25 November 2010

Turkey Day...Hooray! (Or: Look Ma! This title is related to the post!)

So, my Dad's been in town for the past week for the express purpose of visiting me (and touring around London...but that's not important), which has meant that I have not had time to post. We've been everywhere and I will provide further detail on our activities in the next post (since I currently do not have an hour or so to spend writing up the extensive list). He leaves tomorrow afternoon, but I will at least get a chance to see him off before he heads to the airport (provided that it does not blizzard during the night which, considering the current temperature outside, is a distinct possibility...or at least it feels that way).

For those who seem to have misplaced the date (Hey! It can happen to anyone!), today is Thanksgiving. Turkey Day. The day when Americans do what they do best by cooking large amounts of food and celebrating the fact that they have the means to share this food with family and friends. Or at least that is what it seems to most non-Americans (or those like me who don't really see the point of Thanksgiving -- after all, shouldn't you be thankful every single day?) Of course, Thanksgiving is about a lot more than that...or it is supposed to be. It is supposed to be a day for reflecting upon what we have, for appreciating our friends and family, and remembering those whom we have lost throughout the year. Or if you are celebrating Thanksgiving 'Pilgrim-style', you should be thankful for having escaped religious persecution in Europe (if you are a Puritan), for not having died from small pox brought to the New World (if you are Native American), and for not having lost your mind due to syphilis (either party). Of course, this thanks will be relatively short-lived since the majority of the attendees of the so-called first Thanksgiving feast (if it even really took place) would have died due to starvation and exposure to cold during the harsh winter that followed. Not a particularly cheery holiday, the original Thanksgiving.

As I mentioned above, I do not really like Thanksgiving. I am of the belief that you should be thankful for you have every single day...especially since life has a nasty habit of taking away these things with no advanced warning. Still, I will follow convention and express my thanks for the following things: (NOTE: These are in NO PARTICULAR ORDER so I do not want to receive emails saying 'why was X placed above Y?')

1. My Dad and Mum: Not only do they support me in everything that I do (or almost everything - they are decidedly un-supportive of my desire to travel to the Middle East), but they cross oceans to visit me in foreign lands and Skype with me. They put up with my rants, my insecurities, and help me out when times get tough.
2. My Brother: John & I get along roughly 75% of the time. He is incredibly stubborn, something that I can freely say since I am 99.5% sure that he doesn't read this blog. Still, I love him.
3. Pets: I was going to lump my brother in with Izzy, Cinnamon, Tatiana, and Scooby, but felt charitable so gave them their own category. I miss my kitties and the crazy cockapoo. :(
4. Relatives: I am thankful for my paternal and maternal extended family. I wish them (especially my Granddad & Nana, Granny Becky, and Grandma) better health and a good rest of the year.
5. Boyfriend: I am so incredibly thankful for my wonderful, amazing boyfriend. How many guys would be willing to stay in a relationship with a woman when she has been located 3,000 miles away for most of their relationship? Thank you Drew for your support, kindness, concern, love...thank you for being you. Being with him has made me a better person and brought a new light to my life.
6. Radiator: I am thankful for my radiator in my room (but am more thankful for the space heater at home). Without its 5 minutes of heat per hour I would probably freeze to death. Or I would just end up spending most of my free time in the shower with the hot water on in a vain attempt to get warm.
7. Aubergine (eggplant), sweet potatoes, mushrooms, avocado, peanut butter, oatmeal: Without these foods, I would probably starve. My digestive system is extremely sensitive and tends to react negatively to most things that I eat. It is always particularly interesting when it decides that foods previously on the 'ok' list should suddenly be 'off limits', a change that always results in considerable distress for myself. So far these six items have remained 'ok' for me to eat and have therefore made up the bulk of my diet.
8. Good health: After years and years of being almost constantly ill, I am finally at a period of good health. For the first time in a long time, I wake up each morning and do not have to endure pain of some sort during the day. It is a strange but welcome feeling and I am thankful every day that this continues.
9. International postal system: Props to the international mailing system which finally coughed up my package from my parents. Sent in the beginning of October, it appeared yesterday, albeit covered both inside and out in a fine powder. I immediately dismissed the notion of anthrax (after all, who is going to send me a powder package? And besides, after the terrorist package plot last month, it is bound to have gone through the mill in terms of testing.), but have spent the past 24 hours puzzled as to what this fine dust could be. Further inspection revealed it to be a substance known as Swiss Miss. As per my pleas on this blog, my parents sent me two boxes of Swiss Miss low-calorie hot chocolate mix. Unfortunately, the boxes were crushed in transit and two of the packets were torn, resulting in the hot chocolate mix being expelled into the box and coating everything in a fine layer of powder. I'm not fussed though. Hot chocolate > anthrax/other mysterious dusts in my opinion.
10. Everything else: I am thankful for my life. People tend to take life as a given until they are forced to confront death. I am quite aware of the fact that my life can end at any moment. While this would be rather inconvenient (presumably more to others than to myself) if this were to happen sooner rather than later...I am thankful for the life that I have had a chance to live up until now. The good, the bad, the in-between...at least I had the chance to live it. And for that I am thankful.

 Turkeys can come in many forms
Natural
Edible
Sovereign (aka: not edible)

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