It sounds like everyone in the NN.c commentariat got through Thanksgiving OK. I did, anyway. As frequently happens, the day turned on the fulcrum of 11 a.m., when I opened the fridge, beheld the bloody mary mix within, and figured hell no, it’s not too early. Not that I spent the rest of the day in an alcoholic haze, only that there’s something about that warm feeling that the first drink in a semi-stressful situation offers that makes you understand why people turn to it so often. “Cause of, and solution to, all of life’s problems,” as Homer Simpson said.
I only had one, then two glasses of wine with our ridiculously early dinner, then a nice nap, because how can you not? I read in my birthday present (“Wild,” Cheryl Strayed; somehow I’m the last American to give it a whirl), watched some Netflix (“Fading Gigolo,” uneven), went to bed.
And every year, I say “never again.” Next year I’m going to the parade, maybe the football game, and screw this country-ass midday Thanksgiving. I expect this time next year, we’ll do it exactly the same.
All your recipes sounded wonderful. I’m thinking it’s turkey tetrazzini for the Derringers tonight.
But first, it’s 55 degrees outside, and that means? A bike ride.
In the meantime, I offer you riches of bloggage:
I didn’t know Trump had a presence in Toronto, but I am not in the least surprised to learn the restaurant within is called America, nor that the food is wonderful the the rest of the experience so ghastly that the Globe and Mail advises readers it’s simply not worth it, starting with the sort of guy you meet in the bar:
Greg has an ex and a kid, he says, but he “got off” paying just $200,000 in yearly support. And anyway, Greg adds, à propos of lord knows what, Greg makes $10-million annually. He’s the sort of patron you’d pay that much to never have to sit beside. At America, the tacky, new-money restaurant on the 31st floor of the Trump International Hotel and Tower Toronto, a guy like Greg no doubt feels right at home.
Every era demands a Trump. You only wish we wouldn’t inflict him on our polite neighbors.
I don’t normally link to BuzzFeed, but I cannot tell a lie: This photo collection (“34 photos that will satisfy all perfectionists”) amused and comforted me. Yes, comforted — I’m a person who cleans toilets when I’m stressed.
I always enjoy Neil Sternberg’s blog, Every Goddamn Day. On Sunday, he considered the world of street-corner fire-and-brimstone types from their perspective. Enjoy, y’self.
This commentary on Black Friday brawl videos doesn’t quite deliver on its premise, but the embedded links within are amazing, especially this one, which gives me a whole new reason to despise Fox News. Effie Trinket couldn’t have done any better.
Jeff Borden said on November 30, 2014 at 12:12 pm
Watching shoppers acting like assholes is soul-deadening. We stayed in Friday, but shopped at the local book/wine store, the apothecary, the butcher shop and this funky “urban general store” in our neighborhood yesterday to support Small Business Saturday. No one attempted to tackle us while purchasing Gene’s smoked ham, which was nice.
We’re having turkey for lunch. I don’t mind. The whole meal turned out so great I’m not sick of it yet.
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beb said on November 30, 2014 at 12:18 pm
My sister-in-law puts on the huge Thanksgiving feast, which is the way to go — let somone else do the cooking. I am, though, the official potato masher. Also the turkey mover since my nephew dropped the bird a couple years ago. My wife is also the official carver. My sister-in-law often tries new things, like roasting Brussels sprouts, this was several years ago, before people started doing that. (I liked them steamed as well, so call me weird). This year she roasted a medley of root vegetables in balsamic vinegar which was surprisingly good.
My wife will be cooking her turkey tomorrow, after which will come turkey sandwiches, turkey noodle soup, nd our favorite left-over meal, turkey “Impossible” pie – a Bisquick ™ recipe.
And now we have to endure three weeks of Christmas “Specials.” You know when there are fifteen millions Christmas Specials none of them are very special any more. All the more reason to stock up on that Bloody Mary mix. It’s the only way to make it through the holidays.
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basset said on November 30, 2014 at 1:05 pm
Been in the woods most of this holiday weekend, to no avail – way too warm and too much wind most of the time, deer tend to stay put. Learned that my regular wine store three miles from the house has Oliver’s Mead, though, so I got that goin’ for me.
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Dexter said on November 30, 2014 at 2:44 pm
Well, I’m alive. I woke up Saturday in Columbus to drive home to watch M-OSU.I felt bad, or BAD, and headed for the coffee pot, but as I started to pour, I got “the spins” and plopped my ass down in the first chair…my family freaked out and began sticking me for blood sugar readings and taking my blood pressure. I began drinking water and juice and by the end of the game I felt well enough to make the 160 mile drive. I then began coughing horribly, nasty stuff…then at noon today I felt about 80% and I walked the dogs. Back on schedule now, making sure I took my B/P medicine. Cough gone…what the hell WAS that? Strength returning but only a half appetite for food.
