Thanksgiving Recap

I've meant to post something about my Thanksgiving weekend ever since, you know, that weekend. If I don't do it right now...

So, the Wednesday before Thanksgiving, just when I thought I was on the mend from an exhausting cold, I woke up with a stomach bug. The day before the one day when you have free license to eat an ungodly amount of food! My timing, in life, is terrible. By evening time I was feeling mostly fine, and so we packed our bags in anticipation of an early departure for Bloomfield, CT the next morning.

The next morning I awoke at 5 a.m., hoping that I'd fall back asleep. Cathleen got out of bed around then, and when she hadn't returned by 5:45, I got up to see what was going on. She had just packed our car (with assistance from Joseph, who was also traveling to Bloomfield, but by train , Sophie and kids having driven up on Tuesday). Cathleen suggested that I shower while she went back to bed. Boom, boom, boom, we're in the car with the kids in their pjs and driving by 7 a.m. I am the definitive not-a-morning-person person, but a strong cup of coffee can make me almost human. Problem was that I was on the rebound from a stomach bug, and coffee was not on the rehab menu. Bummer. Tea and a plain bagel for breakfast as we flew through open roads to CT.

Thanksgiving, itself, was nice -- a crowd of 20 family and friends. I thought I'd resent not being able to eat most of the offerings, but I barely had any appetite, so I was content to eat a few pieces of turkey and some mashed potatoes. I threw caution to the wind at dessert time, because Joseph makes a mean mixed berry pie (with an orange pecan crust!), so I had a small slice. I was still definitely in recovery from my bag of ailments, and so I barely helped with any of the set-up, cooking or clean-up, and I lacked the energy to socialize with any vigor. Oh well.

Claudia and Walter had purchased the Ratatouille DVD which the kids watched twice on Thanksgiving Day, and another one or two times before the weekend was out. It made me really want to go back to Paris. It made Max want to go to Paris and eat at the restaurant in the movie.

On Saturday, I left the house at before 8 am and drove down to Bridgeport for the Turkey Bowl ultimate tournament. I had played at Turkey Bowl for something like eleven straight years until Max was born. It used to be one of my favorite tourneys -- I'd scramble together a team of friends, we'd play ulti for a day, and end the day with a turkey dinner at the fields. Because Claudia and Walter were taking all of their kids and grandkids to The Hartford Stage's production of "A Christmas Carol," Cathleen suggested that I use that opportunity to play in the Turkey Bowl again. She can be brilliant at times. I submitted a bid, solicited friends to play with me, and lo and behold I had a team. Saturday was a cold, cold day -- highs in the low 30s -- but the sun was shining and we were playing disc. It was sort of competitive ultimate, in that good players were playing, but nobody was taking the games too seriously (alcohol is not typically consumed mid-game at most tournaments). We went 3-1, and wound up tieing for 5th among 20 teams. I am so far out of ultimate-playing condition that it isn't funny. I could run, catch, throw. Even play some defense. But I had no burst or stamina; none of that little extra that allows you to get the block, or to get that first step to get open on a cut. It is frustrating to be running on a player's heels, and have the disc thrown to him and realize that that used to be a gimme defensive block for you. Of the many things I miss about not playing ultimate regularly anymore is that when I do play, I can't play at the level that I was used to playing at. Mind you, I still had one hell of a fun time. I still do love playing ultimate, and especially when I am playing it with friends. My ultimate game might not be sharp, but I haven't lost a step in my heckling game.

On Sunday we left Bloomfield at mid-morning to head home (no traffic!). Eliza sang "Happy Birthday to you" for about 30 straight minutes. Nobody called her on it.