Come for the politics, stay for the snark.

This blog will pay for itself.

Republicans seem to think life begins at the candlelight dinner the night before.

Let’s not be the monsters we hate.

It’s always darkest before the other shoe drops.

Anyone who bans teaching American history has no right to shape America’s future.

“woke” is the new caravan.

Red lights blinking on democracy’s dashboard

Do not shrug your shoulders and accept the normalization of untruths.

Shallow, uninformed, and lacking identity

A sufficient plurality of insane, greedy people can tank any democratic system ever devised, apparently.

Some judge needs to shut this circus down soon.

Is it negotiation when the other party actually wants to shoot the hostage?

Optimism opens the door to great things.

Come for the politics, stay for the snark.

Technically true, but collectively nonsense

“Squeaker” McCarthy

No one could have predicted…

I’d hate to be the candidate who lost to this guy.

Nancy smash is sick of your bullshit.

When do we start airlifting the women and children out of Texas?

Republican obstruction dressed up as bipartisanship. Again.

A last alliance of elves and men. also pet photos.

Just because you believe it, that doesn’t make it true.

rich, arrogant assholes who equate luck with genius

You are here: Home / Food & Recipes / Food / Thanksgiving Morning Open Thread

Thanksgiving Morning Open Thread

by | 245 Comments

This post is in: ,

I’m sure some of you are horrified now, but frankly, I’d eat this over the usual giant hacked-up bird.

The gathering where I’ll be spending the day will have a high-end, well-prepared turkey — along with a goose and a duck, also painstakingly prepared. I will be eating some of the Dakin ham that is my contribution to the feast. I’ll be sorry not to share the general accolades, but not sorry enough to force myself to chew poultry with a smile on my face.

What are y’all looking forward to, or looking forward to avoiding, at the table today?

Reader Interactions

245Comments

  1. 1.

    R-Jud

    I’m definitely looking forward to avoiding that thing.

    In better news, an agent has just asked for the full manuscript of my novel. Even if she comes back with a no, it’s one no closer to “yes”.

  3. 3.

    Mustang Bobby

    @R-Jud: Every writer’s dream, R-Jud. Best wishes from a fellow scribe.

    I’m going to friends’ for the meal. Since I can burn water, my contribution will be Hawaiian sweet rolls from Publix and a bottle of non-alcoholic Chardonnay. Can I party or what?

  5. 5.

    Betty Cracker

    Something funny for all us scribes as seen on Twitter: “I’m NOT a grammar Nazi; I’m alt-write.”

  7. 7.

    Rob

    @Betty Cracker: That’s hilarious!!

    Just lurking, here & in real life. Up too early, eventually going with partner to visit each of our families. The turkey dog is kind of frightening especially for not being full caffeinated.

    Congratulations to R-Jud!

  9. 9.

    OzarkHillbilly

    @Rob: Huh. I thought the Turkey Dog showed a remarkable resemblance to Donald Trump Jr, which to be sure is creepy in it’s own right.

  10. 10.

    JPL

    @Rob: Believe me, that turkey thing is frightening, even after two cups of coffee.

    @R-Jud: That is good news! Are you in the states for Thanksgiving?

  11. 11.

    Kathleen

    @R-Jud: Congratulations!

    Happy Thanksgiving to all! I am thankful for FP’ers who help me learn and make me laugh, as well as the Juicer Gang in comments (except for the trolls). You all (except for the trolls) have helped me keep what little sanity I have left.

    Getting ready to head out the door for a short-ish run to start my day. Need to get 8 more pages of sample script and marketing proposal done this weekend for Fringe Festival submission. I’m such a procrastinator.

  12. 12.

    OzarkHillbilly

    Non Trump question: Who here believes the N Dakota police forces involved in the Standing Rock protests when they say they did not use concussion grenades? Tear gas? Yes. Clubs? Yes. Dogs? Yes. Water cannons? Yes. Rubber bullets? Yes. Concussion grenades?

    “Oh nooooooo, we would never do such a thing. It was those Injuns and their dirty hippy friends. They were planting explosives. We saw them doing it. Really! We wouldn’t lie to you about a thing like that.”

  13. 13.

    JPL

    @OzarkHillbilly: All it needs is yellow cotton candy on top.

    Fortunately, today will be spent with like minded people. It’s still difficult for me to understand how many fell for the con man’s lies.

  15. 15.

    divF

    Normally, we host a Thanksgiving dinner for Madame divF’s family, all of whom live in NorCal. It is also not on T-day – 25 years ago it was because Madame was doing her medical residency, and now it is simply easier to be flexible due to other family obligations, younglings who work in retail, … . This year, however, we decided to spend Thanksgiving with my brother’s family in the DC area, along with taking a vacation. The nominal reason was that we hadn’t done this in nearly 20 years, but the real reason was that Madame did not want to see the one RWNJ SIL, regardless of the outcome of the election (her stepson, our nephew, is living with us because she is nuts, and came with us on the trip).

    The whole thing has been a bit of a train wreck. All three of us (Madame, nephew, and I) came down with colds, although it looks like we are all sufficiently over them to safely be out in company. That will be fun – my brother has 5 grandchildren between the ages of 2 and 8, plus various others of his in-laws and daughters’ in-laws, for a total of 19, and not a Trumpista among them. Meanwhile, our usual family Thanksgiving event was last Sunday at someone else’s house, and RWNJ SIL and family didn’t show up (they “forgot” what day it was). My 88 y/o MIL was rather peeved. I think we may have seen the last of her, which for the most part would be fine by the rest of us, except that her husband (Madame’s brother), while conservative, is not as off-the-rails as she is, and we would like to stay in touch with him.

  16. 16.

    ThresherK (GPad)

    @Betty Cracker: I swear that the webcomic “Something Positive” had two people talking about Why is it always Nazis? and imagining a new form of terrorizing pedant called a Komma Klansman.

  17. 17.

    Rob

    @JPL: Also spending the day with like-minded people. Thankfully. I can’t really imagine sharing hours and a meal with a person or persons who would be assertively pro-*rump.

  18. 18.

