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11-25-09 // 3:50 pm thanksgiving eve I have remarkably little to bitch about at present. In a good way. Life is nearly angst free, I'm leading a new project at work, which is the perfect balance of hard work, a chance to make my mark, and me knowing exactly what I'm doing and being able to translate it to results. As a result, I've been kind of focused and hermetic the past 2-3 weeks, but I don't really mind/care, especially since mid-September through the beginning of November was utterly mad and over the top social. Fall is here and Thanksgiving is upon us. Traditionally this is my favorite time and holiday of the entire year. Not even so much for the meal -- which is, admittedly, tasty, even though this may be my last as a meat eater. I'm wrestling with the decision to go from 98% meat free to completely vegetarian. But I digress. For me, it's about the friends, the family, the sense of togetherness, the brisk weather, sweaters, pies, a warm house, a glass or two of wine and getting cozy and lazy. It's about being thankful. I attempt to live my life in a constantly, naturally thankful state, trying to be as cognizant of what I have, my good fortune, and showing my gratitude year-round. But, as a person who believes hardcore in the concepts of gratitude and karma and counting your blessings, Thanksgiving is my Christmas. Christmas is the capitalist's holiday, the manifestation of our society's rampant consumerism and materialism. I tolerate Xmas, but if it disappeared I think I'd be OK with that. But Thanksgiving, that's my day. A chance to reflect, to take a day or two from your labors, rejoice in what you have, how lucky you are to have it, and to share all of that with the people that make this life worth living. I'm aware that's a vaguely hippy sorts of things to say, but I don't care. It's my life. What I was getting at is that this is the first T-giving that has that "feeling" that I can remember since maybe my senior year of college. Last year was pretty good and a step in the right direction, but very rushed, plus, if I'm completely honest with myself, I was still a wreck after recently moving back to the Midwest. '05-'07 were pleasant -- my ex-GF Sarah's family in the Bay Area were always so gracious and generous. Those Thanksgivings helped me get through being thousands of miles away from my family on my favorite day of the year. But at the same time, they were like methadone. Barely adequate replacements. '02-04, well, anymore I tend to think of those as lost years, a time in my life that if I don't exactly regret, can scarcely believe I lived it the way I did. I don't remember much about those Thanksgivings except for running around to 2, 3, or 4 different places, arguing, jostling for position, etc. So really, 2001 is maybe the last T-day I recall feeling like I feel that it ought to. 2008 was a major step in the right direction, and damn, 2009 is it. That makes me so, so happy, and even more thankful. I can't wait to sleep in a bit tomorrow, maybe hit the gym, put on a fuzzy sweater, and head over to my folks' house. This year it's just the nuclear family, which means one house, one meal, a properly slow pace. We're doing breakfast with grandparents on Saturday morning, which is going to be so much better than trying to fit everyone in on one afternoon. Anyway, when I get to my mom & dad's house, my sister and my brother in law will already be there. I've picked up a few choice bottles of wine, a few Oregonian and Northern Californian beers to sample, and I commissioned a maple pecan pie from Black Bear Bakery, a worker-owned collective/anarchist shop down on Cherokee Street. They have the best baked goods in the STL, god their shit is amazing. Their ethos is simply the icing on the cake (no cheesy wordplay intended). But, once more, I digress. So, with that said, I'm kicking off this long weekend and this gloriously chill, well-earned holiday and break. Got off work a few hours early, all of my pre-Thanksgiving errands are done, I had a workout, I'm freshly showered, and feeling groovy. Time to play some Super Mario Bros. 3.
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