Thanksgiving Day

Ah, Thanksgiving. Actually this was probably the first TDay with the family in years that did not end up in fighting, bickering, or other nonsense. But then again, my grandmother and her husband did not come to my Aunt's new house. I know my Aunt was greatly disappointed considering she and my Uncle-in-law spent a lot of time and effort inviting and organizing a meal for over twenty-five people. Aside from that things went well. I met a lot of new in-laws which actually seemed to be normal people not out to try and show off how superior they are to everyone else. All in all, a quite refreshing holiday. If all family gatherings were like this I think I'd enjoy them a lot more.

On a side note, I think Bush's surprise visit to the troops in Iraq was nice. The cynical put it down to him trying to to gain political points, but in this case (unlike the Carrier incident) I think he did not do it to gain political advantage or popularity. He didn't stay around and chat or eat or schmooze too much, all things that counter the political manipulation angle. Besides it was kind of amusing that the most watched politician on the planet could disappear off the radar screens long enough to pull something like this off.