There will be no pictures on this post. I have only 128k over transatlantic satellite so I apologize. I was going to load some pictures of Ro and I kissing during our early time in Boston. However, let me relay a story that illustrates today's topic.
Typically, the day before Thanksgiving many people are finishing up the trip back home. Alot of people got in last night .. some are still arriving today. If you are traveling back to the place you grew up ... you sit down and take it all in. Landmarks may have changed, people that you saw regularly may have moved, etc etc... But, it is always the same feeling, that weird feeling of not quite fitting back into the space that you once occupied, either the vaccum has closed up or maybe even widened .. almost as if you were on a soul diet (changing may even mean the loss of being "bigger" and "gregarious" or the transverse ... that you are bigger or grand).
It is sometimes are weird feeling.
Well, that brings me to a certain "Homecoming", the fall of 1997. I was packing up a Pontiac LeSabre (my dad took my huge but reliable .. newly rebuilt Buick). I was leaving home (Texas at the time)... hopefully in time to make it up to Boston (in two days) to make Thanksgiving Dinner for Rochelle. I took off in the evening and drove straight through till morning to Oakridge, TN (just about half-way). I sacked out at my Grandparents house for about 6 hours .. hugged my cousins and my grandparents and took off all the way through to Boston. You see I was going home. I pulled up to Ro's brownstone .. parked the car illegally (is there a legal free parking spot in Brighton, MA?). And rung the doorbell. The next thing I know I'm being tackeled and smothered in kisses and hugs. That was a great homecoming.
I'm looking forward to that time here soon. When I get back. I hope the vaccum didn't change much.
Most people are spending today waiting for our feast and enjoying our warm homecomings. Do you sit down and have that sandwich and a glass of milk with friends or family? How do you feel today and What's for Lunch?
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
26 comments:
Sorry for the formating awkwardness ... I was about to get on a Helicopter when I wrote this and didn't know if I would make it back to the office in time to write the post today.
Ah, diz, I was thinking along these lines myself today. Well played.
I am currently in Chicago for the family gathering, which has been more and more regularly up here. We used to do the Thanksgiving convocation at my parents' house down in coastal Georgia, but the critical mass has shifted back up here (where my grandparents have lived their entire lives, where my parents grew up, where my brother and I were born, and where he now lives with his wife and toddler son). I was debating about whether or not to make it this year, but I ditched out last year to attend, as it turns out, to the middle of the beginning of the end of my relationship with my girlfriend at her parents' house in Cleveland. Then, add the fact that this weekend is my grandparents' 65th wedding anniversary, and I really felt like I needed to make it up here.
"Golly, earthquake," says OWFL, "thanks for all of the inane family background. I've never felt closer to you. Perhaps we should capitalize on this new stage in our relationship by making out."
Okay, okay, I only lay this out to provide some context for my answer to diz's question. Thanksgiving, even with my family, makes for a strange homecoming for me. I am not in a place with which I have a longstanding, intimate relationship. I know my way around my grandparents' and my brother's and my aunts' and uncles' neighborhoods. I know where the coffee shop is where I can get a decent cuppa and wi-fi access (and - used to be - indoor smoking section which local ordinances have pushed outside recently). But, it isn't a place that used to know me or even that should have used to know me. Even the far-flung friends who have variously spent time in Chicago over the years rotate pretty regularly. I still manage to line up the ones who are here for a little family-quality-time-relief cocktail here and there, but it isn't a great homecoming so much as a warm encounter.
So, how am I feeling today, diz? Verbose. Relieved to not be at work. Excited to be back in a city that can serve me a sandwich that sullies me up to my elbows. (Thanks again for the guidance, Peep!)
I'm going to be mostly shuttling back and forth to the airport today. I have to pick my mom up and take her to my aunt's house. Around the same time, a friend of mine is coming in to O'Hare to visit her sister in Milwaukee for Thanksgiving. I'm giving her a ride up because it will be my only chance to see her and because I figure I'll be in imminent need of some non-family time by then.
Did you know that the Three Mile Island accident, while the result of a remarkable confluence of failures and fuckups, initially got rolling because of a faulty pressure-release safety valve? If you wonder why I would take a drive up to Milwaukee on the day before Thanksgiving, just think of it as my way of avoiding a personal meltdown in the midst of far-more-than-usual family, both my own and my brother's in-laws.
As for lunch today, I'm putting down even money that I'll take my Chicago-born-and-bred mother to a hot dog stand shortly after she lands.
I'm just packing before heading off to pick up my sister and her husband at the airport on the way to my mom's house in Charlottesville, VA, where we'll be having Thanksgiving. I guess you could consider my mom's house "home"(if home is where your childhood pictures and, most importantly, mom's home cooking is), C'ville is not where I grew up, and my mom's house now is very different from the house where I did grow up. But if home is people, spending the holiday with my mom and sister and grandparents is going home.
