Wednesday, November 29

Thanksgiving Day

I guess it would be dull of me if i asked how your Thanksgiving went, so i won't. Besides, I'm sure everyone you know probably already asked. People seem to feel it's their duty to ask, which is fine i suppose, except it reaches the boredom point after a while. Anyway, the Turkey this year compared to recent years was quite good. It was tender and juicy, mom finally hit the Turkey Spot, its been evasive to say the least, right mom? (don't tell her i said that). You see, i am not a big fan of Turkey to begin with but when it's done right, i found, that i could get to like it. I ate some more after midnight then for lunch the next day, good stuff...

The most memorable Thanksgiving weekend I've ever had is perhaps one a few years ago. A rather nightmarish one, or at least eventful. That year i was working the dreary Graveyard shift, and since my work then was a 24 hour facility, weekends and holidays had to be covered. At the beginning of the year employees would select the Holidays throughout the year in which they would like to work, in order of seniority of course. Naturally since i worked Graveyard, i signed up for Thanksgiving day, i really did not have to but i felt it was the fair thing to do. A few short weeks later however, i was re-assigned to the 11-7 day shift (this was in February). I suppose it was my fault that i assumed i wouldn't have to work the Graveyard shift on Thanksgiving Night since i no longer worked the Schedule. It occurred to me the week before Thanksgiving that i was scheduled to work Thanksgiving Night. To try to salvage the situation I pleaded with the Graveyard person, who apparently volunteered for the 6-3 shift that day, to switch with me but to no avail. Basically this Graveyard person would be coming off the Wednesday Night graveyard shift right into another shift Thursday morning with hardly a 1 hour break. Very impudent of him and not to mention unfair to me and to the morning person who would, by virtue that he works mornings, normally work the morning of Thanksgiving and ended up working late that day too. To compound matters, i sprained my left ankle badly that weekend playing basketball in Brace Park then missed work the following Monday because i couldn't put any weight on it. On Tuesday the pain and swelling still did not subside, my ankle was a frightful site. This finally convinced me it was not just a sprain. I forced myself to see the Doctor who was surprised i waited that long to see him after one quick look at my discolored ankle. It probably was his easiest diagnosis that week lol... I went to work on crutches and a fresh cast on my ankle at 10 PM Thanksgiving Night...

This year's Thanksgiving thankfully went without a lot of fuss. I didn't have to plead not to work because my department was off all four days and more importantly-- no broken bones. Although i did have to surrender my room because we had family over... After Thanksgiving dinner, my Poker friends and i conjugated to play the third annual KPT Thanksgiving Poker Tournament. These Holiday games are always organized arbitrarily. The funny thing is that i never really think about it, it just kind of happens naturally so to speak. The morning of Thanksgiving day three years ago, Jerome called. It seemed innocent enough although i wasn't sure why he would be calling on such a day and I didn't figure it to be a dinner invitation. He asked what i was doing after Dinner and suggested we set up a Poker Tournament. This would be the first Koolgreen Holiday Poker Tournament. I was incredulous -- play Poker on Thanksgiving-- who does that??? Three years to the day, the Thanksgiving Night Game is still going strong and still initiated much the same way, arbitrarily...

I suppose this is our new tradition. Lest we forget, let us still give thanks for our bountiful harvest on Thanksgiving Day...

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