In which there appears a number of italics

Well I've been up since 3:45, unable to sleep. What shall I blog about?

Ahhh. Thanksgiving.

See, I don't celebrate this holiday. I don't celebrate Christmas either. I have nothing against Thanksgiving - I'm a very thankful person, myself - I just resent the whole (similarly to Christmas) assumation that everyone should celebrate it, by golly, and enjoy themselves, damnit!

When, in reality, the holiday is quite often stressful, unhappy, tense, divisive, and almost always expensive.

It seems to me that there are only three types of people at Thanksgiving. There's people who have nowhere to go and no-one to see; there's people with happy, laid back family with whom they visit and eat; then there's a huge number of folks who spend the day with a houseful of people whom they don't know, don't like, and/or are not related to (all in varying degrees).

I mean, really. Especially in today's society of broken families, blended families, extended families ... shouldn't people get to graciously bow out of the whole thing? Rather than the "you'll be there with your teeth gritted pretending to enjoy yourself while almost total strangers get drunk around you and televisions blare in every single room in the house or else (Mother in law, granddad, great aunt Hortense, fill-in-the-blank) will be SO DISAPPOINTED!"

Come on. I love my family. I love Evil Genius Husband's family. But aside from the one sister who, unfortunately, lives quite a ways away, I can see them anytime (and would gladly do so). Why is it so freakin' important to do it on this day? Why should I risk my children's lives driving on the road with stressed, inattentive, and oftentimes drunk Thanksgiving-dayers?

I'm seriously depressed about all this.

By the way, I've always felt this way about Thanksgiving. What happened last year has just added a note of the macabre. I now officially hate Thanksgiving.

(Incidentally, while we're on the subject, one would think that any reasonable person would just, oh, assume that I might not want to spend this first anniversary Thanksgiving celebrating. But I guess that's just flying in the face of the whole tradition a bit too much, eh? Don't want to be the odd man out or do anything that might upset the status quo.)

I guess what I'm trying to say is that, with anything of this sort, if you want to go and would have a good time, you should go, but no one should be obligated to attend a social event at which they are miserable because it is just expected. "Because it's Thanksgiving!" It shouldn't be viewed as a slight or the person being anti-social. They just won't have a good time. No big deal. Let it go.

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Speaking of insane pre-holiday people I have to ask this question: why do folks wait until the last second to get stuff for a holiday? If you're so freakin' gung-ho about cooking (or gift giving, or whatever) why don't you make a list and get the stuff with a bit of time to spare? (This is one of the many questions I have about the winter holidays. Another is: why do folks get crazy over getting a certain toy for their kids or gift for whomever? Who cares? Nobody's gonna die if little Ryleigh doesn't get a Deluxe Easy Bake Oven or hubby has to wait (*GASP*) a few months for a PS3. Jeez.)

I had to be out yesterday. I got my level II ultrasound (finally) and scheduled it for yesterday because EGH was off. (BTW, Fiver looks great, everything normal, weight: 1lb12oz @ 24 weeks) My mistake was needing bananas and bread and stupidly stopping at the Harbison Wal-Mart.

Sweet Mother of Stan Lee!

There were (I am NOT exaggerating) frazzled women, literally running around searching for nutmeg and whole almonds, people stacking their carts FULL of wine, folks fighting over huge containers of peanut oil. If you know you're going to fry a damned turkey for Thanksgiving, what are you doing in the Wal-Mart the day before buying oil?!

It was insane. People were snarling at each other, bumping into each other, grabbing stuff off of shelves. A gay guy sucked his teeth at me because I asked him (politely) twice if I might get to the cucumbers. Women were snapping at their kids and there was an altercation in the parking lot over something (I didn't pause to investigate).

Happy freakin' Thanksgiving. Everyone relax and have a great time. [/sarcasm]

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So, what's up with the whole fried turkey thing? I personally can't eat it. It tastes nasty to me. I also can't understand it. I mean, here you have a bird, a device in your kitchen to cook the bird, and .... that's about all you need. Seriously. I can make a delicious, mouthwatering roast turkey with just oil and a pan and my oven.

So ... why would a person purchase an expensive extra device (which will do only that job) plus the expensive five gallons (or whatever) of oil (which we go get the day before we need it, then get hysterical when it's sold out!!) to cook our bird in a substandard manner?

I know, I know, people have told me it's delicious (*gag*), it's easy (not counting the wal-mart run-with-hysterics), etc.

I think it's a combo of factors. I think it's fashion (it's NEW! It must be better!). I think it's ostentation (Oh, look what I have prominently in use in my driveway! A turkey fryer! Ohhhh.) I think it's convenience (woman doesn't have to mess with bird, oven is freed up, men are conveniently removed from house where they stand, like modern Australopithecus afarensis, around the fryer, drinking alcohol and shootin' the breeze.)

Whatever. I have no problem if you fry your turkey (Seriously, I don't care. Whatever cooks your bird. *snicker*) Just please don't be offended if I don't eat any. It's not a personal insult, I just don't enjoy it.

Now if I could treat the entire holiday like that: "Thanksgiving? Oh, no thank you!"

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PS: Everyone be safe today. Pay attention on the road, try to relax, be thankful for what you have, and don't let anyone guilt you into anything.