My favorite holiday memories though, are all from holidays at my mom's parents' house. If I had to pick a place as home, as opposed to people that would be it. Luckily, I'll be home for Christmas.
Hope everyone has safe travels, if you are travelling, and if folks are travelling to you for turkey day, good luck cooking the bird!
Happy Thanksgiving OWFL!
Thanksgiving is close by for me, just an hour and half jaunt down 95. Usually with my family it's just like any other visit, but with extra food. But this year my nephew is just over a year old and is the cutest thing! So I'm looking forward to seeing him dive into some turkey and mashers. I'll spend the day chasing him around a coffee table I'm sure.
And, for those of you who - justifiably so - skipped most of that last one: any suggestions for a respectable hot dog joint out west, O'Hareward?
Earthquake was posting while I was posting. And I just couldn't resist replying. Why yes, I did know the history of the TMI incident. Did you also know that the engineers were aware of the problem with the pressure valve, but, because fixing it would have taking the facility outside of regulatory requirements. In the wake of TMI, the rules were changed to allow reactor operators to break the rules in emergency situations. Because sometimes you need to think outside the box to avoid an emergency. Which is something I think we should all keep in mind when dealing with friends and relatives during the pressure-cooker of the holidays. Earthquake is exibiting excellent creative confrontation-avoiding and pressure relieving action with his little trip to Milwaukee, and I will try to employ similar creative avoidance techniques (without the drive to Wisconsin) when, for example, my grandpa starts going off about how awesome the president is and how all the Democrats can just shut up.
Great post diz.
Home is coming to me this year. Mother Jo and sister harleyq will be spending thanksgiving weekend in dc with the missus and me.
This afternoon and evening the missus and I will be cleaning and shopping to prepare for their arrival. We are planning on having a series of thanksgiiving meals through the weekend in between family movie watching and storytelling. The weather looks like it won't be great which suits us just fine since we are at our best when eating and fighting over the remote. I can't wait to introduce my mom to Borat.
Lunch today will be the last of leftovers from a feast I attended Sunday as I am playing hooky from work.
GG is just pissy b/c her grandfather likes me more than he likes her or her sister.
I don't do holidays, so I will go nowhere. Though, I learned last night that the gym is open from 8-2 on TGiving day, so I think I may do that, as it seems like a good place to be that is the opposite of the holiday. Then I will come home and have toast, popcorn and jelly beans.
Homecomings make me uncomfortable. I far prefer leaving. Going Away parties to Welcome parties. I like delightful parting gifts. My favorite Charlie Brown movie is "Bon Voyage Charlie Brown! (and don't come back!)"* Some of my best memories are of leaving places, and it's been said that I am gifted in the art of the resignation letter. And, all of the great leaving songs? "The Last Goodbye," "She's Gone," "Goodbye Girl," "2 Out of 3 Ain't Bad" (er, maybe the last one is questionable, but I could go on and on, here)
The only good "homecoming" song is the theme from Welcome Back Kotter. (and maybe "Mama I'm Comin' Home" - if you absolutely, positively have to get your Ozzy on)
*though this is my favorite Charlie Brown movie, it is not the one referenced earlier in my post.
HT, you're right, Gimlet Pop loves you best. He is, however, okay with Gimlet Sister and her Republican ways. Gimlet Mom is slowly coming over to the Democrat Dark Side,so she's on his list. Should be fun!
earthquake, great response ... verbose? Sure .. but you obviously know my feelings on the matter and I totally have a Martin Lwarence\Eddy Murphy\playing pool moment ... 2 free beers for the first to post with the movie title.
I wsn't born in but grew up in Sugarland, TX. It is not the same town it was and due to all of the alien politics that have occured there since ... it just isn't my town anymore ... or anyone that is sane for that matter.
I am a sellout Houstonian now .. working for Big Oil .. but I have to say ... I'd never work for any of the majors ... at least our country managers care about the people around them and can appreciate the need for protecting the environment.
As for pressure building... the only pressure I'm feeling is the need to get home ... hopefully Friday or Saturday will see me through Charles DeGaulle and then eventually home.
Miso, helicopters are cool until the pilot mutters "Oh shit" and in front of you you see "upside-down rain" which is to say the only way it happens on a hot ocean.
It is an adventure ... but I need to relief ... the "catching your breath\taking stock" moment that earthquake refered to.
Cheers ya'll Happy Turkey Day.
boomerang.
Good post, Diz!
