But is it really Thanksgiving if there's no turkey?

It makes me so sad that I can't post photos until I get back to SF. Last night Ken and I watched the balloons getting blown up for the parade today. Not quite the icons I remember from my childhood (does anyone even remember who Bullwinkle is anymore?) -- more along the lines of Pokemon and Mr. Potato Head, who was given a vaguely disturbing "modern" update with a digital watch and a nalgene-style water bottle. Huh? But perhaps most disturbing was Ronald McDonald. His head was fully inflated and upright, but his body was completely flaccid, save two bulbous buttocks. As Ken said, they looked like a head and two enormous scrotum. Also, how gross that kids will be literally looking up to this representative of such a gross company. Yuck.

So Thanksgiving is done. Relief, disappointment. I think I'm just too much of a control freak to be happy at big celebratory things like this if someone else is in charge. Especially after last year (where, granted, there was no turkey), when I was the one planning and cooking and taking care of everything to my liking. But really, I can't quite get over the fact that instead of a turkey there was a "spiral cut hickory smoked turkey breast", vacuum sealed in plastic from hickory farms and with a packet of sugar powder for the "homemade" glaze. I'd rather there wasn't any gesture at all towards the iconic turkey than such a lame, pre-packaged, processed one.

But enough sitting in judgment. It was fun to sit at a table with this particular crazy half of the family, and to meet wee Robyn of the Enormous Cheeks. Seeing my macho jock cousin cooing over his little daughter was almost more of a wonder than this little person. Also, he said that the other day he had pulled "a booger the size of Montana out of her nose that was so long I thought it was part of her brain." Also, "she can fart with the best of them."

This is my family, my blood. These are my people. Wow.