Open Thread

[filkertom]

I hope you all had a good weekend. huskiebear and I made a new friend. She needed new glasses, and I came along for fashion consultation. I was wearing a Dragon*Con shirt. One of the employees, good-looking black guy with a big smile and an excellent soft baritone voice, came up and said, "What's DragonCon? Is that like a comic-con?" I started to explain the differences. He looked at me for a minute, then opened his shirt.

He was wearing a Batman T-Shirt underneath.

We ended up talking for about an hour, and he was flabbergasted that anyone else in the world liked the kinda stuff he did, let alone potentially thousands just in the immediate vicinity, and he gave Les a discount on the glasses, and since he has dial-up and had no idea they existed I brought him a CD-R with Grayson and World's Finest, and it sounds as if he'll be at 'Fusion. And, frankly, Davros and Robin Goodfellow had better watch out, 'cause this guy's got style to burn.

So what goodness is going on in your lives right now? And, how are you planning to spend the Thanksgiving weekend?

Comments

[mrlogic.livejournal.com]

Well, if you've looked at my journal recently then you know of the extreme goodness that has been touching me lately. I couldn't be happier about it.

Thanksgiving weekend I'm mostly going to be busy with two performances of Handel's Messiah at the church I sing at. I've got a basketful of bass solos and recitatives to sing, so I need to make sure to kick this cold I've got before then...

[kightp.livejournal.com]

Goodness: Besides the usual, I've been working with some extremely talented local musicians to produce a CD of music composed to accompany plays at our community theater.We're going to be selling it starting next weekend as a fund-raiser for our perpetual building renovation fund. The goodness is that, for a change, everyone involved came through with their part of the project before the deadlines I set, and I have the first stack of CDs all packaged and ready to go. It's not gonna make anybody's iTunes playlist or anything like that, but it's lovely instrumental stuff (mostly piano), and I think it'll sell well among our volunteers and fans.

Thanksgiving: Spending The Day at the usual theater orphans' Thanksgiving, a many-years tradition. We all gather at somebody's house (this year, our ol' pal Cap'n Slappy is playing host), and somebody cooks a couple of birds and the rest of us bring dishes without which it would not be Thanksgiving for us. We usually have 20-25 diners of all ages, and it's great fun. I'm making pecan pie and Mama Stamberg's Cranberry Relish.

Later that night, I expect my sweetie down from Seattle, and on Saturday I'm roasting a duck with wild mushrooms and other good things for our own little two-person feastlet.

[kshandra]

I'm housesitting for mdlbear and flower_cat while they and the kids go to LosCon this weekend. In the middle of that, I have an Orphans' Thanksgiving to go to at mactavish and deyo's, which ought to be fun.

[desfontaines.livejournal.com]

Massive amounts of sewing, massive amounts of cleaning, massive amounts of food at parents', and massive amounts of food at greyweirdo's (http://www.livejournal.com/users/greyweirdo/)... whee, fun!

[firedrake-mor.livejournal.com]

Well, my freelance business is picking up a little -- I actually got a check I need to deposit today. I've been busy with two websites -- one for the SCA, which is currently at http;//home.earthlink.net/~caidan.history for the history of the Southern California/Nevada group, and one at http://www.argentlupus.com, for combat archery activities. I'm finally solidly back in the gym three times a week, six months after surgery to re-attach a torn quadriceps tendon (TMI, I know), and my wife has her crafts room back after having boarders for too long. Oh, yeah, and she got me an early holiday present -- a Duncan Phyffe library drum table to replace the one my evil stepsister sold out from under me when she sold the family home.

For Thanksgiving,we're doing dinner at my In-laws' house -- last year, for the first time, she let my wife and I do the dinner (after 21 years of marriage), and we're heading it up again this year. I need to make homemade bread and pecan pie on Wednesday. Then, we have a dilemma. There's an SCA event Saturday, but I also wanted to go to LosCon sometime over the weekend.

Is that too much?

[selenesue.livejournal.com]

So let's do the "Medieval Galleria" in the daytime and hit LosCon on Saturday evening, when all the fun is. No problem!

By the way, "argent lupus" wants to come back and finish the photography next Sunday.

[brianh]

Good food, an extremely erudite (if different politically) cute woman to share conversation with, some good birthday presents... It's been a pretty good week. :) As for thanksgiving- eh, my family's in another country at the moment. One of my fellow grad students has graciously invited me to her family's thanksgiving, though. :)

[rikhei.livejournal.com]

Cool, I look forward to meeting said character at 'Fusion. :)

There's a lot of general goodness in my life right now - just happy that I have a pretty home with cats and a job I like. I'm going to my parents' place in Indiana for Thanksgiving, where I am planning on making home-made rolls and mashed potatoes. And my brother and I might be helping my parents choose a kitten.

