Practice Thanksgiving

Last time I wrote, I think I was still in the desert, so lest anyone be using these blog entries in the far flung future as a digital, archeological record of the era before everything was captured and recorded on supercomputers: yes, I did return on time. (I read about that in a short story once and I’ve been mildly obsessed with the idea ever sense.)

We’re slowly constructing a baby room from its component atoms: furniture and baby toys. Ever since the gender got out: (it’s a boy, in case you’ve been under a rock) and the presumptive name (Tyler Rex Preecs, cause then we can call him T-Rex) we’ve been flooded with intriguing gifts from all corners of the...well, if not the world yet, then at least the country. Sandlin sent us a fantastic set of nerdy early-development stuff, like a flash card set for numbers that contains Pi, and an alphabet poster that has “J for Jovian Moons”. Good stuff for a nerdy baby, which ours is likely to be. Mom and dad (we think? We’ve just gone off the return phone number) got us some baby onesies with T-Rexes on the front. Ha-dorable.




As for us, we’ve been in charge of slightly more heavy stuff: primarily furniture. We’ve gotten the crib (thanks, consumer reports!) and a chest of drawers/changing table. We’re hoping to paint before it gets too late for us to do so, (read: we get too busy/tired) and we’re excited because we can finally pick something with *color*. I’m intrigued by the possibilities presented here.

I’m whipping Jessie back into shape, which is to say that we’re jogging again. Jess has slowed down due to the fact that she has to carry about 20 pounds of baby around with her at all times, so that’s okay. I come up with things to slow me down, like running back and forth, dropping and doing push-ups, and the like. Good exercise. Judo is also going well. I’ve told the teacher that I need to practice more Shiai (sparing, like what you see at the Olympics) not because I like it. Because I’m bad at it and I therefore need the practice something fierce. There are tournaments to attend, if I wanted. Once I feel either curious about how I would perform (I can probably guess, now) or want to try doing judo with different people I may go to one. But for now? No rush.

I’ve been using tools. An old branch or two has broken off on one of the trees in the backyard. We yanked it down with our fancy tree-cutting kit. It wasn’t easy, but I figured out how to saw halfway into the branch and then get the teeth stuck in it so I could pull it down. Then we sawsalled it into trash-can-sized pieces. Also it’s a little windy and there’s a branch out there that looks to be hanging a little bit awkwardly. I may investigate after I post this.

And finally, and most interestingly, Fake Thanksgiving!

I hope you have your plane tickets already and don’t mind getting groped by strangers or having naked pictures taken of you and posted on the internet because it’s time for Thanksgiving Vacation. A recent spate of Good Eats watching led me back to the Good Eats Thanksgiving special, where Alton Brown (my hero!) talks about his tips for Turkey success, namely:

1) Brine the Turkey
2) Don’t stuff it (at least not with stuffing)
3) Start at 500 degrees, drop to 350 and finish with a probe thermometer

I’ve never got a chance to do any of this, but the Florida Family is perfectly willing to let me take over some thanksgiving cooking duties, so I thought I’d give it a try. I wouldn’t want to try it without knowing what I was doing, though. Who knows what a brined turkey could taste like. So rather than just trying it all blindly next weekend, Jess and I decided to do a preemptive thanksgiving this weekend.



All came out well, as you can see. The turkey, brined, was great. Not too salty, and CRAZY-moist. Really good. Jess made a green bean casserole (from scratch, people) that came out fantastically. The stuffing was from stove top and the rolls came almost-pre-baked, but there’s only so much from scratch I’m willing to do all at once. Anyway, we just finished it up (thanksgiving is always better for lunch) and Jess is, of course, napping, which means success, in my book.

Oh, and I got to use my electric knife again. Thanks person who got it for me for Christmas several years ago. Probably parents.



-N