Thanksgiving dinner with a houseful of people was great. Two turkeys, one oven roasted, one dunked in hot oil. All the sides were there.
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David C. said on November 30, 2014 at 2:57 pm
My parents max. volume TV got to me, so I got out and about on Black Saturday, in a non-mall bookstore and a bike shop in Grand Rapids, and it was dead. The traffic was bearable and the parking lot for the mall across the street was only 1/3 full too. I think the luster has come off Black weekend. About time.
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Deborah said on November 30, 2014 at 3:12 pm
The Contemporary Art Museum is a couple of blocks away and we’re members but I’ve yet to go to the Bowie exhibit. I probably will before I go back to Santa Fe just to do it, but I’m really not compelled to go. I walk past it almost everyday so I might as well go in.
Regarding those street preachers in Chicago; I know just the ones Sternberg is talking about, on weekends they usually stand in the water tower plaza with placards, or in front of the Walgreens across the street. They are obnoxious. There used to be a guy who hung out in front of Macy’s on State (formerly Marshall Fields), he had one of those microphones and he constantly yelled at people passing by if they were smoking or whatnot. I used to pass him often on my way home from work if I walked up State, and one time there were two young people standing next to him, performers really, who refuted everything he said in a very positive way. If he said God didn’t like it if you did such and such, they countered with “no he doesn’t, God loves you and cares for you” etc etc. It was very well done, very funny too, but they didn’t make fun of the preacher at the same time they were doing it.
It was 55 this morning but the temp is dropping fast, it’s foggy and blustery by the lake, it will be 19 by the wee hours of the morning tomorrow.
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Deborah said on November 30, 2014 at 3:24 pm
OMG, that Buzzfeed link reminds me of my husband. He used to alphabetize the refrigerator. Am I right Little Bird? When she was in high school, LB used to invite her friends to behold our refrigerator and cabinets because they were organized so OCD.
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Deborah said on November 30, 2014 at 3:25 pm
Take it easy Dexter.
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Dexter said on November 30, 2014 at 4:43 pm
Thanks, Deborah. I feel pretty wrung-out but I am mobile and doing my simple chores.
When my appetite for coffee has returned, as it has, I know I am on the road.
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Little Bird said on November 30, 2014 at 5:13 pm
I remember well. Everything had a place and the labels were always turned just so. My friends thought it was bizarre.
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Basset said on November 30, 2014 at 5:31 pm
I spent Black Friday morning at the Subaru dealer getting my power steering fixed, drove past a big regional mall just before 7 am on the way down and the parking lot might have been half full. Local station on the waiting room tv had their traffic reporter doing in-car live shots and another one live at various places in a different mall, none of it looked too busy.
Costco, on the other hand, was crowded this afternoon. Must have been the samples.
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Suzanne said on November 30, 2014 at 6:24 pm
Deborah, was that street preacher the one who went all out about smoking? I saw him once or twice when we visited Chicago. “There are NO ASHTRAYS IN HELL!!” Street theater at it’s best.
I just pretty much ate too much all weekend, but considered the weekend a success because I don’t think I said anything to anyone I’ll regret (which has happened). A day with the in-laws always makes me thankful that we share no genetic material, but makes be anxious because my children DO share their DNA.
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brian stouder said on November 30, 2014 at 6:47 pm
Dex – here’s hoping you remain on the upswing. My body is losing a fight against a chest cold; yesterday my right lung was hurting, but that went away.
Regarding Fox News/Effie Trinket; there was a quiet moment when everyone else was doing whatever, and I was alone with the Big Screen TV at grandma’s house, so I gave Fox a whirl – the ex-CNN guy’s media show. It was all between the 40-yard lines, until they got to the media’s treatment of Ferguson.
At that point, all they could think to do was attack MSNBC, and very specifically Al Sharpton. He’s an agitator, doncha know; and really, it’s a SCANDAL that he has a show every evening to stir the pot, while he ACTIVELY and PERSONALLY engages in protests at that place…it’s despicable, unethical, and practically criminal, really.
All the guests vigorously nodded their agreement, and one-upped each other in their spitting contempt (‘and MSNBC’s ratings are in the toilet…they must be too stupid to figure out that ‘merica don’t wanna hear from that trouble-making ‘darkie’, right? etc etc
I had to eject at that point. Fox News railing against a house-pundit getting involved in real-life? I guess they forgot all about their guy who lead a massive anti-Obama rally (of angry white people, who enjoy waving Stars and Bars) at Washington DC a few years ago, right?
