Post-holiday wrap-up
Been busy. It's inevitable that the freelance work all comes at once. I, however, am not complaining. Extra money at Christmastime is always welcome.
The turkey was delish as always. Since we switched to a field-raised bird four years ago, everyone has been very happy. We all thought we hated turkey. Turns out we just hated turkey that was bred for looks and storage, not taste. There is no comparison between a supermarket Butterball and a field-raised turkey that spent its life eating its natural diet and running around outside, and then slaughtered and brought to table within a couple of days, no freezing involved.
The weird part is that my sister's meat thermometer either wasn't working, or we ate some risky bird. The temp never went above 150, even when the bird HAD to be finished, because it had been in the oven just too freaking long. (It was still juicy. Huzzah for brineing and for basting with butter and broth. (Wow, that read like a Viking poem.)) It was obviously fine, since it's days later and no one got even a tiny bit sick.
Note to self: add "meat thermometer" to next year's shopping list.
Had lunch Friday with friends I hadn't seen in a long while, dinner with friends I hadn't seen in an even longer while (waves to chaosvizier). Blew off all social activity on Saturday to drive back at a reasonable hour, took a two-hour nap on the sofa with the cat, and then played computer games when I should have been working on freelance.
Now I have to go to Target because there is neither toilet paper nor fresh cat litter in my apartment, and things are going to get bad if I don't correct this situation. I trust that with Black Friday over, I won't have to fight off crowds.
(I do not understand Black Friday. The sales are not actually any better in the store than online. I suppose if you are insanely dedicated to the notion that you must physically handle an object before you buy it, then it makes sense. But honestly, with very few exceptions you will continue to find those prices for the next few weeks. It's the retailers' little secret.)