Stuck at home alone for Thanksgiving weekend...again

[thatcrazycajun]

So tomorrow is the annual holiday set aside by the US government for honoring the memory of the white European invaders of a harmless agrarian culture our courageous Pilgrim ancestors who founded this nation. And once again, all the people I might want to sit down to a shamelessly excessive feast with—girlfriend in Africa, family in Lafayette, friends in New Orleans and other friends in the Northeast—are all too far away for my current financial situation to allow me that pleasure. Yeah, I know I do have at least some things to be thankful for; but after the 16th inquiry of "What are you doing for Thanksgiving?" and not having an answer, it gets kinda hard to remember all that stuff.

Leaving aside the $$$$$ Africa trip (been there, done that just last month), DC and/or Maryland is a minimum nine-hour drive, and hundreds of dollars in fares to get there by plane, train or bus. The Louisiana cities are almost as much time and expense to get to. And most of the handful of real friends I have here in the City Too Busy to Hate (and Too Traffic-Choked to Move) either have left town or made other plans that do not include me. So it looks like once again, I'm stuck here for the holiday weekend with no one for company but Ari the Humongous Orange Tabby™ (who would add still more expense for cat-sitting, were I to go somewhere for more than a night), cable TV, the Internet and thou.

Any suggestions, offers of a place at a suitably nearby dinner table, or condolences and commiserations welcome. If you really feel the need to tell me to stop whining and remember others far worse off this holiday, I guess I can live with that too. Or if you want to share what's exciting about the weekend for you and yours, that might help a little.

Comments

[ericavdg.livejournal.com]

I wish you were going to be in the DC area. Then you could celebrate with us. Yes, you have lots to be thankful for, but being alone on Thanksgiving stinks. Hoping for better times in years to come. Hugs!

[anaisdjuna.livejournal.com]

If my fam wasn't so damn weird I'd invite you to eat with us. I'm going for my nephew otherwise I wouldn't. Errr... not the holiday cheer you were hoping for maybe...

How 'bout some *Hugs* instead :-)

Or some kitty belly:

[dan-ad-nauseam.livejournal.com]

*scritch scritch scritch*

*batbat*

[osewalrus.livejournal.com]

Wanna haul ass up to Baltimore?

[thatcrazycajun.livejournal.com]

I assume you're referring to DarkoverCon? Believe me, if I could afford to do it I'd be en route this very minute.

[osewalrus.livejournal.com]

I meant Thanksgiving as well. But it's irrelevant, as you can't afford it.

[gingicat]

Teleporter appears to be on the fritz. :(

Want to head down to Savannah to surprise a lonely and ill 60-year-old lady with "Hi, your niece sent me!"? I'd pay for dinner!

(She's way high maintenance. But she'd adore it.)

[poltr1]

I can commiserate. I'm a day's drive up the road (I-75) from you.

FWIW, the Friday after Thanksgiving has been designation Native American Heritage Day. Now if they'd only make it a federal holiday.

[sffilk.livejournal.com]

This is not going to happen to you again, not if I have anything to say about it! If you're still here and without your songbird, and on the proviso that I'm not going to be able to go anywhere, you're coming with me to my sister's house.

[msminlr.livejournal.com]

Go you!

[wouldyoueva.livejournal.com]

Actually, I'm cheered that I'm not the only one with issues about this holiday. While I'd like it if either the Whitleys got it together for Thanksgiving or if one of Jack's relatives would notice my two kids are Chalkers and invite us to a family function, I'm not holding my breath waiting for it to happen. It's their loss, as far as I'm concerned.

And that is why my sons and I are going to a seafood restaurant tomorrow. If we don't have to eat turkey, we won't. I'm just going to treat the day as a fun day off and a chance to have a nice dinner out with 2 out of 3 of my favorite guys.

Maybe next time you could give us a heads up in advance, put up a Paypal link, so we can chip in for a plane ticket for you? I know I'm thankful I have the liquidity to do stuff like that.

[figmo.livejournal.com]

I'm with you on that one! No muss, no fuss, no psychodrama, no comparing it to Mom's home cooking, and no cleanup afterwards....

[thatcrazycajun.livejournal.com]

Wow. That any of my friends would offer to chip in for a plane ticket for me is astounding and moving, to say the least. I'll make a note for next year, assuming I'm still in the States. Thank you.

[filkferengi]

It's not all that surprising. To quote Eleanor Farjeon, "you're the one sort of person that everyone loves." With a bit more notice, we would've been thrilled to chip in. Or you could've hung out with us. Of course, our plans turned out somewhat unusual this year. With no summons from the in-laws, & my dad preferring to go out Friday to avoid the crowds, we were on our own. My masculine half is getting adventurous in our middle-age, so we wound up spending 3+ hours hiking Sweetwater Creek State Park. That would've been fine, but the slithering & slipping on the roots & rocks with no railing & the several hundred feet dropoff were things I could've done without. That aside, it was a fun walk, & you would've been very welcome.

I tend to live 3-5+ days behind on LJ, so we need a bit of notice on things, but you're always. No one should be doing the peanut butter sandwich thing on Thanksgiving, unless they just want to.

[My freshman year in college, they closed the cafeteria & made no other arrangements for us, so I hid out in the dorms for 4 days with a me-high stack of books & the aforementioned peanut-butter. I quite enjoyed it, but then I, like Miles VorKosigan's mother, am commonly acknowledged to be rather strange. ;)]

[figmo.livejournal.com]

*HUG* from out here.

I usually organize an orphan Thanksgiving outing, although this year I'm going somewhere serving "Amurkin" food to cheer Warren up.

[acelightning.livejournal.com]

[jannyblue.livejournal.com]

Three-Rice Stuffing With Sherry And Walnuts (recipe available on request)

May I have this recipe, please?

[acelightning.livejournal.com]

[archiver-tim.livejournal.com]

I found out in recent years that my French-Canadian ancestors on my mother's side arrived in future Quebec around 1620. There, the Native Canadians liked the idea of stone chimneys/fireplaces and solid walls.

[acelightning.livejournal.com]

[mshollie.livejournal.com]

Shame you can't come down to NOLA; I'd invite you to my place and help me deal with my crazy family.

Maybe for C'mas.

[thatcrazycajun.livejournal.com]

Bless your hawt, dawlin'. :-) Thank you and please tell your dad and Froggy hi for me.

[ladyqkat.livejournal.com]

I just got permission to point you to this post. The original author (whose page is f-locked) says it all quite nicely, I think.