Life’s too short for that stuff, really.
We had a tremendous meal, and saw the extended family, and enjoyed the (now fast receding) pleasant weather. The kids and I loaded up Friday and went to town (Logansport) to see the crowds and the pretty decorations. Their museum was closed (as always – but we digress to a 5-year old NN.c posting subject!), but the library was not, and we had a pleasant 90 minutes there
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Jolene said on November 30, 2014 at 8:19 pm
Among other Thanksgiving treats, I finished watching Peaky Blinders, a series on Netflix. Hasn’t gotten much press ( or maybe I’ve missed it) but is very good. It’s essentially a story of competing Mafia families, but set in England in the 1920’s. The competitors are the Italians, the Jews, and various configurations of English, Irish, and gypsy crooks. Lots of bloodshed, but also some great acting, wonderful costumes, and a noteworthy soundtrack. If you’re a subscriber, check it out. Be prepared to pay close attention, though, to keep track of the shifting alliances, the nefarious schemes, and the heavy accents of the criminal class in Birmingham.
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Julie Robinson said on November 30, 2014 at 8:37 pm
We hosted guests and cooked two turkeys for the big family gathering, then left before they did to move Mom. Of that, I will say only one word: hoarder. And now I am especially thankful that I work part time, make my own hours, and can take tomorrow morning off!
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Sherri said on November 30, 2014 at 9:04 pm
We’ve been doing Thanksgiving with a group of families for over 15 years, going back to the time we were all in California together (most of us moved to the Seattle area together for work, and then independently, one of the other families moved up here a year later.) It makes for a nice Thanksgiving; you get some of the same benefits of a family Thanksgiving (shared history, watching the kids grow up) without all the baggage (we’re there by choice.) We all have our dishes that we bring, and as the kids have grown up, they’ve taken on some of the cooking as well – my daughter, who’s the youngest at almost 20, is responsible for making the rolls. She used to help us make them, now she makes them on her own.
None of us have family anywhere near, so we’re used to not doing a family Thanksgiving. I don’t think I’ve done a family Thanksgiving since my wedding on Thanksgiving weekend 27 years ago.
Now we’ve put my daughter on the bus back to college, and we’re off to finish the weekend by seeing “All the Way” at Seattle Rep.
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MichaelG said on November 30, 2014 at 9:28 pm
We had a great Thanksgiving for our small family, my Ex-wife, our daughter and the grandkids. The turkey was tasty and moist and the gravy came out superbly and everything was wonderful. The sandwiches the last couple of days have been heavenly. But after three days of turkey I’m beginning to flag.
Dexter, go in and get a full work up. Something is going on and the worst thing you can do is shrug it off. Believe me. I know. I won’t go into details but I could have saved myself a whole lot of grief and gained a whole lot of years if I had done so. Go now.
Basset, on some Saturdays my wife would say “Take me to lunch.” That was code for take me to Costco for the samples.
Al Sharpton should have gone to jail for a very long time after that Tawana Brawley business. He’s nothing more than a contemptible, cynical, self-serving, self-aggrandizing, publicity seeking piece of shit. I despise him and his designer suits.
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basset said on November 30, 2014 at 10:53 pm
Agree with you on Rev. Bacon… ah, make that Sharpton.
Our Costco is across the street from a Big Lots and right behind a Publix, that’s our Saturday afternoon right there.
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LAMary said on November 30, 2014 at 10:59 pm
We had Thanksgiving on Friday because younger son went to his father’s house in Malibu on Thursday and older son ate with his girlfriend’s extended family. I’m ok with all this because after a fairly short amount of separation the I realized the ex would never give me any notice about when he would like the boys to spend a holiday with him. So for us Thanksgiving is when we can all be together sometime around the last Thursday in November and have a nice big turkey dinner, some pie and sit around and talk and laugh for a few hours afterward. This year the girlfriend joined us and it was warm enough to eat outside on the deck, admire the moon, and listen to some owls talking to each other. It was nice, basically simple mashed potatoes, turkey, Brussels sprouts, stuffing etcetera. All delicious and followed by pie and coffee. I am so thankful for my sons, that I’m still in my house, and that my sons, when asked what they were thankful for, said all the present company and our present location.
My dogs were thankful for crispy turkey skin.
