It’s that time of year again, although I mainly see it as a seasonal change – knowing it’s time to start freezing my tush off – the rest of the US starts to gear up for gorging and gift giving. Today, of course, is Thanksgiving, tomorrow starts the biggest Christmas shopping day of the year.

Everyone carb loads themselves to death and then prepares to survive the ordeal of shop til you drop. Just sounds totally unappetizing to me, but I’m not a shopper. Looking at my wardrobe would tell the truth on that statement. My view of all holidays has changed over the years. I prefer to think of everyday as a holiday and if I see something I believe someone would enjoy as a gift, and I’m in the mode, I give the gift, the heck with a designated day. Children fall into a different category there, just because they have to.

I’ve spent my Thanksgiving in a great way for me – sort of bizarre to the rest of the world, I’m sure. I just got a new bike, what the hell do they call them now? Years ago they were 10 speeds, then they were racing bikes, then dirt bikes, then…. I give up! I went to the bike shop with my son Dan and tried out a bike that has disc brakes and some kind of super shifter. The disc brakes alone were enough to sell me. I hated the damn caliper brakes and that’s one of the reasons I sold my last bike (another was that I was dumping off everything because I was moving into the coach). This bike is like riding a Cadillac, except for the seat of course. All bike seats are made to leave your butt physically impaired for life. They tell me this is the best type of seat – even though it has a split right down the middle and is so narrow I feel if I hit a hard bump, I might have to have it surgically removed, it does seem to go with the bike though. Sure, I know you can buy ones that are wider, more cushioned, etc. but now I’ve decided to rough it and just make my tush get used to it. *ouch*

Back to thanksgiving…I went up to the old digs, taking my computer, bike, and a few other nonsensical unnecessarys, managed to have coffee with son Dan and his boy Ryan, they were leaving to go have Thanksgiving dinner with Dan’s dad shortly. I was invited to dinner but said “No thanks.” Just as they left, son Darian got up, we visited for a bit and he was going to have dinner at a friend’s house. I was invited again, but same reply. They all left, me and Cain were hanging out together. I went for two different bike rides around the old neighborhood. Nice! Damn that’s a great bike.

I came back to heat up a single size, frozen pizza, chug some vitamins and old fart’s pills, drink water, lost about 36c playing a split game on PokerStars, and decided to load up and head for home. It was strange in a way…hanging out at the old digs where I spent eight years of my life, in someone else’s home, yet home. But what a great way to spend the day.

Nawwwww…I’m not ‘bird’ deprived. My truck driving sis and her beau will be through town tomorrow, we are going to have all the fixin’s on Saturday at the old digs. There should be around 12 adults and three kidlings in attendance. I expect a lot of carb loading and a ton of warm, fun atmosphere to be happening. But no shopping the day after, just lots of poker as I Chase Chris Ferguson.