    OzarkHillbilly

    @JPL: I was talking about Jr. I think I despise his smug face even more than his father’s. Talk about bitch-slappable.(a punch is far too manly for a smug little prick like him)

  19. 19.

    raven

    Since we’re back home and the bride is recovering we’re going to two events. I bought a small bird that I’ll roast later because, I really like making turkey gumbo out of the bones.

  20. 20.

    germy

    Thanks for the wild turkey and
    the passenger pigeons, destined
    to be shat out through wholesome
    American guts.

    Thanks for a continent to despoil
    and poison.

    Thanks for Indians to provide a
    modicum of challenge and
    danger.

    Thanks for vast herds of bison to
    kill and skin leaving the
    carcasses to rot.

    Thanks for bounties on wolves
    and coyotes.

    Thanks for the American dream,
    To vulgarize and to falsify until
    the bare lies shine through.

    Thanks for the KKK.

    For nigger-killin’ lawmen,
    feelin’ their notches.

    For decent church-goin’ women,
    with their mean, pinched, bitter,
    evil faces.

    Thanks for “Kill a Queer for
    Christ” stickers.

    Thanks for laboratory AIDS.

    Thanks for Prohibition and the
    war against drugs.

    Thanks for a country where
    nobody’s allowed to mind the
    own business.

    Thanks for a nation of finks.

    Yes, thanks for all the
    memories– all right let’s see
    your arms!

    You always were a headache and
    you always were a bore.

    Thanks for the last and greatest
    betrayal of the last and greatest
    of human dreams.

    William Burroughs

  22. 22.

    bemused

    Turkey dog is eeww on more than one level, even looks vaguely pronographic.

    One of my favorite turducken cartoons is a chicken, duck and turkey lying back in bed together smoking cigarettes.

  23. 23.

    raven

    Oh yea, I gave my Ga-Ga Tech tickets to a buddy so now I have to hustle on for myself! Stub Hub is down to $50 so I hoping they go a good bit lower by Saturday.

  26. 26.

    R-Jud

    @JPL: Thanks to you (and everyone else) for the congratulations! It’s a much needed step forward in a year during which I got divorced, lost a client that accounted for half my income (they went under very suddenly), and lost about a third of my hair to various health issues. Not to mention the dire political scene.

    I’m not stateside for Thanksgiving this year, but I had enough frequent-flyer miles from previous years to cadge tickets home for Christmas. The Bean and I are very excited.

    @divF: It’s the technical school founded by Lady Gaga, duh.

  28. 28.

    divF

    @BillinGlendaleCA: And I am grateful for almost all of Baud (who, after all, contains multitudes).

    OTOH BiG, your status is beyond reproach, if for no other reason than the steady stream of great SoCal photographs.

  29. 29.

    Botsplainer

    Woke up profoundly depressed. Wife’s company sale, combined with my perception that the WWC component of my client base is now greatly financially agitated after the Trump win (they know deep down that things won’t get great for them) are a small part of it, along with a healthy dose of my dark winter days coming malaise (SAD). What is affecting me most is the Trump win. Financially, it will be Bush II, but worse, and that REALLY sucked ass.

    The DeVos announcement was the cherry on the sundae. Youngest daughter, diligent worker, great student that she is, has spent her undergraduate education in archaeology engaging in open inquiry and excelling in academics. Her plans for her masters and doctorate were sound. Now she finds herself entering grad school in an environment where she’ll undoubtedly be competing for grant dollars with Great Flood “scholars” from Fred’s College of Motorcycle Repair and Bible Study – and in that Dominionist realm, guess which applicant wins out?

    Her dream is shot to shit. She seems to know it, too, and was mentioning last week that she may just start doing social activism full time and figure out how to live that way – and that was before this DeVos announcement. That’s about $130,000 worth of Greek, Latin, history, geology and classical education (not to mention 10s of thousands in expedition costs excess to school) blown away like dust.

    And have I mentioned she’s uninsurable on the individual market due to a large birthmark we had removed when she was 15? I had to pay 100% on that – my policy had a 15K deductible, plus, they wouldn’t even apply the 4K charge to the deductible that year, called it “cosmetic”. On the biopsy, there were “atypical” cells, soooooo, she only gets insured as part of a group if something changes.

    I despise white businessmen in nice suits, even moreso the Christian ones. They lie and will fuck you over with a prayer on their lips and their hands on their hearts.

  31. 31.

    divF

    @bemused:

    Turkey dog … looks vaguely pronographic pornographic.

    I thought that too, but said to myself – “no, it’s too early in the morning to bring that up”.

  37. 37.

    BillinGlendaleCA

    @divF: Ah, thanks. I was headed out Monday to take some shots, but someone got hit by a train at Union Station in DTLA. It was the last train down there that would make it a worthwhile trip, so I bagged it. If I take any shots today, it’ll probably be of food, madame and the kid(her Republican bf, if he’s nice), and the 4-legged children.

    ETA: We’re having an early dinner since madame has to be at work at 5 fucking am Friday morning. Fuck Black Friday!

  41. 41.

    eclare

    I mainly lurk, but I wish all Juicers Happy Thanksgiving. And I cannot thank you enough for the comments when my dog died. Have made my peace with that, focusing on the one asleep on my feet.

  44. 44.

    Botsplainer

    @Baud:

    Dunno at this time. There was some talk of something in France a couple of years ago, but I think it was on the order of 50K a year, and I can’t raise that. I may gingerly suggest looking that direction.

  45. 45.

    Botsplainer

    @Baud:

    Dunno at this time. There was some talk of something in France a couple of years ago, but I think it was on the order of 50K a year, and I can’t raise that. I may gingerly suggest looking that direction.

  46. 46.

    OzarkHillbilly

    Heh. Jim Wright of Stonekettle Station:

    I’ve been banned from Facebook. My account has been suspended supposedly for violation of community standards.

    My profile is still active, you can still access the page and comment on posts that haven’t been deleted by Facebook. But I myself am locked out. I can’t post, comment, or access the Facebook messenger system.

