So is everyone in holiday mode yet?

[wellington1869]

I checked out sometime monday afternoon, pretty much a slacking-off zombie at work.

I have a feeling I'm going to "mysteriously vanish" from my desk around 3pm tomorrow afternoon  Gotta beat the traffic going upstate.

[wellington1869]

Incidentally my mom has decided to try something new this xgiving -- we're having a 100% vegetarian xgiving.  (I'm not entirely against it, even though I'm quite a carnivore. SO long as its tasty and filling and still bad for me in some way, I'll make do. I have a feeling my brother-in-law and I will slip out for some wendy's at some point ).

I think it was this now infamous Sarah Palin video that inspired her actually (the horror, the horror).

[itlnstln]

I'm always in the mood for Thanksgiving.  I like Xmas, too, but I am not looking forward to putting up, and, subsequently, taking down the decorations.

[xsphat]

I have to host thanksgiving at my house for, among others, my sh*t-stirring crazy mother in law. I'm gonna make her into a character in a novel someday, but only to kill her off.

[iMav]

I have to host thanksgiving at my house for, among others, my sh*t-stirring crazy mother in law. I'm gonna make her into a character in a novel someday, but only to kill her off.

We have my inlaws over as well.  (showed up tuesday evening)

However, I LOVE having them here.  I always look forward to seeing them.

[xsphat]

Yeah, me too :mrgreen:

[wellington1869]

However, I LOVE having them here.  I always look forward to seeing them.

weirdo.

[itlnstln]

We're going to the future in-laws house for Thanksgiving and the UT/TX A&M game.  My fiancee and her sister and brother went to A&M, and their spouses and I went to UT.  It should be a fun day, if not a drunk one.

[xsphat]

We're going to the future in-laws house for Thanksgiving and the UT/TX A&M game.  My fiancee and her sister and brother went to A&M, and their spouses and I went to UT.  It should be a fun day, if not a drunk one.

That does sound like it'll be fun.

[djones]

thanksgiving means exactly one thing to me: chinese food :-)

[itlnstln]

I work for a Grocery company here in TX, and while I was in college, I worked in the stores.  I once saw a guy walking down the frozen food aisle with a handful of Banquet turkey TV dinners.  I actually felt bad for him, because he was older, and it looked like he was trying to host Thanksgiving for his family, but, due to age or some other factor, had to resort to TV dinners.  It could be, too, that he had planned to serve them to other older families or poor families.  At any rate, djones, why are you having Chinese food on Thanksgiving?

[wellington1869]

I work for a Grocery company here in TX, and while I was in college, I worked in the stores.  I once saw a guy walking down the frozen food aisle with a handful of Banquet turkey TV dinners.  I actually felt bad for him, because he was older, and it looked like he was trying to host Thanksgiving for his family, but, due to age or some other factor, had to resort to TV dinners.  It could be, too, that he had planned to serve them to other older families or poor families.

It sounds corny, but the older I get, the more strongly I feel empathy for the millions of people who for one reason or another dont have (even a crappy) family to go to during the holidays.

My (quite dysfunctional) family isnt going to win any medals, but even I'm grateful to have somewhere to go during times like this.  

The middle class is such a fragile demographic actually, we're all just a couple of accidents away from vanishing from it.  There's something to give thanks for this weekend.

[bhtooefr]

For that matter, Burger King has an "OPEN FOR THANKSGIVING" sign up...

And, I grabbed a turkey TV dinner in case I decide not to go anywhere for Thanksgiving. It's not worth getting a whole friggin bird for one person, after all.

[wellington1869]

I'm always in the mood for Thanksgiving.  I like Xmas, too, but I am not looking forward to putting up, and, subsequently, taking down the decorations.

My sister already has the tree up. Ridiculous, I know. Apparently the kids demanded it.

[xsphat]

Wellington, middle class is also a lot smaller than we are led to believe. So many people think they are in middle class who aren't, and a lot of middle class people claim working class because they don't want to sound snooty. I think it's fascinating.

[wellington1869]

Wellington, middle class is also a lot smaller than we are led to believe. So many people think they are in middle class who aren't, and a lot of middle class people claim working class because they don't want to sound snooty. I think it's fascinating.