Since I have had the lucky fortune to actually move back to my hometown area, I haven't had that whole weird homecoming thing, checking out what closed, what opened, etc. Although it'll be weird not having the dog around to eat the leftovers. Poor puppy. The last 3 Thanksgivings have been with my dad's sister & her family (the last 3 are also the last 3 since her husband died), so this will be the first in a long time to be at home with a smaller amount of people. Although my sister-in-law's sister & her husband are coming. But we'll still fit in the dining room (when we last did it at our house we had to put 2 tables in the living room). I'm looking forward to turkey. Especially the nuggets - I'm not sure what body part it is, but they're on the bottom of the bird, so they've been slowly cooking in the juices all day. They're good on chickens, but amazing (and HUGE!) on turkeys.
So I'll make the looooooong trek out to Vienna (could be a whole 40 minutes!) tomorrow morning with my bread & sweet potato casserole in the morning & start the vino drinking. Well, probably won't start that until just before the big meal. But I will hang out with the 'rents & try to finish knitting these socks for my niece before she's too big for them.
winner and still champion Jo
Oh, and I already had lunch - was starving when I got in today, so I grabbed a poppy seed bagel with garlic & herb cream cheese. Ate the whole thing. I figure I'll wait until dinner to eat again.
dude, i love this post. bravo diz.
im at work waiting for misschibi to finish up her appointments so that we can eat at breadline. again, all are welcome, but it may not be until 1pm or so. im suspecting it to be not so busy today, and that makes me very happy.
jo frightened misschibi last night with his obnoxious drunk banter. she was so overwhelmed when she got into the car that when we got to my apt, she replied "yeah, i wanted to hurt that guy. but he's so much bigger than me!" she realizes she couldn't win.
i generally find the holidays very anxiety provoking. however, thanksgiving is now a treat since my sis and i celebrate by ourselves. the first time we did that was the best homecoming ever. it is our new family tradition.
so, anyone in for breadline? let me know.
I apologize profusely to misschibi.
that was the vodka, scotch, tequila and awful gran marnier shot harassing her.
earthquake, if you're in chicago then you must do hot doug's. it's not o'hare-wards though...at least i don't think it is. but i don't know where the hell i was that entire conference weekend so whatever.
I like seeing my folks for the holidays of course, but it is always a trip visiting Mr. Uni's fam. Now that is a homecoming...it usually starts with his stepmom yelling at as us we come in followed up by a compliment by some family member of how well I speak english...
Hahaha...I it's fun up there...he has a huge family that all stayed in that area so it really makes it feel like some crazy holiday gathering. It is pure dysfunction and entertaining as shit. As many of you know the story about his crazy uncle and how he had his mouth wired shut from getting the crap beat out of him from a bad drug deal, and how he started cramming chocolate in between the wires and then just decided to pull them out on his own so he could eat christmas dinner. It was gross to say the least.
great post diz.
homecomings are wonderful. for the first 90 seconds. in that bit of time everything is love and happiness. post-ninety seconds though i could do with out. in my opinion this doesnt matter if it's your family, significant other or pet. by the time the big had has moved 12 degrees i guarentee that reality has set in and you are already experiencing some form of dissapointment or dislike towards this group welcoming you back.
my mom is making me lunch today so it's a surprise but i would guess it is a single slice of meat of some sort, a single slice of cheese and copious copious leafy vegetables.
Intidimating post to come into late in the day... Like me.
I'll go back and read what y'all wrote, honestly.
My family was always the one that was removed. Each of my parents have 5 siblings, and in each family, my parents were the only ones who ever got out of Philly. So we never had home coming, because nobody would ever get off their ass and come visit us. Not even when we lived in Puerto Rico, or Key Largo, or Miami.
THe closest thing I ever have to a THanksgiving home coming is a standing reunion for all the people who worked at YMCA Camp Ockanickon / Matalloniquay from 1992 - 2002. We go the Friday afterwards and get way drunk and talk about the olden days.
Lunch today is being delivered by Pizza Boli's Turkey and Swiss sub, Chix strips, and cola.
I heart making deliver shlubs go out in the miserable rain.
I'm betting everyone else has left work already. Ugh. I'm about to leave. F'ing work, giving me a headache on the day before Thanksgiving. Grr!
today sucks. i wanna go home.
Happy Thanksgiving Day people! I hope everyone travels safely and indulges themselves into tryptophania...and comes home with LOTS of leftovers for LUNCH!!!
This will be my last comment from this f'ing place! Woo hoo!
Diz, I love your post.
I remember that Thanksgiving. I remember that car. I remember thinking that you weren't going to be able to make it....
But you did, and you made me mashed potato's for my birthday, and you made me smile--as you always do.
Happy Thanksgiving all, many hopes for a wonderful holiday filled with warmth and laughter--and a good workout (love you lachoi!!!).
Roesq
RoEsq! I love when you stop by... I need to meet you to talk about all this kickboxing business LC is always telling me about.
Happy TGiving, all. Since I think I'm the only OWFLer not celebrating, I may blog all day tomorrow. Me and Mr. Dirty Mitts... ahhhh... the holidays...
Post a Comment