Notes From All Over: Thanksgiving Leftovers Edition

i realize thanksgiving is quickly becoming a distant memory.... but i had a houseful of people through sunday and then i've just been busy (or worn out) the past couple of evenings.

i do, however, still have the remnants of three pies in my refrigerator plus an odd mixture of thanksgiving leftovers... mostly mashed potatoes and cranberry sauce.

i think my brother finished off the dressing last night...

the big news of the thanksgiving holiday: i held my first baby.

well, not my first baby. for the first time i held a baby. yes, i met my pudgy, little niece leah kathryn.

and what everyone said would happen, happened: i melted.

she is just an adorable little butterball, full of personality. and she knows what she wants and when she wants it... my favorite quality in a woman.

so...despite being up early (even for me) every day of the holiday break, it was a wonderful time. let me break down some highlights.

the dinner
wednesday night i made the celery/sage dressing, the double crust apple pie and a roasted garlic and potato soup. the soup would be the accompaniment to the turkey sandwiches for the UT v. A&M game thursday night.

thursday i made the pumpkin pie, the corn casserole, mashed potatoes and roasted acorn squash and cauliflower. i also made a delicious cranberry sauce my friend rhoda suggested:

simple cranberry sauce
1 orange, quartered (rind and all)
1 bag cranberries
1 cup sugar

pulse together in food processor until desired thickness.

it was yummy.

my younger brother handled the dead turkey (which i refuse to touch) and everything was marvelous. in fact, we were all too full for soup and sandwiches during the game so we all just had pie.

mmmm....pie.

A&M vs. Texas
we all hunkered down to watch the game thursday night and watched the horns spank and embarrass the aggies..... it was an incredible game for colt mccoy and one that may have put him back in the lead for the heisman.

unfortunately.... OU beat OSU handily on saturday and when the sunday BCS standings came out... no one was surprised when oklahoma leap-frogged over texas to go ahead to the big 12 championship and, probably, the BSC championship game.

it was a big disappointment..... but texas, at #3, is still ensured a great bowl game.

the bouncy chair
okay... so, there's this thing that babies sit in that hangs from the door frame and it twists and turns and swings and bounces. my niece fuckin' loves this thing.

the first time they put her in it...she just jumped and jumped and jumped and giggled and cooed and smiled.... i fuckin' lost it. i was laughing so hard i had tears in my eyes.

it was like watching a monkey at the zoo. my god - it was so funny.

but hey...she loves it. and it keeps her entertained.

by the way...i took to holding my niece more as the visit wore on. it's not so hard afterall... except that she is really heavy.

it felt very odd at first... but i made sure i held her one last time before she left for baton rouge.

p.s. don't expect me to want to hold every baby now that my hymen has been broken. i just want to hold my niece. get your own damn uncles to do your heavy lifting.

the 2nd annual pie off
we held the second annual pie off on saturday this year.... i'd like to think it was a great success.

eight pies... each one more delicious than the next.

the entries:
2 sour cream, apple pies
1 classic pecan
1 double crust apple pie
1 lemon ice box pie
1 orange meringue
1 chocolate peanut butter pie
1 triple chocolate pumpkin pie

the last pie was mine... straight from martha stewart's november magazine. and while i still need to master my dripping technique... i thought it was fierce. rich, dense, chocolaty. delish.

but...the judges were not judging on difficulty or style, clearly...so the sour cream apple pie scored the blue ribbon, followed by the melting chocolate peanut butter pie and finally the pecan pie...which had style and taste.

but we all know mine was the best... i'm just not allowed to win because i host.

oh - and a special shout-out to sister epiphenita's friend lori for bringing the makings for pie-flavored drinks: pumpkin pie and apple pie. yummy and potent.

but there were about 13 people at the pie off and i thought it went well.

except for the losing part...

monday night debut
the houston texans made their monday night debut this week against the jacksonville jaguars. i don't know if the texans played particularly well or if jacksonville played exceptionally bad... but we won. 17-30, houston.

this is in large part thanks to our defense, in particular mario williams.

meanwhile, sage rosenfels remains inconsistent and steve slayton continues to be this season's pleasant surprise.

the national exposure was nice... but jesus - those commentators on ESPN talk incessantly. i swear they're stoned.... just three giggling stoners.

election update
saxby chambliss won his reelection bid to the U.S. senate in yesterday's georgia run-off against democratic challenger jim martin. there goes the dem's hope for a 60-seat majority.

meanwhile in minnesota: 93% of the ballots have been recounted with norm coleman holding a 303 vote lead over democrat and all-around great liberal, al franken.

franken did win a ruling by the state attorney general that will include more absentee ballots, however, so i'm hoping he can close the gap.

expect results in another week or two.