    The community standard I violated is apparently the one where you’re not allowed to criticize actual, no fooling, Nazis. Yes, actual Nazis. That’s right, I was banned for criticizing an actual Nazi.

    This is the post that got me banned:

    Go read. It’s funny as shit, in a righteous anger sort of way. I’ve decided that this Thanksgiving I will be thankful for Jim Wright.

  49. 49.

    bemused

    Before our T-day company arrives, I’ve been doing a lot of cat hair removal. I have my tricks for upholstered chairs and sofas, lint brush and then dampened cloth or paper towels. As I laundered the sofa throws, I started to wonder about those cat hair laundry balls I’ve seen, plastic, wool or other material. Do they work and which works the best?

  51. 51.

    BillinGlendaleCA

    @Baud: It’s mainly for madame and her daughter, though I like the traditional Thanksgiving. Then again, it’s not going to be turkey, we’re having Korean BBQ(my job is to grill it).

  52. 52.

    OzarkHillbilly

    @BillinGlendaleCA: Maybe she can get a job at REI:

    But not REI, the outdoor equipment and clothing retailer. For the second year in a row the company is givings its 12,287 employees a paid vacation day, closing all of its stores and encouraging its employees as well as the general public to spend the day after Thanksgiving enjoying the outdoors.

  54. 54.

    Pogonip

    Happy Thanksgiving to most; to the bereaved and those with other grave problems, this too shall pass; The Holidays aren’t forever (Thank God).

  55. 55.

    Rosalita

    Love that picture! Sharing it with a friend was more than a little nervous about her daughter’s first turkey (and daughter asks “why can’t we just have turkey hot dogs?”

    Happy Thanksgiving Juicers! May dinner table debates be kept to a minimum.

  56. 56.

    geg6

    Happy Thanksgiving, BJers! My favorite holiday, not the least of which reason is that my birthday often falls on the day and I’ve always celebrated my birthday on the day. This year is one of the years that the days sync. Have a lovely day, all!

  57. 57.

    Just One More Canuck

    Happy Thanksgiving to (almost) all of you down there

    As God as my witness, I thought turkeys could fly

  62. 62.

    Partisan Cheese

    I see zero mention or coverage of Standing Rock here. I guess you are waiting to take your cue when your favorite DNC member mentions it, which, seems like it will never happen. Evil lord Sanders is talking about it, but you guys cannot stop crying about him telling dems to move beyond identity politics. He never said abandon identity politics, but you guys only seem to interpret him in the most negative light possible.

    But yeah, keep on ignoring Standing Rock, a true progressive issue that is happening right now, and irony, its thanksgiving.

  65. 65.

    JPL

    I just returned from the gas station, where I picked up the local newspaper. After we eat, our tradition is to look through all the ads. It’s our version of window shopping.

    @geg6: Happy Turkey, Birthday!

  66. 66.

    Poopyman

    @rikyrah: Happy Thanksgiving Sunshine! And to everyone else!

    @geg6: Happy Birthday! I suppose it might be better to have a birthday on Black Friday on the chance that some dedicated shopper would get a great deal on a birthday present.

  70. 70.

    Bill in Section 147

    Happy Thanksgiving. I found this website mid Shrub’s tenure as Ruiner. Those awful times seem almost quaint as we await the appointment of someone less qualified than a show-horse event planner. So I think I will be thankfully Juicing for at least four more years.

    My spouse can cook – so everything on the menu today is a favorite. Most favorite is the berry pie with a wonderful crust. I am thankful I have only one relation that is a Trump supporter, and even then it is the step-daughter of one of my brothers and she never comes to any of our family events. So no politics need be discussed as pretty much anything said meets with so much agreement as to make it a non-discussion. Also, there are no games on the docket where any two relations root against the other. So a quiet day.

    Hope to all and the best for you and yours

  73. 73.

    Immanentize

    Happy publishing and happy birthdays and happy travels and Happy Thanksgiving! My relatives are NOT coming at the last moment so we will have an.overfed quiet day just the three of us.

    And turkeys do fly!

  74. 74.

    OzarkHillbilly

    @Partisan Cheese:

    I see zero mention or coverage of Standing Rock here.

    Come back when you are as capable of reading as you are of speaking with your foot in your mouth.

  75. 75.

    gene108

    @Botsplainer:

    There is a need for smart liberal political activists. Has she thought about applying for a job to work in the office of a Democratic Congresscritter? Might be one way to start.

  82. 82.

    Yoda Dog

    @geg6: Today is also my birthday! Hooray, Happy birthday! :)

    I’ll be spending my holiday with my new 7 day old son, 18 month old daughter and wife. Winger family NOT INVITED. It will be a glorious day of food and football and family and zero shitgibbon talk. Hope you guys have a great holiday as well and thank you all for being you and helping me stay (relatively) sane.

  84. 84.

    Skepticat

    We’re having an potluck—the traditional fixin’s plus conch salad, lobster, and green papaya pie—here at the lagoon on a tiny island in the Bahamas. The first person to mention politics may well be battered with coconuts, but the members of this small (fewer than two dozen) but diverse (American, Bahamian, Canadian, French, South African, Austrian, and German) community are largely horrified and depressed by the election. In between prepping veggies, I’m putting together letters to my reps in the U.S. begging them to do something at Standing Rock, which I find more hideous than almost anything else happening now—and that’s a high bar.

  86. 86.

    Pogonip

    Happy birthday, Geg6 and Yoda Dog.

    I am going to be pleased all day, thinking of Walter in Leftover Heaven.

  89. 89.

    JMG

    All right, I now have to tell you about a sight that made my holiday. I live in a wooded area where there are wild turkeys, or partially wild, anyway, hanging around. On a road about a half-mile from my house, there’s a homeowner who goes nuts decorating for every holiday, so he has a huge cardboard turkey in the front yard. As I drove to get gas this morning, saw several wild turkeys milling around the cardboard turkey. Funniest sight ever. I imagine the live turkeys gobbling, “nice guy. Little quiet though.”

  95. 95.

    mai naem mobile

    Happy Thanksgiving to all. Who woulda thunk last year I would be thankful for Ana Navarro on CNN? Nobody!

