Day 12 - ow my head, mints, holidays foreign and domestic
I woke up at about three-thirty a.m. with a migraine so bad I thought I was going to die, took some meds and lay there moaning for a while and then slept a few broken hours, so this is going to be quick and random.
We went out for dinner for my friend Janet's (HI JANET) birthday tonight, which was lovely, and I managed to rally before leaving, although I feel like I'm right on the edge again right now, and my eyeballs are kind of humming painfully. On the way to the restaurant, I opened my purse and found that my mints had opened and there was minty dust everywhere - my wallet looked like someone had done cocaine on it. This was doubly painful because I believe that the mints I carry everywhere and rely on to get me through mask-wearing hours in my super-dry school libraries and am HIGHLY DEPENDENT ON are being discontinued. Why does the free market insist on taking away everything I love?
I threw one in my mouth and asked Matt if he wanted one, but told him he should savour it, because it might be his last. He said he was honoured to be deemed mint-worthy.
At the bar last Tuesday we were talking about American Thanksgiving and how, as Canadians, it seems to us to be way too close to Christmas - the poor people that have to do all that cooking and prep and then clean up and do it all again barely a month later. We were also wondering if most people cook turkey for Thanksgiving and Christmas, or something else for both, or something else for one - so over to you, American friends, what do you usually cook?
It should be noted that Angus, our Canadian defector, is wholly on board with American Thanksgiving. He texted last week "is there any reason I have to come home for American Thanksgiving, other than you guys liking me?" Since a little before then he was describing to Matt in rapturous tones how the whole holiday revolves around watching sports and food, we gave him dispensation to go his friend's place and bask in the sportsballing atmosphere.
And now, drugs.
Comments
Love the text from Angus. We do turkey for Thanksgiving, always. Then we sometimes have turkey for Christmas, depending on who is hosting. My parents host Christmas on my side, have forEVER - although not sure they can handle it this year. I've offered to host this year a few times, but my mom has brushed me off. Denial, I expect. Anyway, my folks cook beef tenderloin (and there are 36 people on my side). Ham is also a common Christmas option. I think my MIL once served ham for Thanksgiving when I was there. That was disappointing. She also makes potatoes from a box despite being a decent cook.
When I host Coach's side, we celebrate a day before or after Christmas because everyone goes to their other side of the family. I don't feel locked into a tradiational meal, so I've done lasagne (my BIL loves my lasagne) or Cuban Rice Chicken Bowls.
Hope you feel better and are able to source out another great mint. In the meantime, quit doing lines of coke on your wallet.
You know I love to talk about food, so I will say that I make turkey ONCE AND ONLY ONCE a year, and that is for Thanksgiving. That is more than enough turkey for me; I eat a few slices that one day and then never again, not even the leftovers. For Christmas, we either make a porterhouse roast (beef) or a tenderloin (also beef). This is my family tradition, but it is also an amalgam of the tradition I grew up with (porterhouse roast) and the tradition my husband grew up with (tenderloin). So that's three American families who do beef for Christmas, to add to your unofficial poll.
I hope your head is feeling better already, by the time you read this.
When I was growing up we had similar meals for Christmas and T-giving most years. Beth and I did that for a while, but now we don't have a set meal for Christmas. If we spend it with her mom, she'll often make lasagna. We've done it a few years and now the kids think of it as the proper Christmas dinner.
Mint-worthy...made me smile. And I sympathize, all the products I love the best are always eventually discontinued.