<p>So flattered to be Ms September! I will have to borrow one of the Burner outfits I saw-- a bikini top made out of those candy-necklace candies.</p>
<p>My sweet D came home yesterday and here is what I am thankful for:</p>
<p>On our drive home from the airport, she talked nonstop about all the wonderful books she is reading in her classes. "Mom, have you read X? Because if not I will bring it home at Christmas; it is so wonderful, you have to read it!..." And: the books she now loves are demanding and sophisticated! </p>
<p>It is only her 3rd semester and the transformation from Abercrombie Lightweight to Budding Intellectual is complete. :) </p>
<p>I fall to my knees with gratitude as I write the check for next semester.</p>
<p>Happy Thanksgiving to everyone. S was delayed leaving Pittsburgh, am leaving soon to pick him up. The cosmo sounds good, but I don't think I have any lime juice. Just sent H out for silver polish, am using some old distant relatives silver plate tomorrow. Sister is home from Dallas, spending time with family. Next year both of them will be flying in.</p>
<p>If I weren't so jet-lagged I too would be thinking about Thanksgiving. Anyone here have a good cure? Every time I spend a significant amount of time in Asia and then come back I feel like I am DYING for 3-4 days. Then I just feel really tired.</p>
<p>Any good recipes for curing jet-lag out there? Someone on the floor here in the Alley must have something. Surely.</p>
<p>No, no! Never sleep when the sun is out when you are trying to get over jet lag. The marmots should nibble your toes until you wake up and get out into the light. Try to get as much natural light onto as much of your skin as possible. I think that means go to the beach and drape your swimsuit clad body over a towel. Sip cosmos, but don't nap.</p>
<p>Greeteings from the rain-soaked Delaware shore. My brother has started 2 times as many dishes as there are people to serve; I have made the pies (pumpkin, apple using the prize-winning recipe from Martha Stewart's show - I'll let you know, mincemeat) and the stuffing. </p>
<p>We are watching football, have played dominoes for hours. DS is here, with longer curly hair (a good thing :) ), and smiling. Turns out JHU is his third-favorite school of the three he's sampled so far (and not a close third, either). Oh well, it's Thanksgiving. I'll worry about that tomorrow <em>sighs her best Scarlett O'Hara sigh</em>.</p>
<p>Brilliant summer day here--Happy Thanksgiving to All Sinners! Have a great time in your family alleys.</p>
<p>Jet lag....it's disappeared for me for the most part--except for ten days of mild insomnia. Honestly, my jet lag was ten times worse going to and from Europe/US. </p>
<p>Tips: </p>
<ol>
<li><p>2 hour deep tissue massage with 15 minutes of Reiki--a day or two before departure. This makes an incredible difference during the actual flight too.</p></li>
<li><p>No alcohol on flight.</p></li>
<li><p>One movie or book after dinner.</p></li>
<li><p>Eye mask. Essential.</p></li>
<li><p>Good ear plugs.</p></li>
<li><p>Stay in 'sleep' position for at least 6 hours of 12 hour flight--even if semi-awake.</p></li>
<li><p>Shower and moisturize (sorry fellas) ASAP after arrival.</p></li>
</ol>
<p>Jet lag after a trip is the worst if you don't have to get up (like if you're self-employed or a stay-at-home.) Napping in the daytime only prolongs the recovery period. So the best thing is to Just. Stay. Up. Make yourself go for a walk if you're feeling sleepy, but don't sleep in the daytime. You'll get over it much quicker.</p>
<p>The least jet lag I ever had was on a trip to Israel when the flight was delayed for hours and we all had to spend the night on cold metal chairs in a lousy Newark terminal. Remember Tower Air? Yeah, them. When we <em>finally</em> got on the flight at 5 a.m., we all slept immediately and happily for the entire trip and arrived there in pretty good shape.</p>
<p>The oddest thing were those microsleeps that happened during the flight attendant's takeoff spiel. Kept thinking my speakers were cutting out, when actually my ears were cutting out. :D</p>
<p>I'm a bit growly. I sent out 50 invites for a graduation party yesterday--only to have a society mother show up at our door this morning (Sunday) with an invite for her son's semi-formal (???) party on the same night.</p>
<p>I'm thinking my son wasn't on her son's list--until she heard that we are throwing one of our famous parties. Sigh....fingers crossed the double decker buses are available for the alternate night.</p>
<p>Ack. So sorry that the other mom has thrown a monkey wrench into your the plans for your son's party!! Yours sounds better...where's my invite???? <em>lol</em></p>
<p>OK dropping by for a little spot of something bracing. (BTW I did make those SA Cosmos on Thanksgiving, and liked 'em so much, I made 'em yesterday, too!)</p>
<p>So TSFH is currently part-way through his second day of "range training", which means "learning from professional instructors how to ride a motorcycle safely on a closed course on a huge college parking lot that's empty today". He passed the 5-hour classroom training last Tues. night and spent all day yesterday (with me watching from my warm car and sneaking some pictures) and all day today doing the official safety training thing. Today, from what I can tell of the weather reports, he is riding in the rain up there. (He took his pull-on waterproof ski pants to wear over his pants if it was wet.) I capitulated and signed him up (he's not 18 yet so he required my sig) after realizing that he was not so much obsessed as committed to riding, and that once he left our house I'd have no control over whether he took the safety classes or not. So... without pushing him into riding, I made sure he took the safety training. I hope I don't regret it. I'm figuring it's kind of good that it's raining today, 'cause he'll get a day on the range (5+ hours) with instructors, learning first-hand what it's like to ride in the rain. Better than figuring it out on your own on a street, maybe.</p>
<p>After today, TSFH will be qualified to take a written test at the DMV and get his M-1 certification on his license. He reminds me daily that he is saving his paychecks for a motorcycle before next summer. I remind him that he ought to be checking out the prices on motorcycle insurance for teenaged boys before he gets any ideas about how he'll be spending his money.</p>
<p>Sometimes life throws you these curveballs you didn't expect. I'm trying to learn to adjust my swing and tap 'em just hard enough to put 'em into play without making a fool of myself and falling on my butt in the dirt. (Hmm, that metaphor didn't work. Do I get points for trying? :) )</p>
<p>So yeah. Pour yourselves something on me, and send good thoughts for TSFH's many years of safe operation of a motorcycle... and the sane driving of those around him (which of course is the element over which he'll have no control). I'm learning to live with the idea. Slowly. Maybe.</p>
<p>Scale ingredients to servings
1 1/2 oz tequila
fill with sweet and sour mix
1 1/2 oz rum
1 splash 7-Up® soda
1 1/2 oz vodka
1 1/2 oz gin
1 1/2 oz Blue Curacao liqueur</p>
<p>Build over ice in a collins glass. Fill with sour mix and add a splash of 7-Up.</p>
<p>Cats? Oh gosh, that reminds me. It is almost Christmas time! Oh, I so hope that Sluggbugg share again the Christmas letter that is written by cats that she receives every year. Sluggbugg, where are you?</p>