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Jolene said on November 30, 2014 at 11:36 pm
Here’s a good interview with Chris Rock by Frank Rich. It’s mainly about the nature of comedy, the comedy business, and his new movie, Take Five. But I also got a kick out of and found to be true his comments on racial progress in America. to wit, he says:
. . . Here’s the thing. When we talk about race relations in America or racial progress, it’s all nonsense. There are no race relations. White people were crazy. Now they’re not as crazy. To say that black people have made progress would be to say they deserve what happened to them before . . . So, to say Obama is progress is saying that he’s the first black person that is qualified to be president. That’s not black progress. That’s white progress. There’s been black people qualified to be president for hundreds of years. If you saw Tina Turner and Ike having a lovely breakfast over there, would you say their relationship’s improved? Some people would. But a smart person would go, “Oh, he stopped punching her in the face.” It’s not up to her. Ike and Tina Turner’s relationship has nothing to do with Tina Turner. Nothing. It just doesn’t. The question is, you know, my kids are smart, educated, beautiful, polite children. There have been smart, educated, beautiful, polite black children for hundreds of years. The advantage that my children have is that my children are encountering the nicest white people that America has ever produced. Let’s hope America keeps producing nicer white people.
http://www.vulture.com/2014/11/chris-rock-frank-rich-in-conversation.html
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MichaelG said on November 30, 2014 at 11:53 pm
It was a beautiful day, Mary. Thursday was over 70 and we had every door and window in the place open.
I forgot to report, although not observe, how thankful I was to spend Thanksgiving with T for the first time in almost ten years.
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Dexter said on December 1, 2014 at 12:59 am
Thanks for the concern, brian, and MichaelG…next Tuesday I go into the VA Center in Toledo, a new medical facility where I am told I will be put through the rigors of physical examination, and I indeed am telling the docs about my sudden-onset case of “the spins” and my weakness from yesterday.
And now my children, it is December. Time to head into the parlor with the big TV and watch another episode of “Lilyhammer”.(Netflix)
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adrianne said on December 1, 2014 at 5:01 am
We hosted our dear friends from Syracuse, who came into the big city to watch their oldest daughter march with her high school band in the Macy’s parade. They did a Daft Punk medley that was really good. It was quite relaxing – they took the train back to our house at 3 p.m., we sat down at 4 p.m. And I was able to help out NN’s good pal with my Facebook tip about basting the turkey, mainly, don’t bother.
I had stumbled across the Globe and Mail’s dis of Trump’s new restaurant and had a good laugh. The food’s great, but the patrons and staff are hideous! Now that I’m working in NYC, it’s hard to avoid evidence of the short-fingered vulgarian’s excess all over the place.
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brian stouder said on December 1, 2014 at 7:11 am
Happy anniversary, Sherri!
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Kim said on December 1, 2014 at 7:33 am
“Short-fingered vulgarian” – I do miss Spy. Thanks for that, Adrianne!
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Heather said on December 1, 2014 at 8:39 am
I met up with some friends at the Palmer House Hilton downtown for Thanksgiving (my cousin usually does it but she was going to her in-laws). It was actually really fun. But no leftovers.
I’ve been having a rough time and am not looking forward to the holidays. Long story short, my three-year relationship is over, and he basically ended it by going MIA for two months. He wouldn’t answer calls or texts–I concocted all these crazy excuses, like he was clinically depressed etc. (He is facing a lot of heavy stuff, including his mother’s terminal illness.) Finally we talked and he didn’t even have a great excuse, just could not deal with our relationship issues on top of everything else. He felt bad but clearly not horrible, and I could see that there was no point in trying to get more out of him. I’ve been through such hell the last two months, lost 12 pounds, so right now I’m just sort of numb and in shock that he could do this.
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brian stouder said on December 1, 2014 at 8:46 am
Heather, no fun. If Pam ever gives me the (much deserved, no doubt!) Heave-Ho, I’d be utterly rudderless – at least for awhile.
Here’s wishing you strength and perseverance
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Deborah said on December 1, 2014 at 8:54 am
Heather, so sorry, hang in there, things will get better.
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Jenine said on December 1, 2014 at 9:53 am
Good wishes to those who are under the weather, physically or emotionally. Remember to be gentle with yourself during the cold dark part of the year.
We had a good ‘friendsgiving’, I was happy to skip the family stuff. I spatchcocked my first turkey and it roasted well. I got the backbone removed but couldn’t break the breast bones, I had to get my husband to beat on the carcase for me. I drank too much wine but it was fun. Found out that you *can* make gravy in a wok. There was also one traditional holiday smoke detector activation.
Turkey leftovers make great green chile stew: 1 to 2 lbs meat, a couple of cloves of garlic, 1/4 cup of flour or corn meal, 2 and 1/2 cups broth/water, 2# green chile, a can of tomatoes and two potatoes cubed. Simmer for an hour.
Then I made broth with the bones but am not sure what to do with it now since my husband doesn’t like anything thinner than stew and the daughter who likes soup is vegetarian.
