November Sweeps - Day 663

Happy Thanksgiving!

I like Thanksgiving a lot, even though I complain.  We did a big family get-together at the conference room at a motel a couple of towns south of me.  

I was in charge of taking pictures, so I took a ton of them.  I'm not a photographer, despite the kick-arse camera my uncle gave me (I did look for the big SD card I bought to record videos with--that I never use--so I could use the nice camera, but I couldn't find it), but I took about fifty or so photos, just hoping to get some good ones, and catch everybody that was there (except for myself, I suppose).

My aunt had brought a slideshow she had put together of 499 pictures ranging from her childhood in the Fifties to just this past year (when people had masks on).  It was really cool to watch throughout the afternoon, though I told her I thought it would be a good idea to caption the pictures, to spell out who was in each one (there were lots of babies, and lots of old people back when they were young that I couldn't identify), and it seems like I may have volunteered myself for the job.

My cousin's family had gone to his in-laws' place for Thanksgiving this year (they alternate), and it would have been nice to have him around to talk to (my niece made fun of me, saying, "Oh, boo hoo, your Cousin Ryan didn't show up, so now you're all alone."  I'm not sure she was joking there), and at least ten of the people there were strangers to me.

Sit-ups Today: 100

Sit-ups In November: 2566

I tried to get pictures of everybody, and took between fifty and sixty of them.  There's nothing worth mentioning there, except that at one point, I asked my Aunt Blanca if she'd take a picture with my cousin Taylor.  He said, "Really?" and got next to his mom, and I took the picture.  My aunt said, "You know, I'll bet that's the first time we've ever gotten a picture together."  I thought that was weird . . . until I realized that she wasn't his mom at all, he's my Uncle Ali's kid.  Whoops.

Push-ups Today: 105
Push-ups In November: 2867

Okay, even that wasn't an amusing story.  How about this?

So, my sister got her kids' hair cut yesterday in preparation for Thanksgiving, and this morning, as we were getting dressed for the activity, she exclaimed, "Where did all that hair in the sink come from?"

Well, I had shaved before my shower this morning, and I thought I'd forgotten to wash it down, but no, it was an extraordinary amount of hair, and I hadn't shaved off my whole beard.  Wait, where was the four year old?  Why was he hiding?

Turned out he had grabbed a pair of scissors and gone to town on his head, just as the barber had with him yesterday.  I guess every kid has done that at one time or another*, but she had to call around to see if someone could give the boy another haircut, to try to salvage it.  My Uncle John's wife did the best she could to even out the damage, but it looks like what it is: a kid with a mostly buzzed head.  My sister is sad because she'd wanted to do family photos for Christmas, and I suggested they put a Santa or elf hat on the four year old.  We'll see if she takes my advice, or just skips the pictures this year.

I had this idea today--came to me in the shower--of writing a Star Wars Thanksgiving sketch.  It's as bad as it sounds: either the Emperor or Grand Moff Tarkin is throwing a holiday banquet, and everyone around the table, including Darth Vader, has to say what they are thankful for.  In my head, it was pretty funny (I had this twisted idea that one of those sick, pale Imperial Dignitaries from JEDI is there, and what he's thankful for is so gross and bent that Admiral Motti does a spit take).  But alas, it came to me on Thanksgiving Day, so if I write it, it'll have to be for next year.  I dunno.

Words Today: 479
Words In November: 17,202

*My mom told us that my little brother tried cutting off all his sister's hair when he was four or five himself, a memory I'd completely forgotten.