Thanksgiving 2004

 
I went for a traditional and loving execution of the classics.
The menu:
A 12.23-pound Kosher turkey (basted with a bit of butter and oven-roasted, otherwise unandorned)
Confit of cranberries and carmelized onions
Garlic mashed potatoes, unpeeled
Asparagus steamed with maple syrup and white wine
Stuffing of homemade bread cubes, carmelized onions, bacon, apples and sage
Gravy of turkey drippings (with a reasonable amount of fat skimmed off) thickened with roux
The wine: DuBoeuf Beaujolais Nouveau 2004
The dessert: Classic pumkin pie, crafted by my wife and her Mum.

Crab, Chardonnay, and my Wife- a Study in Superlatives 

Jack Lawrence and Doc Watson in Charlotte, NC. Pure, unadulterated music. 

A Sobering

(listening to Henryk Gorecki's Symphony No. 3, Op. 36 "Symphony of Sorrowful Songs")

Connie, the mother of Ali (the mother of my daughter Claire), has cancer. She has been given a year. The exact type of cancer is unknown at this time, but it has metastasized into her bones. She is not well. She is in her fifties.

Her spirits are good; she is strong, and she has no fear. My heart is heavy for those who love her, though. Hope is not lost, but the situation is grim.

I suppose the fact that I work for a company that makes cancer drugs only makes it worse. I am aware of the medical complexity, the ugly ordeal, the bureaucratic nightmare and the hideous expense.

Am I morose? Perhaps I just harbor cold, dark recollections of my father's passing. The passing of a human being is a hell of a thing. What vacuum is more bitter and cruel than the space left by a loved one?

Bah Humbug

Well, at least the president was elected, as opposed to appointed, this time. However, we now have an increased Republican presence in the Legislative branch of the government and will most likely see several Supreme Court justices chosen by this administration. Thus, it won't be difficult for the White House to create a new Federal agency: The Department of Keeping a Suspicious Eye on Gay, Black, Hispanic, Academic, or Artsy People, or Anybody Who Asks Too Many Durn Questions (DKSEGBHAAPAWATMDQ).