  96. 96.

    Paul in KY

    @divF: I can assure you that GaGa Tech would be a freaky institution of higher learning. Would be glitter everywhere…

  98. 98.

    Paul in KY

    @Botsplainer: DeVos will have to give some to legitimate scholars, just to keep up appearances a bit. She’ll have to be one of those.

    We got thru Dubya & we’ll get thru this POS!

  99. 99.

    SFAW

    Happy Thanksgiving Day to all.

    We’re hosting, and (as far as I can tell) it’ll be liberals/lefties as far as the eye can see. For which I am especially thankful.

    And extra thanks to our esteemed blog host, and the FPers.

  102. 102.

    SFAW

    @Paul in KY:

    We got thru Dubya & we’ll get thru this POS!

    Not quite the same. W wasn’t insane/demented, stupid, and a grifter, he was just stupid and (probably) drunk. And Congress wasn’t nearly as nuts as they are now.

    That said, I hope you are correct.

  103. 103.

    Paul in KY

    Want to wish all Juicers a very Happy Thanksgiving. Since I’m currently not tied to a computer 8 hours a day, I don’t get here as much. Think y’all are great, even the ones I clash with from time to time.

    Am going on a long pre-eating walk. Now have the time to do things right :-)

  104. 104.

    satby

    @geg6: @Yoda Dog: Happy Birthday to you both, and Yoda, congrats on the new baby!

    Happy Thanksgiving to all the rest of you! My dinner will be a stuffed pork roast with gravy and some sides. Peace currently abides among the critters. And a Star Trek marathon is on BBC America if I get bored reading. Life is good.

  106. 106.

    Mike in NC

    Happy Thanksgiving. We’re fixing mimosas and bagels. Somebody turned on the Macy’s parade, which will include the cast of Sesame Street and the Trump family. Good luck telling them apart.

  108. 108.

    gogol's wife

    This morning I had going through my head before I got up: White people suck.

    I wish it weren’t true, but I can’t get over this horrible disaster.

    Happy Thanksgiving, everyone.

  109. 109.

    Immanentize

    @Paul in KY: I am sure someone has pointed this out in other threads — but whether it is DeVos or Haley or Flynn; we are about to discover whether the United States can be run by inexperienced non-expert neophytes. And those without staffing up to assist. Good times!

  110. 110.

    Emma

    Late lunch at my sister’s, only immediate family, five of us and not a wingnut in sight. That comes on Saturday at a baby shower for one of my favorite cousins. Sis and I took the hint from someone, I think here but can’t remember who, and have developed the Spanish language equivalent of “wow, uh, no”, used without explanation. It will be interesting, for some value of the word.

  111. 111.

    O. Felix Culpa

    @satby: Welcome back! Will shoot you an email this weekend. I enjoyed reading about your adventures in India and am glad you can have a peaceful day at home with the critters today.

  113. 113.

    PsiFighter37

    Trekking down to Philly via bus later this afternoon to see a movie (Allied) and have dinner with the wife’s parents. Not all that organized, but the rest of my family (whom I usually spend the day with) are out of town.

    Going to be weird visiting PA for the first time as a red state.

  115. 115.

    Corner Stone

    This morning I had going through my head before I got up

    Not quite the same, but. I had a dream where my boss and I were talking via Skype about changes coming to our org. And I woke up and thought, “That was the longest discussion I’ve ever had with my boss.”

  116. 116.

    Corner Stone

    @Immanentize:

    I forgot Ben Carson for HUD Secretaary because, you know, blacks.

    Well, there’s the black part. Also too, throw in that he ran for president and then recently said he was not qualified to run a department level bureaucracy.
    So, he’s also got that going for him in a Trump admin.

  117. 117.

    Elizabelle

    Happy Turkey Day, and happy birthday to geg6 and yoda dog.

    Love hearing about your plans for the day (conch salad, no free range wingnuts).

    Heading out for a walk in cloudy but good leaf-color Richmond. Got to work up an appetite for the bird, and exhaust myself/see some beauty before my BIL’s Christian wingnut relatives arrive.

    We’ve all been told “no politics”, and there are multiple football games on TV today, sports being America’s actual religion.

  118. 118.

    Corner Stone

    As stated on a previous thread, even though I canceled Thanksgiving I am still making chicken and sausage gumbo with rice. It’s a lot of work so I don’t make it often but it sounded good so I’m going with it.

  121. 121.

    Patricia Kayden

    @R-Jud: Congrats and good luck with your novel!!

    @Baud:

    I am thankful for almost all of you.

    This is not how you want to start off your 2020 election campaign.

  123. 123.

    O. Felix Culpa

    @Patricia Kayden:

    This is not how you want to start off your 2020 election campaign.

    But he’s telling it like it is! That’s how I understand one gets elected these days. /

    ETA: However, in order to win bigly, Baud needs to insult more of us.

  125. 125.

    Elizabelle

    @satby: Yes! Congrats to R-Jud! And welcome back to satby and her house o spectacular woodwork and pups/kits.

    One gift the universe has delivered up (well, actually, the more stupid who walk among us): more time to purchase and read the novels and nonfiction of the talented people who congregate here. Since many of us are on a news blackout that is becoming a habit …. support those local authors, and be glad for art and literature. It’s what endures of terrible times.

    Some people learn from it. Some people … watch Fox News and live for chain emails. Alas.

  126. 126.

    InternetDragons

    Happy birthday to the birthday celebrants, and Happy Thanksgiving to everybody!

    Am heading out to do the annual 5K run that donates proceeds to the local food bank.

    After that is a lovely dinner with fellow libtards. I’ll be contributing pumpkin praline pies and my (in)famous jalapeno cornbread stuffing (there’s regular stuffing provided for the less adventurous or those with irrational fear of jalapenos).

    I hope everyone has an enjoyable and peaceful day that helps us fuel up physically and mentally for the work ahead.

  129. 129.

    jacy

    Turkey in oven. Everything else prepped. Going back to bed for a bit. Happy Thanksgiving to all y’all.

  130. 130.