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brian stouder said on December 1, 2014 at 10:01 am
Mountains of evidence? Mountains?
http://bleacherreport.com/articles/2284441-st-louis-rams-show-support-for-ferguson-by-holding-hands-up-before-game?utm_source=cnn.com&utm_medium=referral&utm_campaign=editorial&hpt=hp_t1
The St. Louis Police Officers Association is profoundly disappointed with the members of the St. Louis Rams football team who chose to ignore the mountains of evidence released from the St. Louis County Grand Jury this week and engage in a display that police officers around the nation found tasteless, offensive and inflammatory.”
I thought it was “offensive” and “inflammatory” that the “investigation” of the lynching of the youth in Ferguson didn’t include actual measurements at the crime scene, and that the coroner didn’t take pictures, since his batteries were dead. And it is “offensive” that the police in that area consider testimony that is NOT subject to cross-examination to be a legitimate, unassailable part of “Mountains of evidence”. Basically, those police folks would have been well served to remain silent.
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LAMary said on December 1, 2014 at 10:18 am
Heather, I’m told it gets better, and it does, in increments. Little flashes of clarity or sudden realizations that you’re ok will happen. In between you might find yourself sinking into some pretty deep holes. Find your strength and breathe.
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Peter said on December 1, 2014 at 10:56 am
We had a really wonderful Thanksgiving – we had all the in-laws over, and 18 of us sat down to a wonderful meal. My sister in law finished her chemo a month ago and so far so good, and my heart is doing fine, and the old folks are still alive, so we had plenty to be thankful for.
Between the turkey and the ham, we had enough leftovers for a whole two sandwiches. Which in one sense is fine, because I,m not big on the leftover turkey/stuffing/potato casseroles.
Our only problem was our annual contest – this year we all decided to do a dessert, and it was really close between my brother in law’s key lime pie and my son’s nutella mousse pie. The problem was that by the time we sampled everything we had a lot of folks in a sugar coma.
Deborah, was that preacher on State and Madison? I remember a street preacher there in the ’90’s (or was it ’80’s?) who just kept on yapping, and a friend of mine who had an office in the Reliance Building used to open up his windows and play klezmer music on a boom box to drown him out.
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Dorothy said on December 1, 2014 at 11:08 am
Had a lovely Thanksgiving with about 20 family members at my son’s home in Columbus. Second weekend of the play I’m currently appearing in is over and done. One more weekend to go. Current preoccupation is the realization that I cannot find my $&@*(@$ checkbook. I am praying it wasn’t stolen out of my purse backstage at the theater on Friday or Saturday night. I looked hurriedly for it this morning before I had to leave for work. I’ll turn the house upside down tonight to see if it turns up (I could have sworn I took it out of my purse on Friday before I left for the theater). This news pales in comparison to Dexter’s health scare and Heather’s relationship going south. I’m thinking of all of you today, but especially Heather and Dexter (and my co-worker Peggy whose husband was found to have 98% blockage in a major artery last Tuesday but had a stent put in Wednesday)….and I’ll try not to complain about anything else the rest of the week!
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Dorothy said on December 1, 2014 at 11:11 am
Oooh I forgot to ask if any of you guys ever played a neat game called Qwirkle? My sister brought it and I had forgotten she brought it two years ago to a family function. I’m ordering it at Amazon.com because it was so much fun. More fun than the game called Cards Against Humanity at the restaurant last night. (Cast and crew from the play went out to a pub after yesterday’s matinee. Someone had Cards Against Humanity and that was my first time playing. Bizarre and gross were the main words that came to mind after reading many of the white cards. It’s definitely NOT the kind of game to play with kids around.)
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Deborah said on December 1, 2014 at 11:24 am
Speaking of games, last year when I went to that Beaver Brook School, in the evenings we often all played a game called Werewolf. It involved cards with various roles that were distributed to the players. You had to act as the character on your concealed card, to complicated to describe all the rules here but the gist was to guess who was the werewolf. At first I wasn’t crazy about playing it because I’m not into role playing games but it turned out to be a lot of fun, and addicting. Have any of you heard of it or played it?
And to answer your question Peter, I usually saw the preacher on the corner of State and Washington, but he probably moved around from place to place. He was loud and cranky, I can’t imagine that he managed to convert anyone.
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Deborah said on December 1, 2014 at 11:26 am
too
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Dexter said on December 1, 2014 at 11:30 am
That wrestler/footballer from Ohio State is getting much attention; that happens when you toss a bag of garbage into a dumpster and you see a gun and a dead wrestler. Word is he had multiple concussions from wrestling and must have felt compelled to off himself. I have never heard of anyone crawling into a dumpster and blowing his head off.
