind. :3
Just want to say that I luuuurrrve the tiny ponies! (But I don’t want one, thank you, I just love that they exist and make people happy).
Glad for everyone who’s day went better-than-expected yesterday.
Grateful for all the commenters here who have taught this Old Feminist a whole hell of a lot over the past couple of years, particularly about intersectionality and gender identities.
And of course thanks to David who wades neck-deep into the shit to keep an eye on these hateful (and ridiculous) creeps and presents them for our mockery.
Speaking of people who haven’t been around much, does anyone ever hear from LBT anymore? I didn’t see a post in the archives where they were saying they weren’t going to be around anymore, or anything else from other commenters.
@Viscaria
No worries. You were right. 🙂
Is it weird that I’m thankful that I woke up Thanksgiving morning with a terrible cold? So not going to the nursing home to celebrate with Dad was “a thoughtful thing to do.” (Dad always started fights with me at the table and, once he had dementia, always fought about eating when I was around) And it was taken as a given that, of course, I didn’t want to drive for an hour to go to Aunt’s house.
And how wonderful was it that VH-1 happened to have a marathon of 80’s movies for me to enjoy as I lounged on the sofa. I got to eat lots of yummy edamame out of the shell and chips and salsa.
I’ll probably make the thanksgiving-type foods I bought on Sunday.
Nut-cheese phase one is complete, but I have yet to start phase 2. Maybe later today, but probably tomorrow.
It seems like most people had a nice day? or not as terrible as they thought?
Best wishes to all who had a bad one!
Fishy Goat – I had a brief email interaction with hir* a few months ago; ze* seemed to be all right. No discussion of a return.
Thanksgiving dinner was a real treat – first time in months all four of us were around a table for a meal. At our neighborhood Chinese restaurant, where we feasted on pork, squid and crab. Everything was beautiful and nothing hurt; I even got to see my sons interacting well with strangers.
*Best I can do with pronouns; hoping I didn’t screw up.
Hey @Paradoxical Intention, I’ll snap action shots of tiny-Applejack soonish, hit a bit of a snag this week. (Namely, desktop managed to wrangle itself into a crash, followed by software-RAIDed HDs insisting on resync and guess how much time that takes and slows down the system, and then Windows Update needed extensive stab-stab-stab-stab because it refused to update. However, I got fuckin’ sweet levels of Sysadmin and IT skills, so stabbed it was.)
I’m thankful for my offline family and my Mammotheer family. There was little to no political talk (mostly because my aunt cracked down on that) We watched the parade and then a couple movies.
@Robert Walker-Smith Thanks for the info! 🙂