    Botsplainer

    @Corner Stone:

    The small posts and undersecretaries will all be run by the equivalents of Michael Brown or will be used as plums to hold out to potential folks with talent, the big policy posts will be run by nightmares (DeVos at education, Sessions as AG) or the totally stupid but outspoken (Cotton as DOD is very possible).

    They are acting as if they got a mandate, and will destroy as much as possible as quickly as possible because this is their last chance.

  134. 134.

    hovercraft

    I’m sure some of you are horrified now, but frankly, I’d eat this over the usual giant hacked-up bird.

    I am horrified, my sister is intrigued.

    Happy Thanksgiving everyone, stay safe and enjoy your friends and family.

    @R-Jud:
    Congrats

    @geg6:
    Happy birthday.

    @Yoda Dog:
    Congrats on the addition, and happy birthday.

  137. 137.

    Kathleen

    @OzarkHillbilly: Word on the tubes is that Peter Thiel thinks it restores youth. There’s some badass bitcoin action there. (I’m kidding, but in today’s bizarro world who can tell the difference between “reality” and “satire”).

  138. 138.

    MomSense

    Well I am mobile and managed to stuff the bird, make the onions, and am getting ready to do the potatoes and purees.

    Last night the trump orphans staged a Sorcerers Apprentice wine glass edition. I had to tiptoe over a bunch of sleeping kids to get to the kitchen. It’s a very happy chaos at my house this morning.

    Happy turkey day to all!

  143. 143.

    realbtl

    De-lurking to wish everyone a Happy T-day. For the 1st time in 25 years I will not be bbq-ing a turkey. I’m joining 5 friends for an old fart’s Thanksgiving at Grouse Mountain Lodge in Whitefish. No muss, no fuss.

  146. 146.

    The Pale Scot

    @Elizabelle:

    Since many of us are on a news blackout that is becoming a habit

    I strongly recommend getting a VPN like Private Internet Access and use it to access the national BBC iPlayer that has all BBC programming. Lots of distractions, like Bowls, or Scottish sitcoms where every fifth word is a personal insult, but isn’t part of the actual comedy. and you can still find Al Jazeera online streaming sites.

    The business news is getting weird, announcers starting to do that CNBC gibbering. Trying desperately to find a silver lining in Brexit. Long piece on building new highways to create new industries in the north (intent on replacing import/exports with internal activity), followed by news of incomes expected to decline for next decade.

    What part of “People can’t make shit if other people can’t afford to buy shit” do they not understand?

  147. 147.

    Tenar Arha (same Tenar, more Nameless Ones)

    @JMG: That’s hilarious. They think it’s THE dominant turkey of the neighborhood. ?

    See here or here for turkey behavior and how to deal tips. ?

  148. 148.

    Steeplejack (phone)

    @R-Jud:

    Congratulations! I hope this comes through for you.

    In many ways writing is the loneliest art. It take so many external things just to get the work “out there.” Good luck!

  149. 149.

    Corner Stone

    @The Pale Scot: Almost all. A good portion of one breast is also in the mix because I like to cube it for texture. I broke down all the other dark meat into strips or chunks. Or chunky strips.

  150. 150.

    Keith G

    if I feel up to it, it will be fresh Gulf shrimp with pasta Alfredo. if when I stand up to start the preparations my legs feel a bit shaky, it will be Chinese delivered.

  151. 151.

    Corner Stone

    @JPL: Aren’t they the ones who did all the promo for Trump campaign and were never paid? I know that covers a lot of territory but pretty sure they were in there somewhere.
    Nope, just my son and his mom. Nary a trumpster to be seen.

  154. 154.

    Kropadope

    Oh, my Zod, my family’s so Republican and I can’t deal with it. I asked to work today, they not only didn’t schedule me today, but not for the rest of the week. Sick bastards.

  155. 155.

    inventor

    I brined the turkey overnight and started the fire in the smoker at 4 AM. Put the turkey on at 5. Should be ready around 6 or 7 this evening.

  156. 156.

    Kathleen

    @debbie: In a nutshell: 1) Dems have some exciting young candidates to run in state races. 2) Democrats are united in opposing cuts to Social Security and Medicare and/or privatization. He recalled when Bush proposed Medicare privatization he and fellow Repubs started tanking in polls and Dems won Senate seats in 2006. He’s confident that Republicans will overreach out of greed and arrogance, which will result in them losing support. 3) He pointed out that Trump and Republican policies are not popular and that they don’t want people to know what they are really proposing. He said Dems will force them to claim what they’re supporting. 4) He is already reaching out to other Dem senators to strategize and recounted how he got 5 other senators to join him on a picket line when a steel company locked out striking workers, which resulted in meetings between him, union and company which resulted in better contract. In other words, he knows how to make things happen. 5) When one of the callers mentioned how a lot of white guys lost their jobs when a factory closed, Brown politely said white people were not the only ones – there were Hispanics, African Americans and other people of color who lost jobs as well. He made his point elegantly and graciously.
    Overall, message I got was Dems are planning to stay focused and stay strong and hold Republicans’ feet to the fire regarding proposed legislation.

    Oh, two more items. First, he repeatedly asked that everyone go to http://www.sherrodbrown.com and sign the petition asking Trump to fire Bannon. He said when he mentioned this on Chris Hayes’ show, site immediately garnered 20,000 signatures.
    2) If any of his constituents witness someone being bullied, one action we could take would be to contact his office. I think he is looking for us to provide action items we would like him to take. He indicated that an individual taking direct action at the time could be dangerous.

  157. 157.

    jenn

    Happy Thanksgiving, everyone! One of the items on my “thanks” list is you lot of snarling jackals. Have a good day!

  158. 158.

    Uncle Cosmo

    @Immanentize: I have a t-shirt acquired (IIRC) from a vendor at NN2008 that reads:

    America: A country
    designed by geniuses
    to be run by idiots.

    Guess we’re gonna find out soon…

  160. 160.

    Mary G

    Happy Birthday, geg6!

    Happy Birthday and. Baby, Yoda Dog!