Plans

[janet-coburn.livejournal.com]

Goodness: Next month Dan gets his degree. I have a book proposal being looked at by an agent. My mother's health is good.

Thanksgiving: Turkey at my mother's with Dan and Dan's Only Friend John and maybe our friend and hairdresser Betty. No bay leaves allowed. Then a weekend of long-neglected chores and finishing up Dan's final research paper.

[bald-ruminant.livejournal.com]

I suppose it's goodness that I have 2 short weeks of work in a row, but since I'm a contractor and get paid by the day, that's a mixed blessing. Convention coming up in SoCal--will get to say hello to some old friends while I'm out there, and of course Luke Ski is supposed to be performing.

Thanksgiving will be spent in lovely Kent, WA with my parents, sister, her boyfriend, his family, and the two dogs. As always, I expect to have to spend at least one and a half days of this visit fixing their computers for them, but this time I should manage to get in some real quality time with the dogs for a change.

[selenesue.livejournal.com]

Hey! When/where for LukeSki? We are in SoCal and I'm dying to meet him.

[bald-ruminant.livejournal.com]

GenCon SoCal
Anaheim Convention Center
Saturday, December 4
Luke will be the halftime entertainment at the costume contest (6:30 PM) and will then be part of a 4-act concert called "Rock the Con" at 9 PM.

Christmas Miracle in My Pants!
Suzy's Bar & Grill 1141 Aviation Blvd., Hermosa Beach, CA 90254
Sunday, December 5, 8 PM - 12 midnight
Performing that night: Dino-Mike, Raymond and Scum, Throwing Toasters, Hot Waffles, Sudden Death, & the great Luke Ski. Price: Free, but with a one item minimum.

[poltr1]

Me and the family wil be spending it at home alone this year. Not enough vacation time to shuffle off to Buffalo to spend it with my family and friends. We already took care of The Wife's side of the family yesterday.

[aiela.livejournal.com]

Spending the early part of the day (til about 4, I guess) with my siblings and stepfather, and then meeting up with davehogg after he gets done covering the Lions game and having lasagna for a late dinner (around 7) with his folks. My daughter's with her dad for Thanksgiving this year, so I'll have a quiet three day weekend to myself since davehogg has to work almost every day, between high school sports finals, the Lions and the Pistons.

[lapislaz.livejournal.com]

Thanksgiving Day doing the usual turkey, stuffing, fauxtatoes, and home-made sugar-free cranberry sauce. Then heading to LosCon for the weekend - drop into the dealer's room and look for BOOK UNIVERSE. You'll find me behind the cash box.

[arensb.livejournal.com]

May I ask what "fauxtatoes" are? Instant mashed "potatoes" made from processed starch flakes? Pringles?

[lapislaz.livejournal.com]

Fauxtatoes is a term invented by the low-carb diet craze - you take cauliflower, cook it until tender but not mushy, then drain it within an inch of it's life and whirl it, still hot, in a food processor with butter and cream cheese. I also add garlic powder. This makes something that is a reasonable substitute for high-carb mashed potatoes.

It turns out that low carb diets, while their efficacy in weight loss is still being debated, are excellent for folks with blood sugar issues, like diabetics (me), and hypoglycemics (my husband). So we've gone low carb for life. We aren't as fanatical about it as the average Atkinsite, but it's done wonders for our general health.

[ericcoleman]

>So what goodness is going on in your lives right now?

Goodness ... lots lately. I'm making it to ConFusion. Looking forward to MUCH good music ... and I got to spend an evening out with the wife this weekend. Seeing as how I have been gone an average of once a month this last year, it's a rare and very nice thing.

>And, how are you planning to spend the Thanksgiving weekend?

Doing the family thang with the in-laws and then going to work friday (yea fun) and having lunch with a very dear friend.

Doing something for the 13th anniversary saturday and then burial at sea on sunday

So it will be a good weekend

[singlemaltsilk.livejournal.com]

"and it sounds as if he'll be at 'Fusion"

Ah, yes, the FOP (Fannish Outreach Program) in action -- I love it! I hope you'll introduce me :)

I'll be spending the holiday weekend in Springfield -- a potluck Thanksgiving Thursday, followed by Chambanacon on Friday.This will actually be the kickoff of 10-day festival of utter self-indulgence, because the following weekend I'll celebrate my 50th birthday!

[tigertoy.livejournal.com]

As I sit here nursing sore muscles from a hard day working at Exotic Feline Rescue Center, I'm reminded of the greatest goodness in my life, my tigers and other big cats.

I'll be having dinner Thursday with my mom at her place, but we'll be spending the rest of the weekend with our family of choice at Chambanacon. Tom, you used to come to Chambanacon, and we wish you'd come back...

[filkertom.livejournal.com]

It's a bit of a haul, though, and this year I really can't afford it. But I will be back, I promise.

[madfilkentist]

I'll be among those attending a filkish wedding at Darkover.

