Thanksgiving Eve?!

Can I call it that, Thanksgiving eve? It is the night before Thanksgiving and all through the house….. no no that is not my story tonight.  But just FYI, not a creature is stirring not even a mouse, just the mouse on this computer and the clickity click of my typing.

I am waiting on the return of my sister. Tomorrow, we’ll venture off for the celebrations with the family. I have always enjoyed Thanksgiving and the traditions that surround it.

"Turkey" photo and culinary skills by Kirk Rasmussen

Today, on Thanksgiving eve, no matter where the dinner takes place the house must be cleaned. Why you can’t have a mess house at Thanksgiving, that is not being very grateful.  I remember always in my late elementary school days, that I would dream of the time off and filling it with playing house; when in reality I filled it with cleaning house. (I am sure my childhood memory exaggerated the amount of time I real was cleaning though.) I can picture the vacuum with the elephant long nose, and square body that I drug behind me as I banged it clumsily into the walls.

Later, in my teenage years, I fought with my mother as I vacuumed the for the company that would arrive. I struggled to reattach the front piece to the front of the new vacuum, with twisting the band.  I had to call my mom in for help. She said, “I think you’ll have to move next door when you grow up. So that whenever you vacuum I can just walk over to help.” We smiled and I imagined how in a way that would be perfect.

After moving out I spent my first Thanksgiving away from home;  just a little too grown up, lonely, and without a vacuum.

I made sure that the next year I wasn’t lacking the vacuum tradition.  This time though I wasn’t cleaning up for my guests. I was being paid to keep the tradition alive. I worked for a cleaning company that cleaned houses. I doubt my mother would have ever thought that my clumsy vacuuming skills would earn me an income.  I grabbed on to that long nosed vacuum and straightened up that fancy home with ease. I smiled big at the end of the day when I saw the cash tip that would be used as gas money to go home.

I spent a few more years away from the vacuum and home. Thankfully, my family made a big deal about that. First before I left they had a huge feast of a Thanksgiving and knowing it would be a while before I returned they threw in a little Christmas too. When I did come back, that year Thanksgiving was once again a big deal. I am pretty sure I wasn’t even allowed to vacuum for any of those.

This year, I am as excited as ever for tomorrow. I thought about it all day. I made plans to go to the cinema.  I wandered around the house. I should have packed for the road trip home tomorrow but instead I found myself pulling out the vacuum.  This little apartment didn’t really need a cleaning but it just felt like what I was suppose to do, because it is Thanksgiving eve after all.

The Hairy Truth

Bottled Water

#SaveGreendale

There is this TV show called Community.  It is about a community college and the people that go there. It is a fictional college in the fictional locale of Greendale, Colorado.  I enjoy the  pop culture references,  my favorite episodes are the often parodying film and television clichés. It cracks me up.

It was on sale at last years black Friday event, I had caught a few episodes and thought that $11 was a pretty good deal. I got it. I watched it. I giggled.  I fell in love with each of the characters, specifically a cocky Jeff Winger and  a young Troy Barnes.

Bad news is that Community got benched for next spring.  There is not a for sure timeline when it will come back.  Now what?  Well #SaveGreendale. #SaveCommunity.

I love community! #troy-and-abed-in-the-morning

WHY I AM A MO SISTER

Why am I a Mo Sister?Why would a girl pretend to have a mustache, when thousand of dollars a year are spent by hundreds of ladies, on products that remove the lady ‘stache. Is it mustache envy, like my friend accuses me of having? Am I jealous of the furry patch between the nose and lip?

The answer to all the questions above are no. Prostate cancer is a serious. If me holding my hair up like mustache, helps someone remember about the seriousness of cancer, that is why.

Most important reason I do this, is to spread awareness.

If I can help one person make an appointment to see the doctor, then job well done.

Here is some information from the Movember Web site:

HEALTH CHECK

You don’t have to wait until you are sick to see a doctor. The fact that men continue to die from conditions that are potentially preventable and life expectancy remains low when compared to women, should be evidence enough that a more proactive approach is needed by men when it comes to their health. Movember is working hard to change current statistics and one of the key ways we are doing this is by encouraging men of all ages to have an annual physical. Get into the habit early in life and make it a priority each year.

So Mo Bros, remember to:

• Find a Doctor you are happy with
• Have an annual physical with your Doctor
• Talk to your Doctor about the health risks for your age group, and what to do to reduce them
• Know your body and what is normal for you
• Promptly check out any changes in your body with your Doctor

I know two cancer survivors, they survived because the went to to doctor. I think that is all I need to say.

Dream

Dandelion

I am a HUGE Andrew Belle FAN!!

I don’t thin that I have expressed that sufficiently in this blog. I love his voice.  I love his music.  Tomorrow is Veteran’s Day and then there is Thanksgiving, Christmas  is still too far away. BUT….  this is cause to let a  little Christmas slip into our lives.  

I was lucky enough to hear about him from my rocking sister Krystal. It was her birthday and we were headed home for the weekend when she switched the plans  into going to SLC to see one of her favorite singers. I am glad she did because we were able to meet him. She got a great birthday hug and I was introduced to his music.  We have met him one other time. Here is some evidence :

(My sister is what I call the celebrity-snuggler. I will show more proof of this in a later post.)

MATTEO

What would be an interesting  musical combination? Chinese street markets meets Americana indie. But some how it is perfect. Perhaps it is because I love indie music, perhaps it is I spent some time in China, or perhaps they just mix the two perfectly to create a sound that is unique them.

“Matteo is the sum of four musicians’ many years meandering through Chinese street markets and mountains. A hearty collection of Chinese traditional instruments were carried or shipped back across the pacific, including the centerpiece of Matteo’s live performances: a 6 foot Chinese zither harp. The instruments have an incredibly unique and rich tone and timbre, but often traditional Chinese music is inaccessible to western audiences. Matteo keeps their roots in american indie-folk, while allowing the influence of the distinct instruments to saturate into the music. The result is a strangely beautiful acoustic blend that navigates over gimmick into a refreshing and genuine sound.”

Just wait until it gets really into this video, trust me folks.

Find them on Facebook and get a free download. I love stumbling across a  good band on Facebook.

Suprises

When I saw this it took me back. SO My little sitter lived with a host family while going to a charter school for the arts. One day I called her to tell her how my nephew reminded me of her when she was little. He was so excited about something little, he found the rip over my knee in my jeans. She heard this story and thought that the story about her I was going to share would be just as cute, she put her phone on speaker to let her host sister hear how cute she was. Well, the story was simple about how excited she would get as a little child to find a “surprise” up her nose.