    I’m thankful for Balloon Juice denizens this morning.

  161. 161.

    debbie

    @Kathleen:

    Wow, thanks so much! I’m feeling much better already. I hope Sherrod and his fellow Dems make that #5 point repeatedly. Voters’ resentment is misplaced.

  162. 162.

    Uncle Cosmo

    This year’s GAPO (Great American Pig-Out) has been downsized from the usual 20+ mass feeding to immediate family only. “Skyler” (my nephew & godson) is barely 100 days departed from us & we remain devastated. I have been designated to prepare & bring to my brother’s a simple dish my mother (d. August 2015) would make for family gatherings…but I don’t know if it’s such a good idea to be reminded of all we have lost in the last couple of years, as a family & a society. You want to remember, you need to let go, you can hardly bear the pain of either.

  163. 163.

    Lizzy L

    Happy Thanksgiving, Happy Birthday, congratulation new baby, congratulations writers, and general thanks and blessings to our esteemed host, and to all the BJ denizens who have truly kept me sane during this hard time. You are the best. May we all have a joyful and peaceful day.

    Personal note: I am a caregiver, and the person for whom I care is about to go through a bunch of difficult medical and financial shit, some of which she is ignorant of. Yesterday I received yet more negative financial news — hers. It’s a lot of work, it’s stressful and scary and I sometimes whine about it to myself, which I was doing last night. Made it hard to get to sleep. But this morning I read an op-ed in the NYT by Mark Shriver, riffing off something Pope Francis said, and it kicked my self-pitying butt. The takeaway line for me: Don’t be isolated and content, enter the chaos and the pain and the joy of others’ lives. So this morning I give thanks that I can help my friend.

    Posted this on my FB page this morning:

    “Quietly sitting, body still, speech silent, mind at peace, let thoughts and emotions, whatever arises, come and go, without clinging to anything. [….] Imagine a man who comes home after a long hard day’s work. He sinks into his favorite chair in front of the fire. He has been working all day and he knows that he has achieved what he wanted to achieve; there is nothing more to worry about, nothing left unaccomplished, and he can let go completely of all his cares and concerns, content, simply, to BE.”

    May all sentient beings find peace.

  164. 164.

    GrandJury

    @Kathleen: Yea, the republican mandate is very thin. All this overreach talk about gutting medicare and public schooling is bound to cause buyers remorse.

    Also, it occurred to me that demagog facists never seem to last that long. Their fall is usually as dramatic as their rise which was the case with Mussolini. Unfortunately there will have to be some pain before that happens and people have had enough. Probably some really stupid foreign policy blunders like another Iraq or ?

    My guess is that Dr. Orange will be impeached for trying to enrich himself somehow before that even happens. I kind of hope I am wrong because because a Prez Pence would be worse. However, a Prez Pence would have as much chance of a 2nd term as Dr. Orange.

    So a 4 year shit show before this all plays itself out.

  165. 165.

    O. Felix Culpa

    @Kathleen:

    anyone else under the “Identity Politics” tent.

    Silly rabbit, everyone knows the One True Identity is white straight male. The rest of us exist at their sufferance.

  166. 166.

    CaseyL

    @R-Jud: Fantastic news! Have you published before?

    I am deeply grateful for my family and friends, including the mad crew here at BJ. This place is a refuge and fun hangout. Deep love and gratitude to our host, the one and only John Cole, who is the very definition of mensch. And to his front pagers, who I will not list for fear of leaving someone out, because I love them all.

    Thank you!

  167. 167.

    cosima

    @Uncle Cosmo: I am sorry for your losses, it sounds as though you are all still coming to terms with a lot of grief. How to navigate turning grief into hope or loving remembrance is a difficult challenge. I hope that you’ll be able to do that together. Bringing your mother’s dish can be a turning in that direction. Sending wishes for light, love & some peace, to carry some of the weight for all of you.

  168. 168.

    Kathleen

    @Baud: Oh, yes they will. Thank goodness US Senate vote is not done by district. In 2012 there were more Democratic votes than Republican votes but Republicans won due to gerrymandering. Sherrod is a popular, well known entity in the state. He’s worked with Portman and even Mean Jean Schmidt when she was congressperson to get things done. He was confident that 2018 would be a good year for Dems.

  169. 169.

    Ramalama

    @germy: I think it was William Burroughs who was quoted as saying (in the book “When I Was Cool” about my alma mater and the author’s) that eating sprouts was “like going down on a robot”.

    Weird and direct. In a good way.

  170. 170.

    Kathleen

    @debbie: I feel so fortunate that he is our Senator. His wife is very cool also and is an excellent writer. I highly recommend both of her books.

  174. 174.

    OzarkHillbilly

    @Kathleen:

    (I’m kidding, but in today’s bizarro world who can tell the difference between “reality” and “satire”).

    Not Peter Thiel

  175. 175.

    D58826

    @Immanentize: Saw an article where Flynn had an illegal internet connection installed in his office. Also seemed to have a habit of sharing secret documents with others not cleared to have them. But what the heck his name isn’t Clinton.

    The other thing in the article was his erratic behavior seems relatively recent. Delayed onset of PTSD?

  176. 176.

    Kathleen

    @GrandJury: Being Irish, I can go from “Meh” to abject despair in .5 nanoseconds. I so appreciated hearing an intelligent, experienced, focused person who happens to be a Democrat and my Senator so eloquently sharing his perspective and his plans. As the kids say, he has “receipts”, so I feel I can put stock in what he says.

    ETA As a side note, when Kasich first took office and started messing with teachers, he galvanized support literally across party lines. People were furious that he was messing with teachers, so I totally agree that wholesale messing with education will not go well.

  177. 177.

    Suzanne

    We are going to a Friendsgiving today, which is being hosted by a friend of Mr. Suzanne’s who happens to live in our neighborhood. She and her husband decided to do this for anti-Trump orphans in their social circle. So I don’t know anyone else besides the hosts, but it should be with others of like mind.

    Tomorrow we are doing our family meal, since Spawn the Elder is at her dad’s for Thanksgiving this year. Mental health-wise, she is doing so, so, SO much better.

