First of all, the flying monkeys worked. Enough people decided vote for someone other than the party of wealthy oilmongers and godbags. I’m not crazy enough to believe that the Bush-fed crisis is over, but as I watched the election results flow in, I felt something unfamiliar: hope. It’s just a glimmer, but it has potential.
Second — and I know this doesn’t have quite the global effect of a U.S. election — our Thanksgiving dinner turned out well. I feel good about this because of a little incident from a couple Thanksgivings ago that involved a backed-up sink, a plumber, a refrigerator that went AOL at the worst possible time, and a trip to the urgent care clinic. I’ll tell all about it another time. This year was peaceful. We brined the turkey. We made good gravy. We ate pie (my cousin made the best apple cranberry pie we’ve ever had, and it’s all gone, sorry) and we relaxed. We raised our glasses to toast Steve Jobs, who gave me (and all Apple employees) the entire week off, contributing in no small part to my ability to actually pull off a successful Thanksgiving dinner.
Third, I am a year older, and still kicking.
The only thing I didn’t like about November this year is my dear aunt couldn’t visit. She was recovering from eye surgery. Preparing for holiday festivities without the family matriarch is not easy. For one thing, she’s a trained nurse and stays calm in emergencies. We had to consult with her at one point to ask if covering the turkey with strips of bacon could substitute for basting it (it could not). Fortunately, she kept her cell phone handy.
What wonderful times we live in, when family matriarchs can be reached by cell phone! It makes me wonder what will come next. Perhaps an overthrow of the patriarchy and an end to the dominator model of human organization?
Please, allow me my dreams.