You're absolutely right.  Middle class is a state of mind
(but a comforting one

[djones]

At any rate, djones, why are you having Chinese food on Thanksgiving?

1) No one in my family/group of friends likes turkey or really cares about the true meaning of thanksgiving-- even if they did, no one wants to cook the damned bird.
2) Chinese restaurants are the only ones open on thanksgiving
3) You generally get very good service b/c no one's there

[bigpook]

My wife is making the cranberry sauce as I type. Growing up as a kid, the cranberry sauce came out of can. I remember it being like some gelatinous goo.  She makes it fresh with real cranberrys and its excellent with turkey.
Its just me and the wife this year, all other family members live in different states. But the peace and quiet will be nice...

[bigpook]

Wellington, middle class is also a lot smaller than we are led to believe. So many people think they are in middle class who aren't, and a lot of middle class people claim working class because they don't want to sound snooty. I think it's fascinating.

I have read that elsewhere. I like to think I am middle class but in reality I am 6 months away from living under a bridge. I am thankful to have my health and a job. The loss of one of these would be game over for me.
Sigh, its a holiday, I should be happier.

[wellington1869]

in reality I am 6 months away from living under a bridge. I am thankful to have my health and a job. The loss of one of these would be game over for me.
Sigh, its a holiday, I should be happier.

same here. 6 months away and etc. As far as health concerns go, everyone is in that boat (rich or poor).
But to accentuate the positive, we should be happy for what we do have and build on it. Life is pretty fragile for everyone. Its the human condition I guess. (yea, it blows, but its all we've got  Best to make the most of it. Nice 4 day holiday in which to do that coming up

[wellington1869]

1) No one in my family/group of friends likes turkey or really cares about the true meaning of thanksgiving-- even if they did, no one wants to cook the damned bird.
2) Chinese restaurants are the only ones open on thanksgiving
3) You generally get very good service b/c no one's there

I have friends who do this on christmas eve (for the same reasons)

(Remember that great scene in Christmas Story?)

[bigpook]

I didn't see Christmas Story, but Chinese on thanksgiving would be cool. Only problem is that there are no good Chinese restaurants  around here......
But I can deal with the turkey. Its not very difficult to cook. I must say that the body parts that come in the bag that is stuffed into the cavity are nasty but I throw those away.

[bigpook]

wellington, I see in your sig that you currently have a Scorpius with blue cherries and that you previously owned a Das III. They both have blue cherries, did you notice a difference between them at all? Also, have you opened the Scorpius to check out the quality of the soldering?

[itlnstln]

I have read that elsewhere. I like to think I am middle class but in reality I am 6 months away from living under a bridge. I am thankful to have my health and a job. The loss of one of these would be game over for me.
Sigh, its a holiday, I should be happier.

I feel you.  My fiancee and I have been wanting to move to Austin for quality of life issues, but we have great jobs here in San Antonio plus we have a (very expensive) house here that we cannot sell, so we are stuck here for quite some time.  We are quite thankful for our jobs and health.  If we lost our jobs, which is highly unlikely, we would be joining you under the bridge pretty quick.  Speaking of that, has anyone heard from Ashort in a while?  I heard some bad news about Cisco the other day, and it got me thinking about him (if I remember correctly, he works for Cisco).  We are fortunate to work for a private company who values its employees and customers more than making a buck, so I think (I hope, at least) we are OK.  I hope all you GeekHackers are doing well and have a nice holiday season.

[wellington1869]

wellington, I see in your sig that you currently have a Scorpius with blue cherries and that you previously owned a Das III. They both have blue cherries, did you notice a difference between them at all? Also, have you opened the Scorpius to check out the quality of the soldering?

hey bigpook, the main difference I noticed was that the M10 is not as loud. (The tone of the click also seems "crunchier" to me.) I liked the M10's "softer, crunchier" click over the das's click. You can hear both in my 'noisykeyboard' thread in the audio clips section.