madam secretary
monday, president-elect barack obama made his choice for secretary of state official: hillary rodham clinton.

brava and yay!

no need for a book tour
doris kearns goodwin need not worry about a book tour for her new book on lincoln, team of rivals. more commentators and pundits have used that phrase over the past two weeks than i've heard in my life!

i'm sure doris thanks you for helping her sell more and more books... but cut it out, for fuckssake!

obama is being a pragmatist and picking the best people for the jobs.... no matter who they are.

but...congratulations, doris. love ya, girl.

in closing
are there really only 21 shopping days left until christmas.

fuck me, i'm just not ready.... and i've really neglected my movie watching in anticipation of the upcoming awards season. i mean...the independent spirit award nominations came out today.

rachel getting married leads the way... and it's really a very good film. devastating. and anne hathaway and rosemarie dewitt are superb.

okay...i guess i should end my work day with a bit of work. but i needed a sanity break so i thought i'd catch up.

more soon, i'm sure.

e.

p.s.
did anyone see jupiter and venus the past two nights? lovely celestial viewing.

Notes From All Over: M.I.A. Edition

oh, my lovelies... you have no idea what fresh hell i've experienced the past couple of weeks. please forgive my absence but work has dragged me down into a level of hell that not even dante could have imagined.

i realize i've been missing in action so i present to you a quick recap of the past couple of weeks from all angles.

work
it has been beyond busy, beyond terrible. for two straight weeks i was basically working ten hour days. i was unable to break free for lunch i was unable to do any of my work. i was focused on the digital upgrade my program made and it has not been fun.

i have finally passed a good portion of the digital responsibility on to other people and this past week i've been able to focus on projects that i need to do. but i've also had meeting after meeting, i've had to tour other facilities, i've had to find a new front desk person, i'm dealing with a 20 year old A/C unit that is about to go out on me..... not to mention every other little fire that's been coming up and the still straggling questions and pesterings about the digital upgrade.

and all the whining and bitching that goes along with it.

in short.... i hate my job.

but hey! what's new, right?

family
is it sad that i just put family after work? and that friends will come after that?

oy.

the baby is home and doing well. apparently she thinks the days are for sleeping and the nights are for raising cain (which reminds me of my days as a waiter), but she's healthy and parents are doing well. if not just exhausted beyond all belief.

but you know... who told them to go off and have a baby?

i may make a trip over there in september to see the little rugrat (for those of you pushing the issue).

looks like my parents will be coming down in august to see the baby and to see my play in the 10x10. they're good parents. they really are. i'm fortunate.

friends
i haven't had much of chance to see them but last weekend we did throw a white trash theme party for my friend steven. he went into detail about the party on his blog (stevensvox.blogspot.com) so i won't bore you with too many additional details.

let me just put one thing in the public record: i was MORTIFIED when i had to purchase strawberry cake mix with strawberry icing along with two boxes of double cheeseburger hamburger helper.

i've not been able to take enough showers to wash off the dirtiness i feel.

but steven is worth it.

the lesbians really went all out with their tuna surprise, their giant dingdong and their outfits. it was hilarious...

and - believe it or not - a great time was had by all (i believe).

the dark knight
saw it. loved it. ledger is brilliant in it. watching him i felt the way audiences must've felt when they first saw brando in streetcar. just something wholly original and fresh (and frightening).

see it.

brideshead revisited
i finished reading evelyn waugh's novel yesterday and i simply devoured it. beyond the initial shock at just how fucking gay the book really is.... it was a fascinating blend of sensuality, family drama, religion and politics. it's the first book by waugh i've read and i'm very interested in reading more by him.

if you haven't read brideshead, i highly recommend it.

politics
what a bizarre couple of weeks in politics. obama becomes the new david hasslehoff in germany and mccain puts him in an ad with britney spears and paris hilton.

some thoughts.....

i thought the trip through europe could have some downfalls. we can all agree that obama has an ego. but hell, you better have an ego if you're running for the ruler of the free world. i'm sure mccain has an ego to boot. he's just not eloquent enough for us to see it.

but comparing obama to britney and paris is just silly politics. they're vacuous airheads and i don't think anyone can accuse obama of that. but i understand the message mccain is trying to make. obama is a celebrity but he's as empty as these two.

for the record: i don't see any parallel between the blatant "protect your white daughters" message in the 2006 harold ford commercials. but it's all still pretty ridiculous.

what concerns me more is this new mccain ad titled "the one." and all week we've been hearing words like "arrogant" and "fussy" and "ego" and it boils down to a very disturbing message on behalf of the republicans and the mccain camp.

please forgive me for putting this in print....and i hate the word i'm about to type.... but they're basically saying: "look at the uppity nigger. don't he know his place?"

it's the same tactic used against hillary. "that bitch. doesn't she know the proper place for a little lady?"