Thanksgiving

[eleri.livejournal.com]

eating much food at a friends house, in the arms of my beloved who works away from home now, and surrounded by all three of my kids. Woo.

[thepiercedrose.livejournal.com]

This weekend?? Working Friday and Saturday, food on Thursday, the wedding of the first boy to ever kiss me on Friday afternoon, ripping out carpeting and moving furnature from Wednesday night on. The best part is there's lots of time with John in there. Now if I could just figure out when I could pick up a CD from you.... If you don't mind it being mostly a snatch and grab I might could make it tonight after Kell and I have dinner.

[arensb.livejournal.com]

So what goodness is going on in your lives right now?

Tonight, a friend is organizing a Geek Dinner and Get-Together, for people who have never met, or have met only through LJ, who would probably enjoy each other's company.

Food will be had. Guinness will be enjoyed. Likely topics of conversation will include beer, sex, music, literature, spam-fighting, sociology, the TCP protocol, civil liberties, and may degenerate into fisticuffs over the One True Editor and the One True Indentation Style.

T-Day and weekend

[celticferret.livejournal.com]

We are expecting our friend Vicky and possibly my son Teddy. I haven't asked why Vic isn't eating with her ex and their kids. We bought two ducks, stuffing, a few canned veggies and pumpkin pie. Dan and I will eat at home. We hope to minimuze the left overs. We are skipping a family gathering at my brother Ted's house. They are about 1.5 hrs awy and Dan doesn't want to make the drive.

I'm still meaning to get out of the house and stop at a Chinese store for winter sausage to add to the dressing. I did manage to find some candied ginger. We don't cook enough to keep fresh ginger around and dried ginger doesn't cut it.

We'll be off to Chambanacon with my son Teddy. His friend Aaron may come, but I'm not counting on it. Teddy gets his own room and pays his own way. We are buying a membership for him as a birthday present.

I continue to have trouble with going hypomanic and worry about not being able to sleep. Cons make it worse.

KG

[janet-coburn.livejournal.com]

How about your own self? Mom still in town? LemurCon? Movie-going? Take-out Chinese?

not necessary, but thanks for asking

[filkertom.livejournal.com]

Mom and Terry -- home safe. Xmas LemurCon -- maybe. Movies -- as mentioned earlier, Polar Express last week. Take-out Chinese -- tomorrow night. :)

[faithwallis.livejournal.com]

Goodness: We're going to the in-laws for Thanksgiving and leaving directly for Chambanacon.

Badness: Tired and sniffly.

Ugliness: Childlet (definitely) and Husbandling (needs to be tested) are strepping. I miraculously escaped this joy. Whee. Antibiotics for everyone!

Thanksgiving weekend

[madmanotl.livejournal.com]

I get the honor of being in charge of about 50 obsessive people who will look towards me for direction.
I run a scrabble tournament every Thanksgiving weekend in Elmhurst, IL.

[msminlr.livejournal.com]

Picking up the Thanksgiving foodies after work Wednesday, then out at the crack of dawn the next morning for 5 hours driving to central MS where hubby-Morris has been tending his ailing parents since early October. With Sharon doing an exchange-student semester this fall, i have no excuse to drive up through Illinois, so I'll have to miss Chambanacon this year. [heavens! next year she'll be old enough to order stuff from the bar in the Drinking And Smoking Consuite!] Homebound Sunday alone; Morris's mom isn't quite up to driving yet, despite marvelous progress with healing her broken hip. He may get back home the following weekend, though.

[jss]

Goodness: A kick-ass conference all last week, including a well-attended post-conference party where the guy I delegated the booze shopping got reimbursed from the cash donations and we still could pay for the tip for the cleaning crew in the morning; no troubles at all with the travel karma this trip; having the expense report done already; and having a quiet day at work for the most part, with ${grandboss} buying us all lunch.

Thanksgiving: Not sure yet about Thursday itself, since I've got two invites I know of and both involve miniprotohumanoids. But Friday I took off work (it's a company holiday but not a client holiday, so things get weird) so I could clean and do the shopping for fresh veggies and the pre-cooking (mainly the chocolate mousse cake and raspberry sauce). That's because Saturday I'm having a dozen or so people over for dinner; I'm providing a shrimp ring, crudités (which doesn't rhyme with "luddites"), and probably a cheese plate, as well as making a turkey (stuffed), candied yams, and the aforementioned chocolate mousse cake with raspberry sauce, and guests are bringing things like unspecified appetizers, stewed corn, cranberry bread, and apple pie. Sunday will be spent in recovery.

[vettecat.livejournal.com]

Congrats on the new recruit! :-)

[partiallyclips.livejournal.com]

Goodness: I have a second interview on Monday for a job that I really, really want. It's the one I had a good interview for last week.

Thanksgiving: Just me with my Mom & Dad, for which I am supremely thankful. No chance of hearing my uncle talk politics.