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Post by kds on Nov 23, 2022 14:31:42 GMT
Foods becoming hip (or unhip) is one of the dumbest things in the world to me. It's literally just like fashion trends: we wear this kind of jeans now (tight or baggy or bell-bottomed or torn) because, well, just because! And damnit, nowadays we eat bacon and kale, not salmon and spinach.
The height of absurdity. We humans are sheep.
It is strange, isn't it? Bacon has achieved an almost cult like fanbase over the years. Hey hipsters, we all knew bacon was good, it wasn't a secret. Weird.
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Post by Kapitan on Nov 23, 2022 14:39:21 GMT
The whole idea of "in" and "out" is just so stupid. It's entirely based on marketing to get us to buy things we don't necessarily want or need, and I think everyone knows that, but IT STILL WORKS.
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Post by kds on Nov 23, 2022 14:43:48 GMT
The whole idea of "in" and "out" is just so stupid. It's entirely based on marketing to get us to buy things we don't necessarily want or need, and I think everyone knows that, but IT STILL WORKS. Speaking of marketing, is it me, or has the Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade just become one giant promotion? I realize that there's some irony here in my questioning the parade that has a corporation in the name. But, it seems like that the last few years have featured a lot more talking heads promoting shows, movies, and plays, and a lot more "performances" during the parade. Has it always been this way, but I was just too young to notice? So, or has it shifted away from showing the floats to more about seeing the next reality star or pop tart?
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Post by Kapitan on Nov 23, 2022 19:05:28 GMT
I took off this afternoon, and first thing I went to grab some groceries ... but I must have missed the memo that all day-before-Thanksgiving groceries are to be purchased by the entire family.
It seemed every other shopper wasn't a shopper, but a mom and grandma either loudly discussing or arguing about their grocery list; a dad (and sometimes a grandpa) standing awkwardly in the way, hands in their pockets; and several kids either looking nervous about the mom/grandma arguments or causing holy hell--and in every case, the carts naturally were left askew in the middle of the aisles, ensuring nobody could get by on either side even if the whole family weren't in the way.
Couldn't the vast majority of these people just stay home, letting the actual shopper shop? And regarding the cart and aisle-blocking etiquette, are manners out the window on holiday eves? It took all I had to keep a polite smile and just go about my business. I wanted to rant and rage. But now I have nothing else to buy before, or immediately after, Thanksgiving.
But if I think of something, I'm just getting it via Amazon Prime!
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Post by kds on Nov 23, 2022 19:22:09 GMT
It would make a lot of sense, on one of the busiest shopping days of the year, for somebody to fly solo. Kinda like I did last night. It wasn't too terrible, really. Although, I chose a newer grocery store with bigger open aisles, which made for a more pleasant Thanksgiving week shopping experience.
I didn't see a lot of families, but I saw a few couples, one of which were very loudly arguing with each other about a side to prepare.
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Post by Kapitan on Nov 25, 2022 14:48:54 GMT
Hope everybody had a great holiday yesterday! I'm mentally in a strange space, because while the holiday is over, my family's hasn't happened yet: due to scheduling issues accounting for various in-laws' plans, we're getting together at my parents' house tomorrow.
So my Thanksgiving was quiet, peaceful, and nontraditional: I made a lasagna and homemade french bread (from which I made garlic toast). Not exactly what they had at Plymouth way-back-when, but it was awfully good. Tomorrow I'll have my fill of the more typical fare (and I'm looking forward to it).
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Post by kds on Nov 28, 2022 19:56:17 GMT
For the first time in ten years (my wife and I had only been dating two months for Thanksgiving 2012), I only had to do one Thanksgiving. I didn't really like shortening the time we spent at the respective stops, but it was worth out to actually have the Saturday after Thanksgiving free for a change.
So, after running around on Thanksgiving, and doing some Christmas related festivities on Friday, we had a pretty laid back Saturday.
We started off by doing to a train garden at a local firehouse. Then, home to decorate the Christmas Tree. It was the first time my son was really excited about it.
Around 4:30p, I went outside to light the grill with a Christmas Ale in hand, and some Christmas music on my Spotify. This is really the only time of year that I don't mind the early darkness. The early waning light allowed me to turn the Christmas lights on that I put on the deck, while I grilled. I'm kind of sad this will be the last chance I have to grill for about four weeks.
After we ate and got my son down, my wife and I went outside for a firepit. All in all, it was a very much needed relaxing day.
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Post by Kapitan on Nov 29, 2022 12:30:03 GMT
For me, the family Thanksgiving was nice but also an exercise in minding my own business as to how other people raise their children. It's funny how differently my nephews are being raised, and how differently they're being raised than I think I'd be raising kids. (In particular, the 15-year-old having his mother serve him each dish, and literally even cutting up his meat into bite-sized pieces for him, struck me as absurd and quite frankly embarrassing for everyone involved.) But, not my kids, not my problem!
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Post by kds on Nov 29, 2022 13:59:27 GMT
For me, the family Thanksgiving was nice but also an exercise in minding my own business as to how other people raise their children. It's funny how differently my nephews are being raised, and how differently they're being raised than I think I'd be raising kids. (In particular, the 15-year-old having his mother serve him each dish, and literally even cutting up his meat into bite-sized pieces for him, struck me as absurd and quite frankly embarrassing for everyone involved.) But, not my kids, not my problem! Wow, my son's about to turn five, and my wife and I have been told by our son's support team to avoid feeding him whenever possible.
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Post by Kapitan on Nov 29, 2022 14:12:43 GMT
For me, the family Thanksgiving was nice but also an exercise in minding my own business as to how other people raise their children. It's funny how differently my nephews are being raised, and how differently they're being raised than I think I'd be raising kids. (In particular, the 15-year-old having his mother serve him each dish, and literally even cutting up his meat into bite-sized pieces for him, struck me as absurd and quite frankly embarrassing for everyone involved.) But, not my kids, not my problem! Wow, my son's about to turn five, and my wife and I have been told by our son's support team to avoid feeding him whenever possible. Exactly. He also more or less refuses to speak to anyone but his parents and brother, to the point of answering questions, etc., by whispering them to his mom and having her say them out loud. That's actually new, too: he used to be more talkative. I get that he's a teenager, but instead of being a typically moody one, he seems to be reverting into toddlerhood.
He and his brother are also really rude when they do talk: to their parents, to their uncles, even to my parents (their grandparents). It's amazing to me, and I can't help but think of the consequences I'd have faced if I'd spoken that way to the adults in the family when I was their age.
But, again, not my kids. Not my problem. I can mostly judge from afar, or at least shake my head in disbelief.
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