the GOP has a record of running these divisive sexist and racist campaigns. they can't beat obama on substance so they're driving home the message to blue collar whites that this black man may be a little too big for his britches.

it's disturbing. and i finally heard david gergen bring it up on this week this morning. and it's a particularly clear message to racist, southern voters.....

it's the worst kind of politics but it's the politics of rove and bush and mccain is now using those same tactics. they don't win on the issues... they win on bringing the other candidate down.

and worst of all... it seems to be working.

instead of a huge bounce coming out of his tour of the middle east and europe... obama has actually slid in the polls since mccain has come out with these ads. the latest gallop has them tied, i believe.

i hope the media is smart enough to attack this issue and not pussy-foot their way around it because everyone is so afraid of talking about race.

i hate to break the news to you, kiddos, but race is a factor. it's the big-ass elephant in the room and we need to talk about it.

we need to discuss the positives. and we need to discuss the negatives.

we need to be grown-ups in this process. not break out ads with paris hilton and charlton heston.

silly and childish. is this "straight talk"?

shame on you, john mccain. didn't you promise everyone better than that?

god, this is probably a very long, rambling entry without a lot of insight or good things. and it suddenly made me kinda cranky.

i'll add an update to my veepstakes here in a bit and cheer myself up.

that's getting good.

have a great week, everyone. (i promise to be better.)

e.

p.s. the play is going really well and i think i'll be very pleased with my 10x10 this year. actually, rehearsals have been the bright spots during the past couple of weeks.

also.... i'm in the current issue of outsmart (in the news briefs). i look nice and plump... but hey, i'm smiling. you can find it in print or online at outsmartmagazine.com.

Please Welcome to the Stage...

leah katharyn.

yes, my younger brother and his wife are officially the proud owners of a new rugrat.

leah was born this afternoon at 4:52pm (CST) weighing.... 8 pounds, 2 ounces. i think that's right... i'm not really sure what normal baby weight is or why everyone seems to care so much?

seriously? why is that always the first question? "how much does she weigh?"

does a lower weight mean something better than a higher weight? or vice versa? if she's heavier does it increase her likelihood of becoming a lesbian.... because seriously, ever since my friend steven told me every leah he's ever known was a lesbian.... that's my wish for my niece.

and i hope she becomes the first female QB in the NFL. that'll kick ass!

so.... let me see.... what am i missing? 8 pounds, 2 ounces. i've told you the name. she came out with a full head of light brown/blondish hair.... blue eyes (surprise, surprise) but "for now" as my brother informs me. baby has ten fingers and toes... (that's ten finger AND ten toes... so a total of 20 digits.) a healthy cry (again, not sure what that indicates).

mother's good. i'm told she's tired and sore (um, ya think?). father is frazzled.

so, ummm....yeah. congratulations, brother & sister!

mazal tov!

e.

Meanwhile...In the Midwest

between obama clinching the nomination and making history... hillary not conceding then conceding... and mccain proving over and over again how lackluster a candidate he is... a major news story has slipped through the cracks.

GM will close four north american auto plants...those specializing in SUVs and large trucks...over the next two years.

i can't tell you how thrilled i am that the automotive industry has finally realized the destructive impact these vehicles have been making on the environment...now, of course, that people are no longer buying them with gas prices hovering around $4.00 a gallon.

but this does affect me in an odd way....beyond the joy that comes along with the death of the SUV.

my parents live in one of the towns. janesville, wisconsin is home to a very large GM plant and it will close next year or in 2010.

the janesville assembly is the oldest factory still in use by GM...(for now.) it was built in 1919 and employed 7,000 workers in it's heyday. now it employs around 4,000.

4,000 may not seem like a lot for a town nearing 60,000...but it's a big part of janesville.

two months ago my parents put their house on an already slumping market in hopes of moving back down south to be closer to their children and the birth of their first grandchild... name yet to be determined but arriving mid-july in baton rouge, louisiana.

i'm not sure how much luck my parents will have selling their house now with the largest employer in janesville closing its doors. maybe another car manufacturer will move in? maybe they can build something else in the factory?

or maybe janesville will suffer the same fate as so many industrial midwest towns? destined to become a ghost town... it's too bad, really... janesville is a lovely burg just north of the illinois boarder... "the city of parks" and there are a lot of them. downtown still looks like something out of rockwell painting. and a river runs through it...

funny how something that seems so far away...something that would normally be a top story in any less-politicized environment... can surprisingly affect your life and the life of your loved ones.

keep your fingers crossed for my parents.

e.