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Andrea said on December 1, 2014 at 11:35 am
Heather, so sorry to hear about your partner’s going AWOL. You might consider the community at chumplady.com for some support. Even if infidelity is not a factor, they will discuss concepts and issues that help you move forward after being treated so disrespectfully. This sh!t is tough any time of year, but especially now. Take care.
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Judybusy said on December 1, 2014 at 12:24 pm
Heather, so sorry you’re going through this. I hope you have good friends you can be with–it makes so much difference. Despite how you’ve been treated, you’re still worthy of respect and love. It can be hard to lose sight of that during hard times, and friends help us feel treasured.
Dexter, I am glad to hear you are on the mend. Keep an eye on yourself, hear?
We hosted T-day this year; just 7 total. Lots of leftovers, which I just love; I never tire of the food. We make turkey enchiladas Saturday and had friends over for that.
I am very pumped for December; despite my atheism, I really like Christmas. My 18-year-old niece is coming for the weekend on Friday. Good friends have their annual huge Christmas party that night, and she’s attended for five years. We’ll see the Moscow Ballet perform the Nutcracker and catch the best of British adverstising at the Golden Arrow Awards. On December 9th we are seeing Lisa Fischer of 20 Feet from Stardom fame at our fancy local jazz venue. I found out by word of mouth and still managed to get good seats. I seriously couldn’t sleep well for two nights knowing I was going to see her! On the 14th, our local ancient music group, The Rose Ensemble, is performing with Ensemble Caprice of Montreal. Baroque Mexican Mass and other Latin American Baroque music’s on the schedule. That I’m doing solo, as I couldn’t find anyone to go with me. Over the weekend, I found out a local independent theater has a Sound of Music Sing-a-long, so that’s in the works, too. Annnnd, my oldest niece graduates with her teaching degree! Lots of great things to look forward to.
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adrianne said on December 1, 2014 at 12:24 pm
In other news…the idiotic GOP aide who trashed the Obama girls for dressing like they were looking for a spot at the bar during their eye-rolling pix at the turkey pardon has resigned. Her rant was so tone deaf and inappropriate. Please…think before you Tweet, people!
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nancy said on December 1, 2014 at 12:38 pm
How often do wrestlers get concussions? I notice in the Dispatch story about the OSU student who killed himself, his mother said he’d had “several,” but his coach said there were none “documented.” I know a head injury of any sort is a potential calamity, but something about this situation sounds a little odd to me. I wonder if the coach is covering for some action or person, or perhaps this is a case of classic mental illness presenting in young adulthood, and the young man got the idea that concussions were responsible for the static in his head. Or something else entirely, frankly. I’m only speculating.
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coozledad said on December 1, 2014 at 1:49 pm
When I wrestled in junior high I got my head slammed on the floor off the edge of the mat several times during practices. It’s not like the mats were that much softer than the gym floor, but much softer than the concrete floor where we’d have takedown drills.
I hit the floor with the back of my skull once and instantly erupted in a shower of vomit.
The coach was a sadistic bastard. The parents loved his kink whack ass.
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Dorothy said on December 1, 2014 at 1:56 pm
Nancy you may already know this, but that young man also played on the football team for just this year. I haven’t read up on it, but I’m guessing he could have suffered a concussion (or more than one) while on the football team, too. This article on the Washington Post website seems to indicate he had his most recent concussion just weeks ago:
http://www.washingtonpost.com/news/morning-mix/wp/2014/12/01/the-violent-death-of-ohio-state-football-player-kosta-karageorge-and-concussions-suicidal-impact/
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Deborah said on December 1, 2014 at 2:03 pm
Heather, I just remembered that you live in Chicago. Would you like to meet up sometime? I’m here until the 12th. That goes for Peter and Jeff B, and anyone else in the Chicago area, I think there are a few others. I so enjoyed meeting up with Scout when she went to Santa Fe last summer. It’s cool to put a real live person in your mind.
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Jolene said on December 1, 2014 at 2:30 pm
Vox has just published a review of Peaky Blinders, the show I mentioned above. They do a better job of describing it than I did, so check it out.
http://www.vox.com/2014/11/30/7309819/peaky-blinders-review
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Heather said on December 1, 2014 at 3:04 pm
Deborah, that would be fun. I’m at questomodo at yahoo. I’ve got a lot more time on my hands these days. Well, not really a LOT more, since one of my issues was that we didn’t spend enough time together.
Thanks everyone for your support. It’s kind of an hour by hour roller coaster over here. I do see the light at the end of the tunnel (since I’ve had two months to be miserable already) and just have to have faith it will get closer.