Other than the slight difference in the tone of the click, the M10 I got is pretty solidly built, no issues with it (n-key or otherwise) (while my das came with a big hole in it (and came with an n-key rollover issue). I reviewed both boards in the review section by the way.  As for opening up the M10 to look at soldering, I'm pretty sure the soldering is going to be a mess!  Thats partly why I'd rather not know  I'll probably open it up at some point though. Not just yet cuz I'm still in love with it

[wellington1869]

I hope all you GeekHackers are doing well and have a nice holiday season.

right back at ya bro.  I think this is the most philosophical thanksgiving I've ever had, it must be a sign that I'm getting older. I've never really thought about these things during a holiday before. Then again these are extraordinarily difficult times we're living in.

[itlnstln]

This is the first time I can think of where we are limiting family visits and Xmas gifts due to tough times (except for another Evolution; Santa better come correct ).  With gas prices falling and the govt. actively searching for ways to stimulate the economy, I hope this is a sign of better times to come.

[bigpook]

I feel you.  My fiancee and I have been wanting to move to Austin for quality of life issues, but we have great jobs here in San Antonio plus we have a (very expensive) house here that we cannot sell, so we are stuck here for quite some time.  We are quite thankful for our jobs and health.  If we lost our jobs, which is highly unlikely, we would be joining you under the bridge pretty quick.  Speaking of that, has anyone heard from Ashort in a while?  I heard some bad news about Cisco the other day, and it got me thinking about him (if I remember correctly, he works for Cisco).  We are fortunate to work for a private company who values its employees and customers more than making a buck, so I think (I hope, at least) we are OK.  I hope all you GeekHackers are doing well and have a nice holiday season.

I can relate, my wife and I want to move back to Arizona. Florida isn't quite what we expected. But we cannot sell our house and we have that same stuck feeling. I have two friends in Austin and they work for Cisco. I haven't heard from them in awhile though. Hope they are doing well.
I am hoping that the new year brings some positive news, all of this negativity is taking a toll on people and some good news would be nice for a change.

[bigpook]

hey bigpook, the main difference I noticed was that the M10 is not as loud. (The tone of the click also seems "crunchier" to me.) I liked the M10's "softer, crunchier" click over the das's click. You can hear both in my 'noisykeyboard' thread in the audio clips section.

Other than the slight difference in the tone of the click, the M10 I got is pretty solidly built, no issues with it (n-key or otherwise) (while my das came with a big hole in it (and came with an n-key rollover issue). I reviewed both boards in the review section by the way.  As for opening up the M10 to look at soldering, I'm pretty sure the soldering is going to be a mess!  Thats partly why I'd rather not know  I'll probably open it up at some point though. Not just yet cuz I'm still in love with it

Thats way cool. I was just curious to know. I guess the acid test will be how long the keyboard lasts. I used to solder many years ago but it has been so long.

[wellington1869]

This is the first time I can think of where we are limiting family visits and Xmas gifts due to tough times (except for another Evolution; Santa better come correct ).  With gas prices falling and the govt. actively searching for ways to stimulate the economy, I hope this is a sign of better times to come.

Thats funny, we're limiting gifts too Also for the first time.

[itlnstln]

all of this negativity is taking a toll on people and some good news would be nice for a change.

You know what's positive?  There's football on tomorrow, and the UT Longhorns are going to kick some A&M a*s, that's what's positive.  You have a great Thanksgiving, bigpook.  

[itlnstln]

I'm kind of glad we are limiting gifts, economy aside.  We usually end up doing white elephant gifts with my fiancee's family, and seems kind of wasteful since you have to get a fairly "generic" gift, so whoever picks it get some sort fo utility from it.  In the end, though, it's not something anybody really wants.  Have a great Thanksgiving, Wellington.  I going to reload on some Holiday cheer (Sam Smith's Oatmeal Stout;  BTW, I am full of cheer )

[wellington1869]

I didn't see Christmas Story

btw, omg, you have to rent it. its a classic!