Post Thanksgiving Thoughts

fifteen years ago i gave up meat. cold turkey, so to speak. i was a freshman in college and the first time i went home after becoming vegetarian was the thanksgiving holiday.

my mom was very cute. assuring me that turkey was not bad for me and that a little bit wouldn't hurt me. fifteen years later, i still have not had turkey. luckily, my mom now understands and doesn't push.

having said all of this, i think i can easily say, thanksgiving is not one of my favorite holidays.

but this weekend was one of the best thanksgiving holidays i've had in some time.

did everything go perfectly? no... texas lost to the aggies, to begin with.

but i had so much fun that i look forward to attempting the same holiday next year and maybe, just maybe, finding a way to enjoy the annual death day for turkeys.

the family

my younger brother and his wife drove in wednesday night. the temps in houston dropped quickly that night and provided a fabulously chilly thanksgiving. my brother, unfortunately, hit the cold front as it made it's way down i-10 into louisiana. his drive was not fun.

i spent the evening finishing the cleaning of the house and baking a beautiful, double-crust apple pie. i also made my mother's celery and sage dressing.

thanksgiving day...i cooked. roasted garlic and potato soup with smoked gouda grilled cheese sandwiches for lunch. my friend sally joined us and we watched the packers go 10-1 for the first time in franchise history.

that evening... my brother and his wife made some turkey concoction for the omnivores. i had the dressing, garlic mashed potatoes, an uber-yummy corn casserole and some cranberry sauce and dinner rolls. unlike last year, the dinner went off on time and without a hitch.

we cracked open the chardonnay from the wisconsin winery and had a very nice dinner. classical music playing... a slow dinner. the four of us got along so well... laughed, talked. the wine was very tasty. it was...a perfect dinner.

that night we had the pumpkin pie i made that morning and went to bed full and happy.

black friday

not because of shopping... there's no way in hell you'd catch me out shopping the day after thanksgiving... but it was not a good day for college ball in my apartment.

my older brother and his wife joined us with their dog, sadie. not only were they both in burnt orange to show their support of the 'horns... but sadie is a natural burnt orange.

the younger brother's wife is an lsu alum. ummmmm...lsu blew it this weekend. i've said all year that lsu has been some lucky motherfuckers. well, their luck ran out in the fourth overtime. not a fun day for kelly#2 (both brothers married kellys. i'm on the look out for a male kelly, just fyi).

then the texas game... my younger brother graduated from UT. the rest of the family merely supports. for me - it's mainly an anti-a&m thing.

well...the overrated texas team also collapsed. there was not enough beer for my older, married siblings... the younger brother drowned himself in his chocolate pecan pie.

which he was making for...

the first annual pie off!

mmmmm........ pie.

13 people. six pies. a lot of alcohol.

it was a delicious evening... coffee. hot chocolate. a very tasty riesling from the wisconsin winery.

side note: i normally hate riesling... but this was delicious. i made everyone try it.

the pies broke down like this: two double crust apple pies. a chocolate pecan pie. a pumpkin pecan pie. a chocolate silk. a blueberry cream.

the judges were the individuals that did not bake.... 3rd place was the chocolate silk. very yummy. congrats. 2nd place: the blueberry pie. i hate to disparage a pie...but the crust was bought. that's all i'm saying. first place... don't get all excited. it was the fucking chocolate pecan. as my friend enita said: adding chocolate to anything simply speaks to our basest natures. double crust apple pies take talent.

i think we canceled each other out.

at least everyone really enjoyed the evening. they all thought it was a great idea and it was all well-executed. i couldn't have been more pleased.

well...unless my pie had won.

farewells

my older brother and his kelly left early saturday afternoon. they had to get back out to her parents' house and had dinner plans that evening.

before my younger brother left, he saved my life. not only did he give me his old laptop that i'm writing on right now (i fucking love this thing), but he also worked on my old computer that crashed a couple of months ago.

that computer had my life on it.... everything i had ever written. all my new play ideas. the start of my new full-length play.

and no...i've never been smart enough to back up.

he saved it all. my computer still needs help...but i got all of my writing back. safe and sound on this laptop and a backup cd.

i swear to you...i could've cried. and i'm not a cryer.

i mean.... put terms of endearment or carrington in the dvd player.... i lose it. but in real life, i tend to fight it.

then another odd thing happened. younger brother and kelly#2 left mid-afternoon. when i hugged them good-bye..... i nearly cried.

i fought back the tears.

isn't 34 too early for menopause? why so emotional? i'm terribly confused by it all.

but as i said...it was one of the best thanksgiving holidays i've had in a long time. everything just went beautifully. no stress. no tension.

just a wonderful time had by all.

sunday i put up my christmas tree and began decking the halls. talked to my friend jason for nearly an hour after not speaking to him in months (except the odd email).

the entire four days were emotional, satisfying. a little unsettling.

to quote my favorite thanksgiving movie, home for the holidays: "i can't wait for goddamn christmas."

happy holidays.

e.