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Heather said on December 1, 2014 at 3:09 pm
And Andrea, that link is hilarious. Definitely no infidelity involved here but you’re right, some good stuff there.
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Charlotte said on December 1, 2014 at 4:05 pm
Ooh Jenine! Thanks for the recipe idea — my ex-sweetheart, the hunter, just dropped off a lot of ground elk and I think a winter of green-chile-ground-elk might be a good thing.
Glad everyone had a nice holiday — ours was quiet. Lovely. First x-c skiing of the year.
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Jenine said on December 1, 2014 at 4:17 pm
@Jolene: I emailed your Peaky Blinders description to my spouse, thanks for that. It sounds really good.
@Charlotte: yeah! Elk chile should work great. I forgot to mention salt, so: salt to taste.
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MichaelG said on December 1, 2014 at 4:18 pm
Be strong, Heather. As Mary says, it will get better even if it seems hopeless now. The holidays are a horrible time for this stuff. Hang in there. I hope you have some friends you can hang out with.
Jenine! You could have used the broth in your stew!
I know, Brian. The more you look at that Ferguson stuff the more lace like it looks. I can’t believe the crime scene guy was so stupid as to leave the office without a spare battery. C‘mon. Have one run out from HQ for heaven’s sake. Send someone to the store. What a bunch of lame brains. Every single thing they said and did causes the eyes to roll.
That whole Chicago street preacher thing reminds me of Holy Hubert in Berkeley back in the late ‘60s.
I had a turkey sandwich for lunch today for like the fourth time. I’m about turkeyed out.
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Scout said on December 1, 2014 at 4:56 pm
Hey coozledad is back! The one person here who can appreciate my vegan restaurant Thanksgiving feast in airy fairy Sedona!
Heather – as others have already said, surround yourself with people who make you feel safe and loved. It sucks to go through it, and just knowing you are supported and heard goes a long way to the eventual okayness you’ll feel.
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Dexter said on December 1, 2014 at 6:03 pm
coozledad: Your comment is all-so believable. I went to a private clinic Wednesday to have a complete hearing test, ordered by the VA. Years ago I noticed I automatically use my left ear for the telephone. And so, my report showed a “falling off” on the charts for my right ear.
When I was a small boy, able to read child’s books, a female Sunday school teacher asked me what I had learned from the homework reading she had assigned. I told her that was not the assignment and I had read what she had doled out.
*POW! BANG! HIT!* She back-handed me so hard my right ear began to bleed internally. I told Dad: “You deserved it!” My ears rang for a year. Ah so, life in the fifties: a powerless child was fair game for that sadistic bitch. She died years ago. The planet is better off
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Dexter said on December 1, 2014 at 6:06 pm
Heather, I got dumped this time of year 40 years ago. I did not know what to do, so I began serial-dating and finally found my current wife. I wish you the best.
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Suzanne said on December 1, 2014 at 6:36 pm
Scout–Sedona! Lucky you. One of the most beautiful spots on earth.
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Connie said on December 1, 2014 at 7:09 pm
We split up for Thanksgiving. Husband and daughter drove one hour north and did turkey with some 20 people at his mother’s house. His mother will be 93 on Friday. Whereas I drove 154 miles west to my father’s house where we had a family group of ten. It was the first time in a long time that I had been in the same place as both my brothers. One of whom is having major surgery next week.
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Joe K said on December 1, 2014 at 7:26 pm
#42, guess that could explain a lot.
Pilot Joe
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basset said on December 1, 2014 at 8:42 pm
Not much on big family events myself. Lack of family’s probably why.
Not a GQ reader either. Saw this in a waiting room the other day, though:
http://www.gq.com/sports/201411/last-chance-university
Not that I care or am even interested in football, but I do know a little something about dead-end towns in the middle of nowhere and kids with talent who’ve managed to piss it away.
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Sherri said on December 1, 2014 at 9:22 pm
I don’t know what the percentage of NFL players who’ve gone through juco is, but it’s plenty high. Good article, basset.
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Sue said on December 1, 2014 at 9:55 pm
Been thinking about the Sasha and Malia slut-shaming concern troll all day.
Boy, I just don’t know how this country survived, with all those bad presidential children refusing to do their patriotic duty and behave like sober middle-aged accountants at all times. And of course dress like they picked out their outfits 50 years ago instead of that morning.
Alice Roosevelt smoked cigarettes on the roof of the White House. The Ford kids probably smoked pot inside it. The Bush twins didn’t just dress like they were going out to the bars, they got into the bars and got into trouble for underage drinking. Amy Carter showed boredom by reading a book at some function, the little brat. Chelsea Clinton didn’t do anything wrong, so they went after her for her looks.
