Friday, November 23, 2007

Thankful or Remorseful?

So now it is the day after Thanksgiving. The morning after actually. I have a stomachache (shock!) and a headache. The morning headache is not all that uncommon lately. I think it has to do with the sinus thing. The stomachache is definitely a Thanksgiving related malady.

Of course yesterday I was thankful for all the standard stuff: friends, family, health, my hobbies, and of course the good weather! It was a very frosty, but clear and beautiful day. As it progressed the day warmed and became a beautiful sunny celebration of how special the Pacific Northwest can be. Truly something to be thankful for any time it presents during the winter months here.

Chairman Meow (our very curious young Siamese tom cat) was more curious than usual. If this cat is capable of any sense of thankfulness (as opposed to entitlement) I am sure he was thankful yesterday. Any day that starts with the aroma of boiling turkey innards is a special day in the cat world and ‘Stripey’ was very anxious to help in the kitchen.

Why is it that on the day of the feast the aroma of a roasting turkey seems so incredibly wonderful. But then the day after it just seems to reek? On Thanksgiving I remember my vegetarian friends and think how unfortunate that they cannot share in this wonderful tradition. The day after I feel, … well, in this case a little nauseous, and not a little self loathing for my excesses.

The day was a genuine celebration though. Three of my four kids came to eat with us. Kids? Did I say kids? It is the classic parental dilemma; I have a vision of these three cute little kids, and then who comes to dinner but three fully formed, literate and very interesting adults. Having them around, even if only for a few hours is a real treat. It is fascinating to see the world through their eyes. And they are models of modern engineering. All three are “big”, considerably taller than me and so of course, considerably taller than those three little kids that keep running around in my head. Fortunately, they brought their big appetites so we are not faced with the overflowing refrigerator dilemma.

So all in all I am thankful, very thankful for all the standard stuff. Good friends, including you who stop by for a quick look from time to time. My whole family, not just my kids. My health. I whine about that a lot but I've got all my fingers and toes, fair vision for an old man, and the strength and ability to ride a bike. If my nose is a little more runny than I would like, well, how big of a health problem is that? I have a place in the world where I can make a little contribution and get paid for doing so. My toys and the ability to ride them around the country side.

Oh yes, I’m also thankful that Thanksgiving is over for another year and I can now get back to that perennial winter challenge, the battle of the belt line. One last thing: I'm thankful for my new tires, the Rivendell Jack Browns. I rode them to work last week. I need a few more miles to be able to give a meaningful evaluation, so I'll let you know what I think in the future. (don't we just love our new toys?)

I hope you have as much to be thankful for as I have. If so, we live in a pretty special patch of the world don’t we?

3 comments:

  1. Man you are OLD.
    Joking aside, how are the tires holding up? I've been eyeballing those.

    Robert
    http://www.bunnyhawk.com/blog/

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  2. Old!? I'm not old, I have just been young for a long time.

    So far I like the tires but mostly just for the cachet. They do smooth out the chip seal buzz as the Gran Bois did, but they are not as plush as the GB's. (not as harsh as 23mm Conti's though). I am riding them at the relatively high pressure of 75psi. I think they are rated 55 - 85. I think I'll let a little more air out and see what happens. Ask me again in a month or so.

    Bunnyhawk? How old are you? (kidding)

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  3. 25 going on 12.

    I didn't see you at the Meet and Greet. It started to snow on us once we left for home.

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