Post Holiday Thanks

So, yesterday was Thanksgiving.  Once again, I am in my office on Black Friday, a little colder than I should be.  Last year, the building management company did not turn the heat on, so my office was freezing.  This year, the heat is on, but it is still cold.  The heat is run by floor.  I think because we are the only business open in the building, the rest of the building is cold, so the cold is creeping to us.  Our office manager just showed me a pretty cool (pun intended) experiment to show that it is cold.  Her nail polish is supposed to be bright red, like an apple.  The nail polish is a very dark maroon color.  She showed me her hand, then dipped her fingers into a mug of warm water.  The nail polish changed colors.  A few seconds later, it started to turn back to dark maroon.  She dipped again...bright red again.  I never knew nail polish did that.  The point of all this...I'm cold.


So, yesterday was Thanksgiving.  Last year I made it quite clear that a Cowboys victory has a lot to do with how my Thanksgiving went.  Last year, the Cowboys beat Oakland 31-24.  I had a nice Thanksgiving last year.  This year, the Cowboys are having a much better season.  Prior to yesterday, the Cowboys were tied for the division lead and in playoff position.  Then, the Cowboys lost to the Eagles.  Now, they are not tied for the division lead, and not in playoff position.  The point of all this...I had a bad Thanksgiving.


So, yesterday was Thanksgiving.  As I have mentioned before, Thanksgiving is not my favorite holiday, or my second or fifth or twelfth favorite holiday.  There are many reasons, but the primary one is that I don't like the food.  To make matters worse, I swam a very long workout Wednesday night, then had to wait for close to an hour before Eldest was finished with swim practice.  By the time Eldest and I left, I was starving.  Halfway home, Eldest thought he left his new fancy water bottle at the pool.  I turned around so he could get it, but he couldn't find it.  By the time we got home, I really wanted a bacon cheeseburger and some wings.  I was expecting French toast.  Instead, the wife looked at me and asked "What do you want for dinner?"  Apparently, the eggs never got home from the grocery store last Sunday, so French toast was out.  I answered honestly, "A bacon cheeseburger and some wings."  I got leftover lasagna.  At 8:45 pm.  I was still hungry, so I was looking forward to a big, solid breakfast Thursday morning.  No eggs, no big, solid breakfast.  Then we had Thanksgiving dinner.  The point of all this...I haven't had a meal I really want in days.


So, yesterday was Thanksgiving.  As I have probably mentioned before, Thanksgiving is a traditionally stressful day.  Families spend too much time together.  People are worried about the food.  Some want to watch football, others complain about the people watching football.  Traffic, weather, and everything else.  I did my best to make it as stressful as possible.  I criticized everything the Wife did.  She just joyfully went along, making a turkey.  Then the in-laws showed up with stuff for lunch (NOT a bacon cheeseburger and some wings, I might add) and some of the other dinner food.  Then my Sister-in-Law showed up with some more food.  Then my parents showed up with more food.  Despite all that "more food" we didn't have an overwhelming amount of food, the turkey turned out fine, clean up wasn't bad, and I did on OK job carving the turkey.  Regagdless, there was stress somewhere.  The point of all this...OK, I go nothing.  It actually went pretty well.


So, on that note, as promised, I give you my not complete list of things I am thankful for, in no particular order.


I am thankful for:

Alex Morgan - this one is going to be on the list for a while.


That Middle is still excited for the Thanksgiving Day Parade.  I enjoy the parade and it is nice one of my boys does as well.  Not sure what Youngest's problem was.


William and Mary - my school has been a constant for 320+ years and I finally went back to see what I have always loved about it.  I can't put a finger on it, but it is always there, even with a few changes since 1994.


O4C - for bringing a little more love and a little more fun into the family, and showing us what we are missing, and not missing, by not having a daughter.


Monk - the 3 foot stuffed monkey Youngest got at a yard sale for $0.50.  Watching Youngest lug that monkey around is just funny.


The Washington Wizards - for showing that mediocrity doesn't have to be the goal every year.


Eldest's hair - the never-ending conversation piece.


One Direction - for bringing endless joy to the Wife, and to Middle, and occasionally to the other two boys as well.


My age - because I am old enough not to care what other people think when they read that I am thankful for One Direction.


Veteran's Day - so the Wife and I get a date day - to go Christmas shopping.


Facebook - Facebook is evil in many ways, but it does allow me to stay in touch with some people, plus it is fun to annoy teenagers by being on social media.


Chris Hemsworth - he is Thor, which is really cool by itself, but he is also an ace up my sleeve.  Whenever I get caught looking a little too much at an attractive woman, Chris is a go to guy for reciprocity with the Wife.


Netflix - for giving the boys constant entertainment and helping the Wife and I with our project to watch every Best Picture winner.


Sun - you know, for life and warmth and stuff.


ME2K whatever - for my consistent weekend of fun, golf, and terrible weather.


Hooters - for the constant joke of asking the boys if they want to go to Hooters for wings after swim practice.


Popeye's - for my once a year lunch the day after Thanksgiving.


My 5 loyal readers - for always being there.


My other readers, especially those of you in other countries - for making my blog stats look more interesting.


The Wife - for being the rock of the family, feeding us, keeping us in line, being there and always, always looking on the bright side of life.


The Boys - for being them.


Christmas - for being a much, much better holiday than Thanksgiving.


Happy Holidays!  I hope to use them more this year for this blog.