Oh, Mickey, what a pity, you don't understand, you take me by the heart, when you take me by the hand

A longer hiatus than I intended. I had two posts almost completed but I couldn't make them sing. They will sit dormant until such time when I'm inspired to finish and release them. I may, like Brian Wilson did with the aborted Smile album back in the day, release some of what I wrote in subsequent posts. I make no promises.

Thanksgiving was fine, if not a little strange. The day started off great: I went for a four mile run through the streets of Somerville and had energy to spare when I made it back to my house. Originally, Spira had intended to join me, but she woke up late and had to get ready to go to her cousin's house.

I showed up at my grandmother's house about ten minutes late, but it seemed like I was really late. Everyone else was there and most of the appetizers had already been eaten. I winced when my brother in law told me how good the stuffed mushrooms were.

My grandmother now sleeps in the dining room because she has trouble getting upstairs to her bedroom, so we ate dinner in the adjoining living room. Two long tables were pushed together and, upon inspecting the little cards placed at each setting, I saw that, for the first time ever, there was assigned seating. I didn't think too much of it.

Whenever everyone was seated, however, I noticed that my family occupied one table and my Aunt and Uncle's family, with my grandmother at the head, occupied the other. And both families talked among themselves as if. I tried to make conversation with my cousins, but they were all tilted away from me and immersed in their conversations.

At one point during the meal, I went out to the kitchen and joined my mother at the sink. "What's that all about?" I asked in reference to the seating.

"I have no idea", she said "but I think it's pretty ridiculous". She was visibly irritated and I half-regretted bringing up the subject at all, though I knew she had already been stewing over it.

Back at the table, I heard my grandmother ask my aunt why the families were separated. I listened intently for her response, knowing she was the one who had mapped out the seating arrangement. Unfortunately, I couldn't hear her response, which sucks because I couldn't think of a valid reason why the families would be separated and was hoping I'd hear one.

After dinner, which as far Thanksgiving meals go, was about a B-, most of us retired to the other living room off the kitchen. And mingled, much to my relief. I didn't see any reason why the two families should be at odds, but the whole dinner experience made me wonder if there was something going on that I wasn't privy to.

My aunt is laid back and kind, with a great sense of humor. Why she arranged the seats the way she did may never be revealed, but something was going on, to be sure. When some of us went back to the dining room for dessert, the separation of families occurred again, though this time without the aid of the placement cards.

My mother, above the din, made a few remarks about the set up. It was sad, the whole thing. I thought about how festive and warm our family gatherings had been in the past. My sister, who I just spoke to earlier tonight, told me that, before my arrival, everyone was really quiet, as if there was nothing left to talk about.

The affair wasn't as bleak as I make it out to be. After dinner, my niece ,Colleen, sang Goodnight, Irene, for us, ending with an elaborate bow that set us all to laughter. And I had a great conversation with my cousin Megan about our dislike of Jon and Kate, Plus Eight and whether Bindy Irwin is a phony. Hearing that, my sister leaned in and whispered that my niece, Kiley, who loves Bindy Irwin and finds her shows informative, was listening. I tried to cover by saying "You know what? I think that Bindy Irwin is one of the most genuine and intelligent kids on TV right now!". I don't know if Kiley picked up on that.

So Thanksgiving, though a little odd, wasn't so bad. Later on that night, Kreg and I played Star Wars: Battlefront on my PS2, like a couple of twelve year olds. A fitting end to a day devoted to giving thanks.
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Today, I practiced yoga and felt wonderful afterwards; not a collection of parts, but a single, flexible, entity. I look forward to tomorrow's run.

I just made some Kappo Ma (sic), the Greek dish Spira taught me to make last year, and one that I've mastered and, if I do say so myself, improved upon. I'll be bringing her some later on. I'll also be bringing over my Netflix dvd, Poltergeist, a movie I loved growing up, but haven't seen in a while. I hope I have awful nightmares tonight.