    This year has been pretty much the worst, for reasons I didn’t post here. But there is still much for which to be thankful, not least this place. One cool thing that happened this year is that we had our first Arizona meetup. Happy Thanksgiving, Juicers. I am glad that each and every one of you—even the trolls and the douchebags, for the little frisson of derision I feel when reading your shit—are in my life in this small, weird fashion. You have brought me much humor and righteous indignation and intelligence over these last 8-9 years that I have been reading and commenting here.

  180. 180.

    Mike J

    Why do people insist on talking about he Macy’s day parade? Did the pilgrims buy all their housewares for their feast there?

    Happy tday from Swedish.

  182. 182.

    OGLiberal

    Wilbur Ross for commerce secretary. DeVos for education. Oligarchy, here we come. Vlad done taught Trump well.

  186. 186.

    Schlemazel

    The photos
    “Hello, children!” Barney greets. His half-lidded eyes are full of sleepy optimism. “I love you, you love me, we’re … we’re a happy …” Barney trails off. The eyes of the crowd shine disconcertingly. He continues, uncertain, “We’re a happy … family?”

    People start to chant gutturally, words dark and indistinct. Barney looks down at the masses, searching for a sympathetic look. He finds none.

    “For the harvest. For the harvest,” the chant begins to take form. “For the harvest. FOR THE HARVEST.”

    The crowd flays Barney open on a rusty lamppost. “B-but, children … children, why?” His feeble pleas are drowned out by the roar of the crowd. Like ants upon a desiccated earthworm, they swarm Barney’s purple carcass. His singing becomes fainter and fainter, until it stops …

  188. 188.

    Kropadope

    I’ve been feeling guilty lately. As I’ve been more open about being gay to a broader cross-section of my friends, I’ve noticed a very common response has been along the lines of “I’ve never been friends with a gay person before. You’re cool, though, you don’t come across very gay.” When I hear things like this and I don’t push back, I feel bad. Especially when some of them take it a step farther with the “I don’t like guys who act like {sissies, girls, fags, etc.}.

    I’m having trouble gauging how much an when to push back, though. I don’t see anything wrong with other guys being effeminate, if that’s their thing. But I worry if I go full-metal-social-justice-warrior on these folk, I risk undoing the small degree of acceptance they’re expressing. Any thoughts?

  190. 190.

    Shell

    Just me and the dog this year. Roasting a couple of turkey thighs and trying America’s Test Kitchen’s recipe for root vegetable gratin and thats about it. Oh, and an autumnal sangria.

  191. 191.

    gogol's wife

    @Kropadope:

    That is a dilemma. I have no idea how you should handle that. My basic feeling is that it isn’t your job to educate them. (But I’m straight, so take it with a grain of salt.)

  195. 195.

    Kathleen

    @debbie: So do I! But I’m hardly ever on Facebook. Several years ago I chatted with her at a couple of events. The first time I met her she really encouraged me to write and the second time we met (a couple of years later) she remembered me and our conversation. Such a lovely person.

  198. 198.

    OzarkHillbilly

    @Kropadope: My older brother has some effeminate (gawd I hate that word) mannerisms and is straight, at least as far as I, his wife, his children all his other brother’s and sisters, all his friends, etc etc, know. How’s about saying,

    “That’s funny, I never thought any of the “gay” (with finger quotes) things you do meant you were gay.”

    Say it in such a way that they can pretend it’s a joke but later on they will have to ask themselves some uncomfortable questions like, “I act gay?”

    ETA: or you could nudge ’em in the ribs and say, “Birds of a feather flock together.” and give them a wink.

  200. 200.

    Corner Stone

    @Kropadope: A number of years ago a friend at work started coming out to people in a one on one kind of discussion. When we had our talk, which was not necessary afaiwc, he confessed he was a little surprised at the universally positive reception he was receiving. I told him, “(Friend), you are a good person and you treat people with respect. Now that is being returned to you.”
    No moral to the story, I guess. Until then I had only met people who were not ready to come out or openly out to the world. That was the first time that happened IIRC and it’s a remarkable reminder of how different the world was just a few short years ago.

  204. 204.

    divF

    @Kropadope:
    This is very much like the afterlife receptionist in Beetlejuice:
    “This is what happens when *I’m* gay, and this is what happens when *he’s* gay – it’s all very personal.”
    It would be nice if you could say something like this, since it is in fact the truth.

  205. 205.

    schrodinger's cat

    @Kropadope: I have 2 really good friends who are gay and neither of them fits the pop culture stereotype. One is an accountant, heavy set and muscular and the other is tall and lanky and good with cars and electronics. Neither particularly cares about fashion or interior design or whatever else it is that gay people on Bravo do.
    Of course this is anecdata but one stereotype is true though, they seem to better at expressing their feelings than most straight guys I have known.

  207. 207.

    OzarkHillbilly

    @schrodinger’s cat: The ankle appears to have healed rather nicely, the shoulder is still painful (and will remain so for another 10-11 mos), and the lungs have recovered from the anesthesiologist’s attempt on my life. Which one did you mean? (it’s been a loooooooooooooonnnnnnggggggg year)

  208. 208.

    Kropadope

    @OzarkHillbilly:

    “That’s funny, I never thought any of the “gay” (with finger quotes) things you do meant you were gay.”

    That is a funny response and I agree that getting them thinking would be better than direct confrontation.

    @Corner Stone: It can be a little surprising how broadly accepting most people are, especially since casual homophobia is still a pretty big thing. Really, though, I find most of the people who are actually completely against homosexuality are more inclined to pretend it doesn’t exist rather than be outspoken about it.

    ETA: @divF: Also hilarious and very well put.

  211. 211.

    MisterForkbeard

    @Yoda Dog: Congratulations on your new son! I have a new 2-week-old daughter that we’re cart off to Grandma’s today for her first thanksgiving. Hopefully she sleeps the whole time. :)

  213. 213.