[wellington1869]

I'm kind of glad we are limiting gifts, economy aside.  We usually end up doing white elephant gifts with my fiancee's family, and seems kind of wasteful since you have to get a fairly "generic" gift, so whoever picks it get some sort fo utility from it.  In the end, though, it's not something anybody really wants.  Have a great Thanksgiving, Wellington.  I going to reload on some Holiday cheer (Sam Smith's Oatmeal Stout;  BTW, I am full of cheer )

In the last few years I've been requesting gift certificates. So much more convenient and less wasteful cuz you can get exactly what you want. Not as fun for the giver, but much more practical for the receiver!
Have a good one, I'm on my second corona myself

[itlnstln]

You'll shoot your eye out!

[bhtooefr]

I'm actually trying to get out of Christmas altogether, myself - it's one of two holidays:

Christmas, which should be to celebrate the birth of Jesus Christ... so if I were a Christian, I'd be offended by Christmas being raped, but I'm not, so the holiday is completely irrelevant to me.

Saturnalia, which should be to celebrate the dedication of the temple of Saturn, which I also don't worship. (If I did, I'd be offended by the Christians stealing my holiday. )

[itlnstln]

I always thought the original meaning of Xmas was to celebrate the harvest, and, then, adapted to the birth of Christ to bring Christianity to the Pagans on the British Isles.  I like to celebrate the barley and hops harvest year 'round, though.

[bigpook]

You know what's positive?  There's football on tomorrow, and the UT Longhorns are going to kick some A&M a*s, that's what's positive.  You have a great Thanksgiving, bigpook.  

Same to you man.

[bigpook]

I'm actually trying to get out of Christmas altogether, myself - it's one of two holidays:

Christmas, which should be to celebrate the birth of Jesus Christ... so if I were a Christian, I'd be offended by Christmas being raped, but I'm not, so the holiday is completely irrelevant to me.

Saturnalia, which should be to celebrate the dedication of the temple of Saturn, which I also don't worship. (If I did, I'd be offended by the Christians stealing my holiday. )

I vote for Saturnalia, if memory serves correct, the Romans partied and orgied for a couple of weeks. :shock: A part of me would go for that versus a plastic christmas tree and socks.....

[xsphat]

From my blog:


Battle

November 27, 2008 by xsphat | Edit

Like so many captains before me who are facing a tough battle, I tour the ship. I walk slowly from room to room looking at everything but lost in my own thoughts. It feels as though I may not see any of this again, and I might not. So I try to take everything in but the trials we’ll soon face could best us from the start, and my mind is on nothing but that.

Everything is ship shape, do to the determination of the crew. The effort put forth to ready us for the coming battle all happened while I was away, and this is the way things go, but it is still admirable. Now everyone is asleep, everyone except me. The captain, who in a brief amount of time will relinquish his command and hope for the best, but we all know how this will end.

Yes, fair readers, yet another holiday season is upon us. This year, my number one has taken it upon herself to place our ship, our home, directly in harm’s way. We are hosting Thanksgiving. So for now, the captain’s chair is mine and I command a crew of deadite zombies, and in the morning, when the kitchen becomes the focal point, my number one will take the the command chair and I will be reduced to the status of cabin boy.

I hope the ship is returned to me in the order in which I’ll leave it. I hope I’ll again control the helm and lead my crew to greatness, but if we survive this battle tomorrow, another is a scant month away, and that is the big one. Thank god we aren’t hosting that one.

Sleep tight, fair crew, sleep tight. This quiet is the calm before the storm, and the storm may wash away my sanity before the day is out.

Happy holidays. I’m already looking forward to January.

[xsphat]

Wow, I'm stuffed, and not nearly as drunk as I had planned to be.

Good day after all.

[wellington1869]

So I had a really great thanksgiving. And by "really great" I mean:
a) no one fought with anyone else (at least not in an irreconcilable way)
b) It was relatively healthy (didnt overstuff myself, which is good)
c) I actually had fun talking with some of the relatives (which is always a pleasant surprise).
Hope ya'll had a good one too!!

[wellington1869]

Wow, I'm stuffed, and not nearly as drunk as I had planned to be.

Good day after all.

Hey XS, I take it the ship hung together to sail another day?

[xsphat]

Hey XS, I take it the ship hung together to sail another day?

The ship is good, the captain is tired though

[wellington1869]

You'll shoot your eye out!

This was on CNN today