You know what presidential kids are? Preacher’s kids on a national level. And the electorate and the political hacks and the pundit class are the pissy, prissy, judgmental assholes just waiting to pounce, either gleefully or with pretend concern.
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alex said on December 1, 2014 at 10:45 pm
#56. Rugby. That explains it perfectly. Except that your brother played too and he’s not a right-wing conservative.
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Sherri said on December 1, 2014 at 11:04 pm
A wide-ranging Chris Rock interview, that I found very interesting: http://www.vulture.com/2014/11/chris-rock-frank-rich-in-conversation.html
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Jolene said on December 1, 2014 at 11:31 pm
Sherri, see my link @20. Great minds and all that. But seriously, it is a great interview. Was posted, at least, dozens of times on Twitter today by enthusiastic readers.
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Deborah said on December 1, 2014 at 11:51 pm
Sue, Ronald Reagan’s daughter, Patti Davis, had this to say to Obama’s daughters http://booksbypattidavis.com/dear-sasha-and-malia/#more-982
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Sherri said on December 2, 2014 at 12:19 am
Sorry about that, Jolene. I overlooked your earlier post.
The slut-shaming concern troll should have thought twice before taking a potshot at the Obama daughters. Now, not only has she lost her job (though I’m sure Fox News will find something for her soon), her own teenage past has been dug up. It seems that she was arrested for shoplifting back in the day: http://gawker.com/the-gop-staffer-who-criticized-obamas-daughters-was-arr-1665208882
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Sherri said on December 2, 2014 at 12:43 am
You know, artists aren’t the only people where we have to separate the work from the person; Nobel prize winning scientists can be world class jerks as well: http://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2014/dec/01/dna-james-watson-scientist-selling-nobel-prize-medal
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Jolene said on December 2, 2014 at 2:21 am
Sherri, no need to apologize re the double post. I just thought it was amusing that we’d both linked to the same thing.
I remember listening to All Things Considered play and discuss the clip in which Watson made those remarks re black employees while driving to a dinner with friends all these years ago. In fact, we had all heard it and couldn’t believe our ears, even though, by then, Watson was widely understood to be a prick.
Re Elizabeth Lauten. she was a jerk, but the punishment–social and economic–seems to me to have come to outweigh the crime.
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coozledad said on December 2, 2014 at 2:36 am
When I heard Lauten went to ECU, I knew it was only a matter of time before her drunkass college Republican whoring days would emerge in full photographic glory. At the dry rotted heart of every Republican scold there’s even more shitty rot because they suck, and they’re bad people, badly made:
https://pbs.twimg.com/media/B3zW3izCcAEsxPj.jpg:large
There’ll be more pictures of this festering bint, and some of them will likely be pictures of her big white ass, because “ECU” and because Republican.
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Sherri said on December 2, 2014 at 2:58 am
Personally, I think more attention ought to be paid to her (now former) boss, the good Christian from Tennessee who abused the Bible to justify calling for cuts in food stamps. That would be Rep. Stephen Fincher, the pro-life, pro-gun, cotton-farming, gospel-singing Congressman who has received millions in agricultural subsidies from the federal government. But hey, he’s earned those, those poor people, well, you don’t work, you don’t eat, says so right there in Thessalonians.
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Jolene said on December 2, 2014 at 4:28 am
Cooz, that picture is hysterical. As I said, I think her critics have taken things a bit far, but you have to laugh when a person who has allowed herself to be photographed in this state takes after the presidential daughters for being insufficiently enthusiastic about the opportunity to pet a turkey.
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coozledad said on December 2, 2014 at 8:02 am
I’m willing to bet that picture of Lauten was taken at in the middle of the narrow meat chute of “Pantana Bob’s” or as some called it “Poontanga Bubs” or “The Mackerel Shackerel” or “Everything else is closed, lets go fight to get a spot large enough to swill a shitty beer in a throng of plump sweaty racists with the syph.”
It could also be the Elbo Room, which had the jello and mud wrestling and wet T-shirt night.
or was it Jello-shirt night?
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coozledad said on December 2, 2014 at 8:03 am
I’m thinking her shoplifting binge was an attempted “suicide by cop” that was foiled because of her pasty white ass.
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beb said on December 2, 2014 at 8:32 am
Huffington Post has an editorial suggesting three reasons why black men should open carry. I disagree with some of the author’s premises but agree (kind of) with his conclusion. If white men walk around with assault rifles on their back to demonstrate their Second Amendment rights, then black men should open carry as well to prove that the Second Amendment isn’t for Whites-only. Of course in a world where a black man carrying a BB-gun is a threat, open-carrying a real gun seems like a suicide pact.
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