    Uncle Cosmo

    @satby: But not fast enough. If it only takes as long to get over Skyler’s passing as my dad’s, I will be crowding 80 & (if not already expired from pre-exasperating conditions or by my own hand) in all likelihood deep enough in senility/dementia/Alzheimer’s I won’t know what planet I’m on. I’m resigned to carrying the hole in my heart for the rest of my (relatively) coherent life.

    And that’s not even counting a political situation that looks for all the world to be just one RFA (Reichstag Fire Analogue) short of a fascist takeover.

  215. 215.

    opiejeanne

    I am grateful to be going home today, sans appendix. It was an emergency yesterday morning when I mentioned it here, but I didn’t know that until they ran some tests, CAT scan.
    Surgery was at 6:30pm. It’s now nearly 10:30am. They’ve been great to me

  216. 216.

    Wapiti

    @GrandJury:

    My guess is that Dr. Orange will be impeached for trying to enrich himself somehow before that even happens. I kind of hope I am wrong because because a Prez Pence would be worse. However, a Prez Pence would have as much chance of a 2nd term as Dr. Orange.

    So a 4 year shit show before this all plays itself out.

    I think two sequential shit shows in a 4-year period might be less bad than one 4-year shit show, just because of the wasted time each shit show takes to get up to speed.

  217. 217.

    Major Major Major Major

    Morning everybody! It’s a beautiful clear day here in San Francisco, 52 degrees, the pigeons are cooing, the itinerant who set up shop in front of my door has moved on, and I’m packing up for a weekend trip to Monterey with my parents. Should be lovely! I’ll keep you apprised of when they do something annoying or awesome. (These are the ones who suggested to me the nickname Lucrezia for a certain Ms. Trump.)

    ETA: @Wapiti: Don’t we want them wasting time on set-up?

  218. 218.

    Feebog

    I want to express how thankful I am for this community. You all keep me laughing, help me see different perspectives that I would not normally consider, and educate me in so many ways. I lost my dad 2 years ago today, but I am so grateful that my mom is still alive and kicking at 93. Going to my Brother-in-Laws for dinner, which we always enjoy. There will be no political talk, lots of young people and little ones running around, looking forward to a few glasses of wine, a shitton of food, and catching up with some folks I have not seen since last Thanksgiving.

  223. 223.

    opiejeanne

    Thanks for all the well wishes
    Family is coming over to do the cooking. I may be able to do one small thing, or make them do it. ?

  224. 224.

    planetjanet

    I am planting tulips. I could not resist picking some up while changing planes in Amsterdam last August. They are many colors and have frilly edges. It is an unexpectedly warm sunny day.
    It may be sacrilege, but I put a turkey breast in the crock pot with lots of spices. It smells wonderful. The pumpkin fluff (love this mousse better than pie and it is very low in calories) and the cranberry sauce has been made. Once the tulips are done, I will start on the dressing and brussels sprouts and kale salad.

    Enjoying the peace and quiet. Last year, I tried to orchestrate the family get together, traveling to my Mom’s, booking hotels for my sister and niece, great dinner at a fine restaurant. As my reward, my sister got into a major fight with my Mom that reverberated for months and months with passive aggressive and not so passive aggressive behavior from everyone. Not. Doing. It. Again. I like my tulips.

  226. 226.

    gene108

    @schrodinger’s cat:

    Same difference, he was an autocrat and a dictator.

    Not to the fascists and communists. They hated each other, with a white hot fury of a thousand thousand suns.

    It helped Stalin was on the winning side in WW2, unlike Hitler and Mussolini.

  227. 227.

    O. Felix Culpa

    @opiejeanne:

    I am grateful to be going home today, sans appendix.

    Glad they got it out in time and that you’re ok! An especially Happy Thanksgiving to you!

  230. 230.

    Kropadope

    @gene108: Isn’t the main difference between them how they prefer their economy organized? And even still, it’s just two variations on top-down control.

  231. 231.

    Mike J

    @opiejeanne: Glad to hear you’re doing well.

    Cart is in the room right now, doing an echo cardiogram on mom as we speak. She does seem to be doing better than yesterday.

  233. 233.

    Mnemosyne

    Happy Thanksgiving! I’m celebrating by watching the YouTube stream of the MST3K Turkey Day marathon. Later, we go to my brother’s place to watch either football or the latest Pokemon video game.

    And, yes, I am thankful to have this place to come to when politics makes me just want to fucking scream.

  236. 236.

    Raven Onthill

    I just remembered that Pence and Cruz are both goldbugs, that Ryan believes in a commodity-based currency, and that Mitch McConnell doesn’t like the Federal Reserve, or at least wants it under Congressional authority.

    There is, in addition to the basic wrongness of this, a thread of anti-semitism running through it: the Jewish bankers will destroy the currency bwah-hah-hah!

    Krawk, krawk, krawk, —! How the devil do we plan for that?

  239. 239.

    opiejeanne

    @Mike J: I missed the news about your mom yesterday. I hope she is doing well.

    They had the cart in my room yesterday before surgery, checking my heart. I wondered what they’d do if my heart want healthy enough.

  240. 240.

    mapaghimagsik

    Happy Thanksgiving, everyone. At a lovely restaurant because 1. It’s an awesome place 2 avoiding thanksgiving cleanup and 3 fuck the reichwing relatives.

  242. 242.

    SWMBO

    @opiejeanne: Glad you are better.

    @Kropadope: Many many years ago, one of my daughter’s friends (they were 16-17 yo at the time) came out to me that she was bi. I was driving three girls around (don’t remember what the destination was) and I pulled off the road into a parking lot to ask her questions about it.
    “Does this mean you’re going to molest little children?” “NO!”
    “Does this mean that you’re never going to have kids?” “NO!”
    “Does this mean you’re going to be mean to old people?” “NO!”
    “Did you really think it would make me love you less?” and then she started crying. Years later she said she was scared that she’d made a mistake coming out to me until I got to the last question. When she realized that it really didn’t change how I felt about her, she said it made her feel lighter than air.

  245. 245.

    Paul in KY

    @Uncle Cosmo: Skyler & your mom/dad want you to enjoy whatever years you have left. I know they would not want you moping over their fate for years, and hurting your own life.

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